Tech Startup Principles for Creatives - Camden Collective
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This document provides guidance on how tech startups can achieve traction by focusing on learning through customer interactions and validation. It emphasizes discovering customer needs through interviews, observing how problems manifest, and testing solutions with minimum viable products. Pivoting based on customer feedback is presented as key to building efficiently with a constant focus on learning rather than assumptions. Specific questions are provided to elicit factual problem descriptions from customers rather than opinions and to obtain commitments to validate hypotheses.
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Tech Startup Principles for Creatives - Camden Collective
- 1. Startup Thinking How tech startups get to traction.
- 2. Salim Virani Direct Mail Agency - 5 Startups - Leancamp - Founder-Centric www.saintsal.com @SaintSal
- 3. DO NOT OPEN the kit until I say GO! You ll have 18 minutes to build: - the tallest freestanding structure. - with the entire marshmallow must be on the very top. Use as much or as little of the kit contents as you want, but nothing else! EXERCISE
- 4. flickr - boklm I wish I knew that sooner.
- 5. 1.bp.blogspot.com Our job is to spot the bad news sooner.
- 6. 2.bp.blogspot.com Care about ideas & process. 1st timers Care about opportunity cost & evidence. Experienced founders
- 7. Choose the fastest approach based what you need to learn.
- 9. Seek the Unknown Do Less Improve the big picture Learn, then confirm Course-correction
- 10. What do you want to learn today? POST UP
- 11. Do less.
- 12. Hard work masks inefficiency.
- 13. flickr - nolifebeforecoffeeflickr - _flood_ No time? No money?
- 14. flickr - nolifebeforecoffee Grow with efficiency.
- 15. flickr - nolifebeforecoffeeflickr - narciss Time limits. Letting go. Being picky about customers. Multiplying deliberately. Limiting work-in-progress. How to do less.
- 16. sitemason.com Tenacity isn t always good!
- 18. artetessaitournai.com Balancing focus & opportunity.
- 19. What I can do What I ve got Small partnerships. Affordable Loss. EXERCISE
- 20. noirfilm.com Spring up in unexpected places. Grow quickly, or move on.
- 21. flickr - _flood__ Add a zero 0 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 10000000 100000000
- 22. flickr - mr_gonzales Early traction.
- 23. flickr - thomasleuthard Earlyvangelists Can describe the need in their own words. Have invested time or money. Have tried something. Have looked for something.
- 24. flickr - thomasleuthard Earlyvangelists EXERCISE List 5 to 10 potential customers. Then, apply this checklist to each. Can describe the need in their own words. Have invested time or money. Have tried something.
- 25. Slicing off segments They are real people (not attributes!) It s clear where to find them. You ll walk away if they aren t a good fit.
- 27. flickr - boklm Vague customer definitions. Multiple customer definitions. Lack of direction.
- 28. 2.bp.blogspot.com Specific definitions allow for validation or invalidation.
- 29. flickr - emiliano-iko Zoom in! Find early adopters & compelling value propositions. Specific value propositions are more compelling and help you get early traction. Specific customer definitions help find them quickly, and point out scalable channels to reach them.
- 30. Product Market
- 31. Action Customer
- 32. Jobs Obstacles Goals Current Solution Customer Slicing Decision Trigger Interest Trigger How deep do you go? They are real people (not attributes!) It s clear where to find them. You ll walk away if they aren t a good fit. EX ER C ISE
- 33. Limit Your Work In Progress. EXERCISE
- 34. 1.bp.blogspot.com use a timer. DISCUSSION Inside the building,
- 35. flickr - jetuma The Big Picture.
- 36. flickr - jetuma Big Picture Lenses New Business Road Test Business Model Design Growth Engines
- 37. flickr - mr_gonzales Growth Engines, from The Lean Startup by Eric Ries DISCUSSION Sticky - Paid Acquisition - Viral
- 39. sitemason.com Is this conversation useful?
- 41. Observe.
- 43. Understand.
- 45. Ask.
- 46. Ask, then sell.
- 47. Discover.
- 49. Image by wstryderImage by wstryder
- 50. Image by wstryderImage by wstryder
- 51. flickr - nolifebeforecoffeeflickr - narciss A customer wakes up, turns on their computer, logs in to their email using a new program they use and love. Their free trial is over. The program asks them to pay. They say no. Why? One day...
- 52. artetessaitournai.com Where is the love?
- 55. 1.bp.blogspot.com Your customers are full of shit.
- 57. flickr - emiliano-iko Know what doesn t resonate. Learn the customers view.
- 58. Actual phrases used by customers. (Great for positioning & copywriting.) A way to group interviews and analyse them as a team. Where could 5 customer interviews get you?
- 59. flickr - nolifebeforecoffeeflickr - narciss Past, not future Fact, not opinion Specifics, not general (Talk about their life, not your idea.) How to get facts.
- 60. Good or bad questions?
- 61. ❝ ❞ Do you think it’s a good idea?
- 62. ❝ ❞ Do you think it’s a good idea?
- 63. ❝ ❞ Would you buy a product which solved this problem?
- 64. ❝ ❞ Would you buy a product which solved this problem?
- 65. ❝ ❞ How do you currently deal with this problem?
- 66. ❝ ❞ How do you currently deal with this problem?
- 67. ❝ ❞ How have you dealt with this problem?
- 68. ❝ ❞ When does this problem pop up?
- 69. ❝ ❞ When does this problem pop up?
- 70. ❝ ❞ When’s the last time that happened?
- 71. ❝ ❞ What makes this time- consuming or go off-track?
- 72. ❝ ❞ What makes this time- consuming or go off-track?
- 73. ❝ ❞ Has this ever been more time-consuming than normal or gone off-track?
- 74. EXERCISE How s it going with .... ? Interesting. Tell me more about that. Can we go back to what you were saying about...? Hi! EXERCISE
- 75. ❝ ❞ Please show me how you...
- 76. ❝ ❞ Please show me how you...
- 77. ❝ ❞ Please tell me how... I’m trying to learn how you...
- 78. ❝ ❞ Please tell me how... I’m trying to learn how you...
- 79. ❝ ❞ Talk me through the last time you had this problem.
- 80. ❝ ❞ Talk me through the last time you had this problem.
- 81. ❝ ❞ What did you try to do about it?
- 82. ❝ ❞ What did you try to do about it?
- 83. Why write it down? Highlights invalidation signals from both yourself and customers. Learning you re wrong is actionable. Customers exact wording tells you how they imagine the problem and what they search for. Pivot smarter, without re-doing interviews.
- 84. screened.com Their words - not yours! One phrase per card. Pair. One interviewer, one notetaker. Recording the right stuff.
- 85. Jobs Obstacles Goals Current Solution Important Signals Decision Trigger Interest Trigger
- 88. ❝ ❞ How much would you pay for this?
- 89. ❝ ❞ How much would you pay for this?
- 90. ❝ ❞ Can I ask why?
- 91. ❝ ❞ Can I ask why?
- 92. ❝ ❞ Talk me through how you decide.
- 93. ❝ ❞ Talk me through how you decide.
- 94. ❝ ❞ Talk me through how you decided.
- 95. ❝ ❞ How much money does this problem cost you?
- 96. ❝ ❞ How much money does this problem cost you?
- 97. ❝ ❞ How much money does this problem cost you?
- 98. ❝ ❞ How much should we charge?
- 99. ❝ ❞ How much should we charge?
- 102. ❝ ❞ How soon can you start?
- 103. ❝ ❞ How soon can you start?
- 104. ❝ ❞ What would need to happen before you could really start using it?
- 105. ❝ ❞ What would need to happen before you could really start using it?
- 106. ❝ ❞ Ever had any problems or delays getting something like this going/bought?
- 107. ❝ ❞ Who else should I talk to?
- 108. ❝ ❞ Who else should I talk to?
- 109. flickr - nolifebeforecoffeeflickr - narciss Opinions are worthless.
- 110. flickr - jetuma Always know your big 3.
- 112. Tweetable Text How do authors pre-build their customer list? How do authors test copy and learn about their readers? How do authors prioritise their time when writing?
- 113. Leancamp What awareness channels can we partner with? What do people learn at Leancamp that they apply? What do famous thought-leaders get out of conferences?
- 114. XERCISE What are your Big 3 right now? Does it do what it says on the tin? Do people really, truly want it? What could kill you? Take 3 minutes to write them down. Are they to learn or confirm? EX ER C ISE
- 115. Discover.
- 117. Facts.
- 119. ❝ ❞ Claudia Sounds great. I love it!
- 120. ❝ ❞ Claudia Sounds great. I love it!
- 121. ❝ ❞ Jeremy Brilliant -- let me know when it launches!
- 122. ❝ ❞ Jeremy Brilliant -- let me know when it launches!
- 123. flickr - thomasleuthard Don t be fooled by compliments and stalling.
- 124. ❝ ❞ Jeremy There are a couple people I can intro you to, when you’re ready.
- 125. ❝ ❞ Jeremy There are a couple people I can intro you to, when you’re ready.
- 126. Partial commitment?
- 127. Validate by going for full commitment.
- 128. ❝ ❞ Claudia I would definitely buy that!
- 129. ❝ ❞ Claudia I would definitely buy that! NGER!
- 130. Time - Money - Reputation Commitment in
- 133. flickr - boklm I wish I knew that sooner.
- 134. Building with a heartbeat.
- 135. Choose the fastest approach based what you need to learn.
- 136. Minimum Viable What s the minimum thing I need to do to prove or disprove this?
- 137. flickr - nolifebeforecoffeeflickr - arild_storaas Pick a learning goal What big make-or-break risks or idea can you nail down this week? EXERCISE
- 138. Pick a learning goal. Pick a measurement. Draw your MVP on a blank sheet.
- 139. Seek the Unknown Do Less Improve the big picture Learn, then confirm Course-correction
- 140. flickr - nolifebeforecoffeeflickr - narciss Make it your own.
- 141. Credit due! Ian Collingwood, Alex Osterwalder, Brant Cooper, Rob Fitzpatrick, Johanna Kollmann, Janice Fraser, Patrick Van Der Pijl, Dave Gray, Alan Smith, Nicky Smyth, Steve Blank, Cindy Alvarez Thanks! I m Salim Virani. smile@saintsal.com blog: www.saintsal.com training: www.foundercentric.com
- 143. Some strong questions Please show me how you... Please tell me what... I m trying to learn... Please help me understand... Can I ask why? Can you please tell me more about that? What has made this challenging, time-consuming, go off track, wasteful, unpredictable? When does this happen? How recently/frequently does this come up? Can you think of other times this comes up? Who else is affected by this? How do you decide? What is the process you go through? Give me a detailed play by play. What do you do before/after you do this? If this were free... how long to install and who needs to approve it? Other people have to told me that... What else do you wish you could be doing? If you had a magic wand, what would you change? What else should I have asked?
- 144. SAYING SEEING THINKING & FEELING HEARING Boss says Friends Say Friends Say Clients Say Complaints Praise DOING Process (left to right) Visual layouts of interview cards (Cards can contain text, drawings, photos, etc.) Topic Map Exploration Aids Empathy Map
- 145. Group cards from a set of interviews, based on : topic, emotional states, problem, alternatives ... This is a discussion tool. Learn anything new? What hypotheses were invaldated? What new questions arise? Analysing your interviews.