Starting something is easy, the first 10 paying customers are tough
If you have 10 people that have parted with cash for your solution, hire some demand gen and sales closers to turn those engagements into a repeatable sales playbook. If not, get dialing.
Selling new products to early adopters
10 steps to identify and engage high propensity early adopters. Securing the first enterprise early adopters to validate an incomplete solution and generate references is a tough mission.
Using go-to-market to connect new products and markets
New product has a high failure rate from market risk. Connect product & market validation with customer centric go-to-market elements. { what | who | how }
So what, and why should I care about your startup proposition ?
The right message for the right market, align your proposition offer to a market that cares. Early startup and mainstream scaleup markets have different proposition and messaging needs. Be clear on which market and audience is being targeted.
Cold war and lean innovation 1955 to 1975
After 20 years and US$50 billion invested, in 1975 the US ABM program was shut down 24 hours after going live. Lean innovation, miracle assumptions, iteration, pivots, validation and an event.
Goodbye LinkedIn subscription, after 13 years
The new chunky LinkedIn Neptune interface, and saturation bombing of corporate sponsored rubbish in the feed no longer warrants my premium subscription.
The founding paradox of discipline & creativity
Which dominant trait makes for a more successful founder: creative and innovative or disciplined in execution ? Whilst effectiveness can be learnt, disciplined creativity is probably easier to synthesise by partnering and teaming.
Lean validation: past, present and future
Validated learning is a foundational principle of the Lean startup philosophy, build-measure-learn feedback loops are the process. Since 1620 plus ça change.
Accelerate your b2b startup revenue
This is a reference clipboard of the common principles and methods I use with early stage businesses to create and validate commercial go-to-market plans. What are you selling, to whom and how ?
Accelerate your startup market validation
Validating the demand for your proposition is more important than anything, especially cutting code. The top miracle assumption for most startups is an economically addressable market for the wonderful proposition.
Does everyone code in a startup ?
Accelerate ship dates by helping commercial civilians understand software engineering principles. Learn to code ?
Amazing triangles that simplify business management
We love simplicity as a function of mastery, but reducing the management of resource allocation down to 3 triangles may be pushing the boundaries too far.
Harnessing brilliant jerks and lone wolves
How to manage and get the best out of non-conformist brilliant jerks, and high performing lone wolves in commercial sales organisations.
Individual heroics & the organizational machine
Individual lone wolf heroics can offer a quick fix to paper over performance issues, but sustained growth needs trust and a culture of shared values.
Managing business performance by flight plan
Where are we heading and what’s my contribution to that journey ?