This week wise investor Paul Graham did an open “office hours” during the Techcrunch Disrupt Conference. He exchanged questions and tried to poke holes in ideas startup founder’s presented to help them refine their companies.

It is fascinating to watch this kind of open constructive questioning. One round and you’ll emerge with a more solidified grasp of your ideas. But make a habit out of this practice and you’ll see enough patterns to walk on water.

Rather than quote the questions out of context, here are some of the kinds of questions Paul asked…

• Who are you and who do you represent? (you’re elevator pitch)
• Who uses it?
• What problem (or who) most needs what you’ve made?
• Who has trouble with this problem now?
• Who is wanting to use this now?
• How do/did they find out about you?
• Why do they need you? What is special about you?
• Do any of these people want to pay you money? (validate the idea)
• Who is going to start using you the soonest or fastest?

“Office hours”, wether formal or informal, are a great resource. It is like boot camp for ideas and prepares you for the unknown.

Being questioned allows you to test your assumptions. It reinforces what you’ve already found to be true and exposes any underlying weakness that need attention. For these early stage companies, questioning everything is a vital part of the process.

However wether you’re a tech startup or embarking on a personal endeavor, test your assumptions. Put yourself in a position to ask and answer questions now, rather than on the spot later.

As a result you’ll gain valuable insights into your ideas and become better prepared for whatever lies ahead.