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ERN / PUBLIC LEARNING

One idea.
One useful test.

A practical first-step checklist for student and alumni founders. You can work through it on paper; no account or application is needed.

Start with learning, not a funding promise.

This original ERN checklist is educational preparation. It is not an application, professional advice or an approval. Funding and real application intake remain closed. The repair example below is fictional.

  1. STEP 1

    Name a customer problem

    Describe a specific person and a situation, before describing your solution.

    Fictional example: For a campus repair idea: a student has a broken zipper, no sewing kit and an event tomorrow.

    Try this: Write: “When ___ happens, ___ needs a way to ___ because ___.” Avoid saying everyone is your customer.

  2. STEP 2

    Choose one assumption

    Identify the uncertainty that would most change your next decision.

    Fictional example: Students may need urgent repairs, but you do not yet know whether they would pay for same-day service.

    Try this: List three assumptions. Mark the one that would make the idea unworkable if false. Keep facts and guesses in separate columns.

  3. STEP 3

    Pick the smallest useful test

    A learning test should answer a question without requiring a full launch.

    Fictional example: Ask three potential customers about their most recent repair problem and how they handled it. Avoid asking whether they like your idea.

    Try this: Write a question, a participant group and a method. Ask permission; do not collect sensitive personal information.

  4. STEP 4

    Record observed evidence

    Write down what people actually did or said, then distinguish your interpretation.

    Fictional example: Observed: two people borrowed clothing instead. Estimate: a repair might cost less than replacement. Unknown: willingness to pay.

    Try this: Create three columns: observed evidence, interpretation and unanswered questions. Record the date and sample size; a few conversations do not prove a market.

  5. STEP 5

    Cost the next milestone

    Estimate the next useful experiment rather than an entire company.

    Fictional example: For a prototype repair test, list thread, sample materials, travel and your time separately.

    Try this: Label every cost as a quote, estimate or unresolved item. List one-time and recurring costs separately. Do not treat a proposed funding goal as money available.

  6. STEP 6

    Assign an owner and a review point

    Make the next step small enough to finish and review.

    Fictional example: One founder arranges interviews; another records findings. They review what they learned at the end of the week.

    Try this: Write who owns each task, an approximate time requirement and a review date. Choose a pace that fits study, work and other commitments.

  7. STEP 7

    Decide what would change your mind

    Set a decision rule before seeing the results.

    Fictional example: If urgency is rare, investigate scheduled repairs. If people already have a reliable alternative, explore a different problem.

    Try this: Write what evidence would lead you to continue, change the test or pause. A failed assumption is useful learning, not a reason to hide the result.

Your one-page outcome

Finish with a customer problem, one assumption, a small test, a record of evidence, estimated costs, a task owner and a decision rule. Revisit your plan when the evidence changes.

Keep your notes private. Do not include customer names, confidential inventions, passwords or financial account details in a public document.

Read the original reference material

These external references explain related concepts. ERN’s checklist and example above are original; these organizations do not endorse ERN.

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