THE DISCIPLINED STARTUP FOUNDER

Transcription

1 THE DISCIPLINED STARTUP FOUNDER Guide to Customer Discovery Robert de Bruijn

2 SO YOU VE GOT THE NEXT BIG THING?

3 VISION DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN MARKET DRIVEN I have a dream, a vision, an idea for a product! Now I ve just got to figure out who wants it: peace sells, but who s buying? I ve got the greatest invention since the wheel! It s so cool it s going to be mega! I ve discovered a customer need that s huge! Now I ve just got to figure out what the solution is. Starts with a Solution Starts with a Technology Starts with a Customer Job

4 You don t have to be an expert on startups to be an entrepreneur, but you do need to become an expert on your customers Paul Graham, co-founder of Y-Combinator

5 Your goal as a startup is to make something users love. If you do that, then you have to figure out how to get a lot more users. The startup graveyard is littered with people who thought they could skip this step. It s much easier to get more users than to go from like to love. Sam Altman, co-founder Y-Combinator

6 Business school teaches you management, which is a problem entrepreneurs only have when they are sufficiently successful. Paul Graham, Y Combinator

7 "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." Walt Disney

8 No business plan survives first contact with customers [...] A startup is not the same as a company. A startup is a temporary organisation that exists to search for a scalable and repeatable business model. Steve Blank

9 ?... PIVOT THE MODEL CUSTOMER DISCOVERY CUSTOMER VALIDATION CUSTOMER CREATION COMPANY BUILDING Test the customer problem. Learn about customer jobs to be done, pains & gains. Problem-Solution Fit Test if customers value how your offering intends to alleviate pains and create gains and if there are enough customers for a business. Product-Market Fit through 1st sales to earlyvangelists. Start building end user demand. Drive customers to your sales channel and begin scaling. Transition from temporary organisation designed to search to structure focused on executing. SEARCH EXECUTE

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11 1 Who is your customer? Product marketeer, Medium-sized business, FMCG industry

12 2 Where can you find them? In a bar, In a car, In a train, In the plane, At a school, In a pool?

13 3 Are they the user, the buyer, or both? The end user.

14 4 What job is the customer trying to get done? Reduce new product time-to-market launch

15 JOBS TO BE DONE

16 5 What s preventing them from making progress; the pains they experience? Communication and coordination between departments isn t working Why? It s in s and excel

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18 Your goal as a startup is to make something users love. If you do that, then you have to figure out how to get a lot more users. The startup graveyard is littered with people who thought they could skip this step. It s much easier to get more users than to go from like to love. Sam Altman, co-founder Y-Combinator

19 6 What are their aspirations; the gains they aspire to? Related social or emotional jobs

20 7 What makes them smile about current solutions? The helpdesk is always available by and social media.

21 JOBS PAINS GAINS

22 THE RULES TO CUSTOMER DISCOVERY The first rule of customer discovery is; do not talk about your idea. The second rule of customer discovery is; do not talk about your idea. The third rule of customer discovery is; don t speak to just any random passer by. The fourth rule of customer discovery is it s not a survey, it s a conversation to discover more.

23 THE RULES TO CUSTOMER DISCOVERY Rule #5: Explore with your interviewee how they experience things. Adopt a beginner s mindset. Rule #6: Spend twice as much time listening as you do talking. Your job is to learn, not to inform - or sell. Rule #7: Ask questions rooted in past experience; get facts, not opinions. Probe unexpected information. Rule #8: Keep the door open and get permission to keep in contact. Rule #9: Open new doors. Ask for anyone else they feel you should talk to and if they would introduce you.

24 DISCOVERY CONVERSATION STARTERS Hi, I m trying to learn about the problems you experience around doing tax returns, do you maybe have 5 minutes? Sure, why not. Would you rate these three problems I think you face for me? Problem #1, problem #2, and problem #3. Hmm, ok. So, two is a big hassle for me but I never thought of 1 and 3. I believe that these are the top 3 Could you tell me about the last time you ran into #2? problems you are facing. Would Yeah, that s easy it happened just the other day you agree? What other problems do you encounter with taxes you d rank I think building contractors struggle with doing their taxes. You know, the thing that always trips me up the most is It s near the end of the fiscal year and I happen to walk by a building contractor s van as he s smoking a cigarette. I decide to try hold a quick opportunistic conversation. higher than [problem #2)? The conversation continues, after awhile you thank him and move on to a next chat.

25 DISCOVERY CONVERSATION STARTERS Hi, I m interested in learning about doing your taxes. How did you go about it last year? Well, not much to tell really, I give my accountant all receipts and invoices in a shoebox and he does the rest. Hmm, that seems inefficient, wonder if the accountant is made happy by that shoebox administration system. Are you happy with the service your accountant gives you? Would you tell me about the last time you encountered X? I think building contractors struggle with doing their taxes. It s near the end of the fiscal year and I ve staked out the coffee lounge at a building contractors convention. There are a number of contractors drinking a coffee, talking or browsing brochures they ve picked up in the convention. I go get a cup of coffee and strike up a conversation in the coffee line.

26 DISCOVERY CONVERSATION STARTERS Do you struggle with X? 1/2 supplies store waiting to pick up an order. Man, I sure do hate tax season, don t you? Uh, yeah it s a bother but there are two things that are certain; death and taxes, right? Right, right. Hey, do you do your taxes yourself, too? This is a variant of the do you struggle with X? question. No, I use an accountant. I could stop here thinking ok, not a Suppose you started the conversation with, Hi, I m problem for this guy, or you could ask on. investigating a business idea and would like to ask if you You happy with the service they give? experience X as a big problem? Could you rank it for me in how important it is to you to get done? and the answer is, Yeah, pretty much, I give him all receipts and invoices in a Yeah, I have that. I suppose I d rank it a 5 on a scale of shoebox and he does the rest. Hmm, that seems inefficient, 10. And of course you follow up with, Thanks! Say, what wonder if the accountant is happy with that shoebox are other problems you have that you d rate a 10? administration. I could stop here thinking there s no way this person could want for anything more, or ask a bit further. I think building contractors struggle with doing their taxes. It s near the end of the fiscal year and I m in a building But?

27 DISCOVERY CONVERSATION STARTERS 2/2 Well, I gotta admit sometimes it s a bit pricey. You know, it s like I gotta work 5 hours just to pay this guy for one hour of work. That just doesn t seem right. Yeah, that is kind of steep. Have you ever tried something else? Well, I used some software before, but it was difficult to keep up to date with putting all invoices and costs into the program. Do you struggle with X? And then my computer had to get replaced and I couldn t install the software on the new computer. So then I asked around for someone who could help me. Ah gold! A better solution for him was a DIY solution, but feeding costs and revenue into the program was an administrative burden!

28 PARTNERS? COST STRUCTURE KEY ACTIVITIES??? KEY RESOURCES BACKSTAGE VALUE PROPOSITION? CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS CHANNELS REVENUE STREAMS CUSTOMER SEGMENT??? FRONTSTAGE

29 M ON ST ER CUSTOMER DISCOVERY SNAKES & LADDERS IE TE RA OR O PIV ITE R PIVOT ERATE O IT Graduate to Customer Validation! P-S FIT? N TO OK CO TION ON SOLU

30 PARTNERS? COST STRUCTURE KEY ACTIVITIES??? KEY RESOURCES BACKSTAGE VALUE PROPOSITION CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS CHANNELS REVENUE STREAMS CUSTOMER SEGMENT??? FRONTSTAGE

31 RISKY ASSUMPTIONS

32 CONTACT VISIT