The Snarky Guide to Knowing Your Startup Idea is Trash

Startups are all about big dreams, bold moves, and, sometimes, spectacularly bad ideas. Founders love their ideas—until they realize investors, customers, and the universe don’t care. That’s where Josh David Miller and Cameron Law come in, serving up brutal honesty in their latest Zero to Traction podcast episode: The Snarky Edition – Five Signs Your Idea is Garbage.

Buckle up, founders. It’s time for some tough love.

1. “It’s like Uber for X.” No, it’s not.

You know that moment when a founder proudly announces, “It’s like Uber for dog-walking!” as if they just unlocked the secret to unlimited funding? Yeah, that’s when investors start mentally checking out.

The “Uber for X” pitch is lazy shorthand. Sure, it was trendy—back in 2018. But now, it signals that you’re forcing a business model onto a problem you haven’t fully explored. Instead of slapping a gig-economy sticker on your idea, focus on who you’re actually serving and what problem you’re solving.

Want a real-world example? Look at Rover (the actual "Uber for dog walking"). It works because it solves a problem people actually have. But copying a model without validating demand? That’s just polishing a turd.

2. “No one else is doing this.” That’s probably a bad sign.

Founders think saying, "We're the only ones in this space!" makes them sound revolutionary. In reality, it often means there’s no market for it.

If nobody else is tackling the same problem, ask yourself:
✅ Have I found an untapped opportunity?
🚩 Or am I wasting time on something nobody wants?

A smarter way to phrase it:
🟢 “Others serve this market, but they ignore [specific pain point].”
🟢 “We’re targeting an underserved niche that’s hungry for a solution.”

Because if zero competitors exist, you’re either a genius or incredibly misguided. And statistically, well... you do the math.

3. “Our TAM is in the billions.” Cool. But can you actually reach it?

Nothing screams “I Googled an industry report and copied a number” quite like an overinflated TAM (Total Addressable Market). Saying your market is $10 billion is about as useful as saying, "There are 8 billion humans, so if everyone gives me a dollar…"

Real investors don’t care about imaginary billions. They want to know:
🔹 Who are you actually selling to?
🔹 How much will they realistically spend?
🔹 How will you reach them?

Your TAM isn’t “all spending in your industry.” It’s who will actually buy from you. Define that, or get ready for some eye rolls.

4. “We just need 1% of the market.” Oh, just 1%? That’s all?

Ah, the most misleading startup math ever. Founders say, "The market is huge! If we just get 1%, we'll be rich!" as if market share is handed out like free samples at Costco.

Reality check:
❌ No company just gets 1%. You earn customers.
❌ 1% is a massive number. If you can get 1%, you’re already a dominant player.
❌ This logic skips the real question: How will you acquire customers?

Instead of throwing out wishful percentages, explain:
✔ Your first customer segment
✔ How you’ll acquire and convert them
✔ How that scales over time

No investor wants to hear “1% of a billion-dollar market.” They want to hear why customers will pick you over everyone else.

5. “People said they’d pay for it.” But did they, though?

The biggest startup lie founders tell themselves: "People said they’d pay for this!"

Let’s be real—people lie all the time to be polite. They say:
🟢 “That sounds awesome!”
🟢 “I’d totally pay for that!”
🟢 “Let me know when it launches!”

But the only response that actually matters is:
💰 “Here’s my credit card.”

If nobody is actually buying, you don’t have a business. You have a theory.

Until someone pre-orders, signs a contract, or hands over cash, customer interest is just noise. The sooner you test real demand, the sooner you’ll know if you have gold—or garbage.

Final Thoughts: Is Your Idea Actually Good?

This episode of Zero to Traction is a wake-up call for founders stuck in wishful thinking. Instead of crafting fantasy pitch decks, focus on:
✔ Customer validation over assumptions
✔ Realistic market sizing
✔ Genuine differentiation—not just disruption

If you’re brave enough to put your idea through this snarky filter, you’re already ahead of most founders. Because great startups aren’t built on hype—they’re built on solving real problems for real people.

📌 Want more brutally honest startup insights? Check out the full episode of Zero to Traction – The Snarky Edition and follow Josh David Miller & Cameron Law for more straight talk on building companies that scale.

About Josh David Miller

​Over the past decade, Josh David Miller has empowered over 100 startup founders and innovators to launch and scale their ventures. As the driving force behind the Traction Lab Venture Accelerator,

Josh specializes in guiding early-stage startups through the intricate journey from ideation to product-market fit. His expertise lies in transforming innovative concepts into viable, market-ready solutions, ensuring entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of the startup ecosystem with confidence and strategic insight.

About Cameron R. Law

Cameron R. Law is a Sacramento native dedicated to building community, growing ecosystems, and empowering entrepreneurs.

As the Executive Director of the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at California State University, Sacramento, he leverages his passion for the region to foster innovation and support emerging ventures. Through his leadership, Cameron plays a pivotal role in shaping Sacramento's entrepreneurial landscape, ensuring that innovators and builders have the resources and support they need to succeed.