How do I best approach potential early adopters to validate a business idea? I have 12 names with numbers and email addresses, and a mutual friend whose name I can use (though he wouldn't make the intro himself).

I was advised by a contact within my organization to do the same as your asking. His suggestion was to send an email with leading questions:Inquire if they are experiencing difficulty in areas that your idea would accomplish. Offer to discuss the difficulties their experiencing. Advise that you are developing a solution to the issue and you would love to discuss it.My adviser stated to make sure you don’t come across as selling something. Don’t provide a business name of function. The purpose is to gather information that would assist in helping you create a product that they would benefit from. The response or lack of response would give you a guise as to whether or not the idea interest anyone.I hope this was helpful.