[jjets718]

Personally, I think you should tell anyone with a bad idea that asks you to build their product that their idea isn't good. As a teenager who struggled for the first eight to nine months to find a worthy problem to solve after deciding to dabble in entrepreneurship, I think your friends or referrals will benefit from blunt advice. Also, if someone comes to you without willing to pay money for development or contract work, then I have a feeling they aren't too serious about the project, or haven't done any validation of the market.

[azharb]

Is this something you do when you hear a bad idea? Aren't you worried that your relationship with these people will be affected by your honest response that might hurt their ego?

[jjets718]

Usually when I hear a bad idea, I'll ask someone if he or she has done any market validation or talked to any potential customers. If the person says they have not done so, I usually suggest that the person go talk to different people right away. That is my gentle way of telling someone an idea idea isn't too good, as he or she will usually find out after talking to the target market that the original idea wasn't a solution to any problem. That being said, the first time I ever cold-emailed a programmer and Skyped with him asking for feedback on my idea, he told me it was awful and guided me through the process of determining if an idea has "legs". What I learned from him has proved to be invaluable.