1. The document discusses how to build a mission-driven startup through 6 steps: finding your mission, using NPS as a north star, capturing less value than you create, building a 10x product, understanding that marketing is not magical growth, and scaling people. 2. It emphasizes focusing on solving real customer problems, defining your mission around solving those problems completely, and using NPS to ensure you are succeeding. 3. It also discusses capturing less value than you create so customers feel the value, creating word-of-mouth growth and goodwill for shareholders, and using margins to accelerate the mission.

1. @nilanp
5 steps to growth
… building a
Mission Driven Startup
@nilanp

2. @nilanp @flat__mike

3. @nilanp @flat__mike
Global market leader
in cross border money transfer

4. @nilanp @flat__mike
Moving more than
£4 billion per month

5. @nilanp @flat__mike
Over 5m customers worldwide

6. @nilanp @flat__mike
Profitable for 2 years

7. @nilanp @flat__mike
Evangelism is the biggest
driver of growth

8. Step 1 - Find your Mission
Step 2 - Use NPS as a north star
Step 3 - Capture less value than you create
Step 4 - Build a 10x product
Step 5 - Marketing != Growth
Step 6 - Scale people
@nilanp @cataflu

9. What are
Mission Driven
Startups ?
@nilanp @cataflu

10. A mission driven
startup is…
… a catalyst for
achieving a change
in the world
@nilanp @cataflu

11. It sounds a bit like
overhyped
Silicon Valley
kool aid …
@nilanp @cataflu

12. … but it is
a redefinition of
companies not as vehicles
for creating wealth; but as
sustainable engines for
solving consumer needs
@nilanp @cataflu

13. So how do you find
your mission ?
@nilanp @cataflu

14. We found our mission
by
solving a real problem
completely
@nilanp @cataflu

15. TransferWise was started
to solve a problem
@nilanp@nilanp

16. The TransferWise Mission.
Money without borders
Instant, convenient, transparent
and eventually free
We’re powering money for people and businesses:
to pay, to get paid, to spend, in any currency,
wherever you are, whatever you’re doing

17. Find your mission by solving a real
problem completely
@nilanp
Find your mission

18. … if you do that you may achieve
extraordinary growth.
@nilanp
Find your mission

19. … the key is to understand why
customers recommend
@nilanp
Find your mission

20. Step 1 - Be Mission Driven
Step 2 - Use NPS as Northstar
Step 3 - Capture less value than you create
Step 4 - Build a 10x product
Step 5 - Marketing != Growth
Step 6 - Scale people
@nilanp @cataflu

21. Why do people recommend our
product ?

22. @nilanp
Would you recommend us to
your friends?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Detractors Neutral Promoters

23. @nilanp
Would you recommend us to
your friends?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Detractors Neutral Promoters
Total
Promoters - Detractors
= NPS

24. @nilanp
The NPS Richter scale

25. @nilanp
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

26. @nilanp
If promoters >
detractors you WILL
grow

27. @nilanp
N.B. This is hard.

28. It works !
(But barely)

29. It works !
(But barely)
It works with
no significant
issues !

30. It works !
(But barely)
It works with
no significant
issues !
It works. Wow
that was slick

31. It works !
(But barely)
It works with
no significant
issues !
It works. Wow
that was slick
You’ve just blown
my socks off that
was incredible

32. RATIONalRational Emotional

33. RATIONalProduct Mission

34. RATIONal
Speed
Price
Convenience
Coverage
Mission

35. To achieve advocacy we need to be
10x better than the alternative

37. But don’t do this as “growth hack” do
it because its the right thing to do

38. RATIONal
Speed
Price
Convenience
Coverage
Mission

39. You can’t copy
that !

40. So…
• 10x better product
• Mission Driven marketing
= Word of Mouth growth

41. Lets recap.

42. 1. Focus on solving a customer problem
@nilanp
Use your NPS as a north star

43. 1. Focus on solving a customer problem
2. Define your mission as solving it completely
@nilanp
Use your NPS as a north star

44. 1. Focus on solving a customer problem
2. Define your mission as solving it completely
3. Focus on NPS as a measure of whether you
are succeeding
@nilanp
Use your NPS as a north star

45. 1. Focus on solving a customer problem
2. Define your mission as solving it completely
3. Focus on NPS as a measure of whether you
are succeeding
4. NPS will guide you towards the drivers of
recommendation for your product: a 10x
better product & cause driven marketing@nilanp
Use your NPS as a north star

46. Step 1 - Find your Mission
Step 2 - Use NPS as your north star
Step 3 - Capture less value than you create
Step 4 - Build a 10x product
Step 5 - Marketing != Growth
Step 6 - Scale people
@nilanp @cataflu

47. RATIONal
Make
customers
happy

48. RATIONal
Make
customers
happy
Make
money

49. RATIONal
Make
money

50. RATIONal
Make customers
happy
sustainably

51. But how do you explain this to
shareholders ?
@nilanp

52. @nilanp
Mission led
Growth
Create a huge
amount of value
for your
customers

53. @nilanp
Mission led
Growth
Create a huge
amount of value
for your
customers
Capture less
value than you
create

54. @nilanp
Mission led
Growth
Create a huge
amount of value
for your
customers
Capture less
value than you
create
Create a huge
amount of good
will

55. @nilanp
Mission led
Growth
Create a huge
amount of value
for your
customers
Capture less
value than you
create
Create a huge
amount of good
will
Word of mouth
growth

56. Your margin isn’t your money
@nilanp @cataflu

57. It’s your customer’s money…
… They’ve entrusted it to you to invest it
wisely to accelerate progress towards
the mission
@nilanp @cataflu

60. Quarterly
earnings
mission updates

61. 1. If you capture less value than you create
- your customers will know it
@nilanp
Capture less value than your create

62. 1. If you capture less value than you create
- your customers will know it
2. That lost value turns into Word of Mouth
growth and hence shareholder value
@nilanp
Capture less value than your create

63. 1. If you capture less value than you create -
your customers will know it
2. That lost value turns into Word of Mouth
growth and hence shareholder value
3. The margin you retain has been entrusted
by your customer to invest in achieving
your mission
@nilanp
Capture less value than your create

64. 1. If you capture less value than you create -
your customers will know it
2. That lost value turns into Word of Mouth
growth and hence shareholder value
3. The margin you retain has been entrusted
by your customer to invest in achieving
your mission
4. Invest it prudently in accelerating progress@nilanp
Capture less value than your create

65. Step 1 - Find your Mission
Step 2 - Use NPS as your north star
Step 3 - Capture less value than you create
Step 4 - Build a 10x product
Step 5 - Marketing != Growth
Step 6 - Scale people
@nilanp @cataflu

66. Not all products generate customer
led growth
@nilanp

67. 10x products generate customer led
growth
@nilanp

68. How to build something that is 10x
better than anything else in the
market ?
@nilanp

69. Build something that doesn’t exist
@nilanp

70. Build something that you don’t know
could ever exist
@nilanp

71. If you aren’t in that state of existential
crisis you aren’t trying hard enough
@nilanp

72. @nilanp
Singapore

73. @nilanp@nilanp
UK

74. @nilanp@nilanp
Australia

75. 1.To build a 10x product you need to build
something that doesn’t exist.
2.This takes a long time - and usually has
many set backs
3.To get through these you need to build
conviction on what matters to your customers
@nilanp
Build a 10x product

76. Step 1 - Find your Mission
Step 2 - Use NPS as your north star
Step 3 - Capture less value than you create
Step 4 - Build a 10x product
Step 5 - Marketing != Growth
Step 6 - Scale people
@nilanp @cataflu

77. Marketing != magical growth machine

87. Revenue
Marketing $$$$

88. Revenue
Marketing $$$$

89. Revenue
Marketing $$$$

90. THE INFINITELY
SCALABLE
MARKETING CHANNEL
DOESN’T EXIST
Revenue
Marketing $$$$

91. What is the problem
marketing is solving ?

95. Viral growth.

99. SEO.

100. Compare Australian
Money transfer
Providers

102. Marketing isn’t a magical growth
machine but can amplify the growth
of a mission driven product
@nilanp
When the product is working
Add marketing

103. Step 1 - Find your Mission
Step 2 - Use NPS as your north star
Step 3 - Capture less value than you create
Step 4 - Build a 10x product
Step 5 - Marketing != Growth
Step 6 - Scale people
@nilanp @cataflu

104. Putting this altogether - how do you
scale a mission driven startup ?
@nilanp

105. Put teams around customer problems
@nilanp

106. Autonomous
independent teams that focus
on KPIs that make a
difference to customers and
drive growth
@nilanp

107. Autonomous
independent teams that focus
on KPIs that make a
difference to customers and
drive growth
@nilanp
Regulated
and
available
Instantly
and almost
zero cost
IdentityOnboarding Worry Evangelism
Problem
awareness

108. Autonomous
independent teams that focus
on KPIs that make a
difference to customers and
drive growth
@nilanp
Currencies OperationsVerificationConversion Experience ViralityComparison
Regulated
and
available
Instantly
and almost
zero cost
IdentityOnboarding Worry Evangelism
Problem
awareness

109. We grow at the rate we hire and
onboard our people to have an impact
@nilanp

110. Number of new users
Time

111. Number of new users
Time
Size of transactional
and support teams

112. Number of new users
Time
Size of transactional
And support teams
Probability of screwing up

113. New trajectory
Time
Size of transactional
And support teams

114. We grow at the rate we hire and
onboard our people to have an impact
@nilanp

115. Step 1 - Find your Mission
Step 2 - Use NPS as your north star
Step 3 - Capture less value than you create
Step 4 - Build a 10x product
Step 5 - Marketing != Growth
Step 6 - Scale people
@nilanp

116. @nilanp
Onwards