Evidence is Required
Find demand before you build
Stop building into silence.
Shovel is a practical field guide for deciding whether an idea has real pain, a credible path to demand, and enough evidence to deserve more build time.
One-time purchase. Instant access. For early ideas, stalled products, and founders tired of guessing.
From the PDF
Pages 1, 3, 12
Checks
Before you build, make these three checks.
Three filters keep noise from looking like demand.
Signal gets confused with enthusiasm.
A few nice comments can feel like demand, even when nobody is ready to pay.
Activity gets mistaken for progress.
Shipping fast only helps when what you ship is worth building.
The wrong idea gets scaled too early.
Teams optimize a solution before the underlying problem is proven.
Evidence is Required
Decision plate
Weak pain
Kill
Strong pain + weak funnel
Simplify
Strong pain + strong funnel
Build
Pain Signal
0
No evidence of pain
1
Mild stated interest
2
Repeated problem evidence
3
Strong painful urgency
Method
A decision sequence, not more startup advice
Pain Clarity × Funnel Clarity × Iteration Speed = Outcome
Read signal
Notice what repeats, hurts, or keeps showing up.
Score opportunity
Test whether the signal is strong enough to matter.
Run probe
Use the smallest test that could change the decision.
Decide
Build, simplify, or kill with evidence.
Why Shovel
Why use Shovel instead of assembling advice from everywhere?
The difference is whether the advice stays scattered or becomes a system.
Good tools. No decision system.
The Mom Test
SIGNAL ONLY
Great for finding signals. It does not tell you what to build next.
Missing signal
Lean Startup
TEST WITHOUT FILTER
Strong on experiments. Weak on deciding whether the problem deserves pursuit.
Missing funnel
YC advice
BROAD, NOT SEQUENCED
Useful principles. But principles alone do not form a decision path.
Missing decision logic
Integrated decision system
Read signal
Spot repeated pain
Score opportunity
Judge whether it matters
Run probe
Test the smallest assumption
Decide
Build, simplify, or kill
Can’t I get this free?
Yes, partly. Not as one path.
Is this motivational fluff?
No. It is a framework with scorecards, examples, and a worksheet.
Does it guarantee traction?
No. It reduces waste. It cannot promise outcomes.
Inside
What is included
Five core sections, plus a worksheet to make the decision concrete.
Guide sections
1
Demand Signal Hierarchy
What counts as evidence.
2
Scorecard Model
A simple way to judge ideas.
3
30-Post Test
A structured demand probe.
4
Four Funnel Types
Which path fits the idea and its audience.
5
Worked Examples
How the method plays out.
Included worksheet preview
Reader Worksheet
1
What pain repeats?
2
What evidence exists?
3
What should happen next?
This is where you decide what to do next.
Final step
Build only what deserves to exist.
Shovel will not make the market care. It helps you stop pretending the market has spoken.
One-time digital purchase. Educational material only. No guarantee of business outcomes.