How to Validate a Healthcare Business Idea

Before you invest time, money, or energy into launching a new healthcare venture, whether it’s a private clinic, wellness programme, course, or digital tool, you need to validate the business idea. Healthcare is one of the most highly regulated, high-stakes sectors, and a great concept on paper doesn’t always translate into impact or income in the real world.

Even if you’re still working within the NHS, many clinicians are starting to experiment with entrepreneurship, exploring side projects like YouTube, writing eBooks, launching new services, or setting up private practice. But not every idea is worth pursuing. That’s where idea validation comes in.

What Does It Mean to Validate a Business Idea?

Validating a business idea means making sure it’s something people actually want or need, before you build it.

In simple terms, idea validation is the process of checking whether your concept solves a real problem, has a clear audience, and is worth pursuing. It's the step between having an idea and committing serious time, money, or resources to it.

In healthcare, this is especially important. You might be thinking of launching a private clinic, an educational course, a patient resource, or a digital product. But even if it seems helpful to you, that doesn’t mean others will see the value, or be willing to engage with it.

This is where market validation research plays a role. It’s about gathering data to understand:

• Is this problem common enough to solve?

• Are people already looking for solutions?

• Are there existing options, and how is yours different?

• Would anyone actually use or pay for this?

  
  

The point isn’t to overcomplicate things or write a 40-page business plan. In fact, most validated ideas start small, with a quick conversation, a social post, a basic landing page, or a simple survey.

Validating a business idea is about testing your assumptions in the real world, not just in your head.

At DocSupport, we often encourage people to validate in three stages:

1. Clarity — Who is it for, and what does it solve?

2. Feedback — What do others think, and would they use it?

3. Engagement — Will they take action, like signing up or booking a call?

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By the end of this process, you’ll either have more confidence to move forward or the clarity to pivot early. Either way, you’re making smarter decisions, not just hopeful ones.

Step 1: Start With a Conversation, Not a Campaign

One of the most common mistakes people make when they try to validate a business idea is jumping straight to building something, like a logo, website, or service, before they’ve spoken to anyone.

In healthcare, you already have one of the best tools for validation: conversation.

Start by talking to people in your network, colleagues, patients (if appropriate), peers in similar roles. Ask simple questions like:

• “Is this something you’ve struggled with?”

• “How do you currently solve this problem?”

• “Would a tool or service like this help?”

• “Would you actually use it?”

  
  

The goal isn’t to sell the idea. It’s to understand if it’s solving a real problem for real people.

Dr. Dave Hindmarsh used this exact approach when pitching a new communication idea to his GP partners.

“I took it to a partnership meeting… they knew what I'd done already. I said I’d love to explore this area. And they basically said, you know what, Dave, knock yourself out.”

That early conversation gave him both feedback and permission to test the idea in a low-risk way.

At DocSupport, this kind of back-and-forth is part of how we shape everything, from our webinars to our guides. In fact, some of our most popular content started as simple chats that turned into something bigger.

“It’s amazing how many ideas we didn’t do because we talked them through and realised they wouldn’t work,” says Dr. Matthew Wickham. “But that one idea we did run with? That one had legs, and we knew it before spending a penny.”

Whether you’re a solo clinician or part of a team, the best way to validate your business idea early is to talk it out. Don’t build anything yet. Just listen. Ask questions. Pay attention to the reactions, not just the words.

If people lean in, ask questions, or say, “I’d use that”, you’re onto something. If they nod politely or change the subject, you’ve got work to do.

Step 2: Understand the Real Problem You're Solving

One of the biggest traps healthcare professionals fall into when launching a new idea is assuming they already know the problem, because they see so much of it in the clinic. But the reality is, what feels like a problem from your side doesn’t always match what the patient or colleague experiences on theirs.

That’s why this step, getting really clear on the problem, is crucial when you’re trying to validate a business idea.

Think like a clinician. Before you offer a solution, you diagnose. You gather information. You ask the right questions.

Dr. Dave Hindmarsh shared an example of this from his practice:

“The death certification rules had changed, and we realised patients had no idea what was going on. They were grieving, getting upset, and the staff were taking the brunt of it. So I made a short video to explain the new process, and it worked.”

That solution wasn’t built around a business plan. It was built around a very real and urgent communication gap. And it solved it directly, with minimal effort.

This idea worked because they responded to clear, specific problems:

• Patients didn’t understand the new rules

• Staff were under pressure.

• Valuable services weren’t being used.

  
  

Validating a healthcare business idea means making sure you’re solving a real, felt problem, not just something that sounds useful. To get that right, you need to:

• Talk to your patients, staff, or peers

• Look at the data: referrals, complaints, service uptake.

• Notice patterns in the questions people keep asking.

• Pay attention to moments of friction or inefficiency in your day-to-day work.

  
  

Step 3: Do Simple Market Validation Research

Once you’ve clarified the problem you want to solve, the next step is to check whether others recognise that problem too, and whether they’re actively looking for a solution. This is where market validation research comes in.

And no, it doesn’t have to mean spreadsheets or academic reports; you can do simple, practical validation using the tools already at your fingertips.

Here’s how:

Look at Search Trends and Online Questions

Start with what people are already asking. Use tools like:

• Google Trends — to compare search interest over time

• Answer the Public — to see how people phrase their questions.

• Reddit or online forums — especially healthcare subreddits or clinician communities

• Your own inbox or patient records — what issues keep coming up?

  
  

If no one is searching for your idea, or something close to it, that doesn’t mean it’s not valid, but it might mean you’ll need to work harder to educate your audience.

Use Your Network to Test Interest

Ask questions in WhatsApp groups, LinkedIn, or Facebook groups for GPs and health professionals. Post polls, share ideas, and watch how people respond.

Run a Micro Test with Your Audience

The best kind of market validation comes from watching how people actually respond to your idea. Do they engage? Do they take action?

A real response is far more useful than polite feedback. You’re not just asking if they like the idea, you’re checking if they’ll actually do something with it.

You can do this too by:

• Sending a short survey

• Asking patients to register interest for a service

• Offering a downloadable guide and tracking sign-ups

• Sharing a video and seeing who responds or books in

What Counts as a Validated Result?

You don’t need hundreds of responses, just real signals of engagement. Look for:

• Replies

• Bookings

• Email sign-ups

• Clicks or video views

• Pre-orders (if applicable)

If people are taking action, that’s a good sign you’re on the right track. If not, go back a step and refine the problem or how you’re explaining it. Remember: this stage isn’t about being right, it’s about learning fast.

Step 4: Build a Tiny Test, Not a Full Business

When you’ve spotted a real problem and seen signs of interest, it’s tempting to go all in, build a website, design a logo, and start planning everything down to the last detail.

But that’s not idea validation. That’s jumping ahead.

The smartest thing you can do at this stage is to build something small, something that lets you test your idea in the real world, without committing too much time or money upfront.

Think of it as a minimum viable product (MVP): the simplest version of your idea that lets you gather real feedback and see if people are willing to take action.

Here’s what a “tiny test” could look like for healthcare professionals:

• A one-page landing site that describes your service and collects emails

• A simple Google Form that asks for feedback or books interest

• A pilot webinar to test your content and see who shows up

• A short video explaining a service or tool, shared via email or social media

• A free downloadable resource that relates to your offer, with a call to action at the end

Step 5: Measure What Matters

Once you’ve tested your idea, the next step is to look at how people responded. This is where validation becomes real: it’s not about how you feel, it’s about what people actually do.

People might say your idea is great, but unless they engage with it, click, sign up, reply, book in, you haven’t truly validated anything yet.

Here are some signals that your idea is gaining traction:

• Views, likes, replies

• Downloads

• Emails collected

• Consults booked

• Purchases made

If you’re not seeing engagement… Don’t panic. Lack of engagement is still useful data.

If no one replies, signs up, or clicks, it’s telling you something:

• You might need to explain your idea more clearly

• The problem might not feel urgent or relevant enough.

• You could be targeting the wrong audience

• Or the format might not be right (maybe it’s not a video they need, it’s a checklist or a 1:1 chat)

Go back, refine the message, and try again. That’s still validation, just the kind that helps you redirect your energy before going too far.

Step 6: Build in Accountability

You’ve clarified the problem. You’ve tested the idea. You’ve looked at the data. Now what?

This is where many healthcare professionals stall, especially when working on a new idea outside of clinical hours or in between appointments. The best way to keep momentum is to build accountability from the start.

“Just saying we were going to do it was enough to make you actually finish creating the course,” says Dr. Matthew Wickham. “It gave you something to stick to.”

In a busy healthcare environment, it’s easy to let a side project slide. That’s why having someone to check in with, even informally, can make all the difference. Another way to keep you on track is by setting small, yet clear deadlines, such as:

• One email sent this week

• One video recorded by Friday

• Five people to speak to this month

• A survey link sent out by the end of the day

Final Thoughts

Validating a healthcare business idea isn’t about getting everything right the first time. It’s about testing small, learning fast, and moving forward with more clarity and confidence at every stage.

Whether you’re thinking about launching a private practice, creating a course, offering a new service, or building something digital,  the principles are the same. It doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does need to be intentional.

You don’t need to wait until everything is perfect to start. You just need to take the first step, and test what matters.

Want Support to Validate Your Own Idea?

We help healthcare professionals turn ideas into action.

Whether you’re still bouncing ideas around or ready to launch something new, we offer 1:1 consultations, practical guides, and resources to help you move forward with confidence,  without wasting time or second-guessing yourself.

We’d love to hear what you’re working on, book a free 15-minute consultation, and help you validate what’s next.