Real Founder Lessons
The best startup advice from experienced founders...one real-world lesson at a time.
Measurement is important, but the value proposition of your product has to come first
(at minute 42:38)
Founder Lesson
My initial conversations with founders often go like this...
Founder: Here’s my startup idea…won’t it be amazing what we can do when we have 10,000 users?
Me: Since you haven’t launched yet, I’d encourage you to spend as much time as possible measuring whether or not there’s demand for what you plan to . . .
Posted in: allbusiness model validationfocusfoundersjason calacanismvppodcastprocessproductproduct market fitscalabilitysolving a problemthis week in startupsvalue propositionvideo
Even startups that rely on a network effect can be validated early
(at minute 1:04:56)
Founder Lesson
I was meeting with a very successful local founder this week and he was describing his current strategy - after years of honing it - of finding a group of initial "happy customers" for a new product. Like this founder, over the past year it seems like I'm constantly telling founders...
"Distill . . .
Posted in: allbusiness model validationcounterintuitive thingseric riesfocushustlejason calacanislean startupmvpnetwork effectpodcastprocessproductscalabilitythis week in startupstractionvalue propositionvideo
At the very beginning focus on a niche, passionate group of potential customers
(at minute 25:04)
Founder Lesson
Founders who focus on their own passion projects are often told that their ideas are too niche & small. While this is sometimes the case, it’s important to remember...
Lots more people are coming online and spending more money online, so all online markets are growing over time.
Many successful . . .
Posted in: allbusiness model validationcounterintuitive thingsfocushustlemvpniche productspodcastprocessproductproduct market fitsidenotesolving a problemsuper fanstractionunique playbookvalue propositionvisionycombinator
Founders often don't have a grand plan at the very beginning
(at minute 16:10)
Founder Lesson
History is often re-written over time. A great example of this is startups that are successful. After reaching a certain level - for a bunch of good reasons - the origin story of startups is altered for PR reasons. The re-written story goes something like “the underdog founder had grand plans from the very beginning and has . . .
Posted in: aaron harrisallbusiness model validationfocusfounderspodcastprocessproductsolving a problemycombinator
Focus is your competitive advantage
(at minute 15:12)
Founder Lesson
Startups have a lot of disadvantages compared to other players in your industry. Most every other player in your industry has more money, more employees, more experience…pretty much more of everything. The only advantage that your startup has - and it’s bigger than you think - is focus.
Everyone you know woke up . . .
Posted in: allbusiness model validationfocusfoundersjoelle goldmanmatt goldmanmichael saccamvpmy favoritespodcastprocess
The only metric that really matters for an early startup
(at minute 7:05)
Founder Lesson
Momentum is oxygen for startups. This is something that I’ve experienced many times. Momentum can be anything that motivates you and your team. Getting selected for a big conference. Convincing a local angel to invest. Getting a good press story. All of these small victories keep the founders going and make the difficult . . .
Posted in: allbusiness model validationfocusfoundersgrowthhustlejoelle goldmanmatt goldmanmichael saccamvpmy favoritespodcastprocessproductproduct market fitrocketship.fmsolving a problemsuper fans
It's really hard to get minimum viable product right
(at minute 24:01)
Founder Lesson
Since product-market fit is maybe the most important step in a new startup, deciding what to test and what initial product to create becomes pretty important. I find that most founders do the “kitchen sink” method of including everything. This methods takes too much time and money. Another group goes the Lean Startup route . . .
Posted in: allbusiness model validationfocusjay acunzomvpnextview venturespodcastprocessproductproduct market fitsolving a problem
