Validation is the key to finding Product-Market Fit, but with so many pieces of your startup to test, and so little practical advice on how to test them... Experimentation can be overwhelming. Sometimes used as a synonym for “prototype”, some so-called MVPs have an excess of … But… having one business idea is never enough. If you try to interview more than five people at a time, you may accidentally force yourself to widen the scope of people you’re willing to talk to. You’re getting so much out of these interviews, it’s natural to feel as though your interviewees must be giving up something. the “build it and they will come” founders). You’ve been told to validate your assumptions, but how do you do that? It wasn’t until I started practicing Customer Development and Lean Startup that things started to change. If you have to educate your customers about their problems, you’re talking to a member of the Late Majority. The companies weren’t always successful. They learn Lean, by doing Lean: Of course, every culture and every community is different, so I take that into account whenever I teach. Justin Wilcox, another Founder Institute Mentor, even recommends that founders should start by testing the riskiest assumption about their product before identifying their MVP. Rank product ideas or projects worth pursuing with criteria such … Was there anything tough about work today? Who Is Justin Wilcox? You need them to build a business and they need you to solve their problem. There's a valid argument to be made that the only true way to find a good startup idea is to get lucky. It will take you step by step through the process of identifying your customers’ Externally Observable Behaviors, so that you know where they are and how to reach out to them. Customers reject products for one simple reason: Customers don’t buy products. By the way, the same principles apply in B2B scenarios as well (just with less publicly visiblefanfare). I’m the founder of successful companies in the healthcare and mobile spaces. My goals for all of my projects are: Empower people to … b. Analyze the results. Startup founders who have no methodology at all (e.g. Eric Ries, Ash Maurya, Steve Blank, etc. Your Early Adopters will describe the same problems in the same way. full-time working mothers, recent college graduates, vegetarians, etc.. Now write down 2 different groups of people you’re passionate about helping, e.g. Look for people who: For Part 2 of this series on Early Adopters, check out Early Adopters Part 2: Who you should Interview. If I can ever be of service, please don’t hesitate to reach out: Enter your email address to get immediate access: You'll also get new Customer Development tools via email. It’s the 11th exercise in the first FOCUS Framework workbook series and it will help you…. 2018-08-24T04:14:42Z. If you don’t know what EOBs are, or haven’t memorized the definition of Early Adopters yet, read this article and this one. Each Lean Startup Night is hosted by our network of ambassadors and features a different panel talk, fireside chat or presentation with a mentor from the Lean Startup community and local innovation champions. So glad to have you here.Please, reach out anytime. Here you’re going to really put what you’ve learned to use. Ask what the hardest part of their day was. This exercise is the 12th exercise in the 1st workbook in the FOCUS Framework. It doesn’t mean you’re starting a bad business if you can’t find Early Adopters, it just means the timing isn’t right. In our startup founder example, our laggards would be startup founders who don’t have problems with their inability to apply Lean Startup—people like…. This person is actively trying to solve this problem and still hasn’t found a great solution. I’ve found that there are a few common reasons as to why most of us experience this anxiety. People who always have the latest new gadget is one definition of Early Adopter, but that’s not who we’re referring to in the context of entrepreneurship. Why? The first is: Let’s say, your startup wants to reduce the impact of climate change, so you want to help people commute to work without the use of cars/Uber/Lyft/etc. But there’s one thing you have to do before your Early Majority will jump on board…. Interview customers in batches of 5 During the walk phase, you’re going to expand the scope of people you interview to include your friends and family. Check it out and see if it can help you. FOCUS breaks down the overwhelming process of finding Product-Market Fit, into actionable steps. they’re no longer Early Adopters because they’ve found an ideal solution). Justin is a 2012 and 2013 Lean Startup Conference Speaker, a Customer Development curriculum designer and mentor for Startup Weekend, Startup NEXT, Founder Institute, and Lean Startup Machine. This blog is about how to implement Lean Startup – based real on experiences. Why was that hard? Justin has started several companies that have not succeeded. So don’t forget to: You’re not only a great customer interviewer by this point, you’re also: If you’d like some extra help on developing your interviewing skills including: Check out the Interviewing Like a Pro exercise in the FOCUS Framework. Take a look at the full Idea Generation Process. Ask about the last time they encountered that problem. Good ideas matter. “Justin is awesome and one of the best startup advisers I've ever met. So, the way to tell if someone is an Early Adopter is to assess their relationship to the problem you want to solve. Prepare a handy template to put your notes in afterwards or … Order from Ben Bella Books List of Books Give up on your idea (and your identity as a founder). It can feel like you’re taking up too much of their time asking weird questions, especially when there’s nothing tangible they’re going to walk away from the conversation with. No matter who you think you are—creative or non-creative—we’re all really bad at coming up with good business ideas. For a lot of people, customer interviewing can be a nerve-wracking and anxious endeavor. Since they don’t have the problem, you can infer that they don’t know they have a problem, and therefore, aren’t actively seeking a solution to it. This habit of being interested in other peoples’ problems you’re forming will eventually free you from to feel tied to a rigid customer interviewing script down the road. Start by going to a local meetup or startup event, and begin asking the questions that are on the customer interview script. anyone you see on a daily basis. He now travels the world mentoring entrepreneurs on Lean Startup and Customer Development. Lean Startup 101. Your goal here isn’t to offer a solution right there and then. No one’s interested. Or maybe they use their normal bike and just wait for a spacious subway car before getting on. I’ve been thinking of various ways to validate a startup idea and Kickstarter stands out as an exceptionally interesting option. ), Startup founders who leverage different methodologies (e.g. Alright, my friends, now that you know where to find your Early Adopters, go help them solve their problems! This is going to get you ready to start asking questions about your competitors. We know these people will have problems applying Lean Startup principles, because they don’t understand them. I’m a global mentor for Startup Weekend, Startup NEXT, Founder Institute, and Lean Startup Machine. About; FOCUS Framework; Coming to your City; Start Here; by Justin Wilcox - April 24, 2017. you’re passionate about solving that problem for others. After you’ve repeated this process at two or three networking events, you’ve successfully crawled, walked and run your way to confident interviewing skills. An Early Adopter meets all the following criteria: These are the people you want to target first. What do you think that process looks like? In fact…. I’ve circled the globe several times over again teaching founders from Silicon Valley to Serbia to Singapore how to apply Lean Startup. What about someone who has posted on Reddit asking advice from others about how to solve this problem? Here, serial entrepreneur and startup mentor Justin Wilcox explains the five biggest riskiest assumptions involved, which are probably going to kill a startup. So, they get X’s down the entire column in the chart above. He leads Lean Startup workshops around the world, recently spending a lot of time in Singapore … Prototype & Validation For instance, let’s say the customers you want to serve are startup founders and the problem you want to solve for them is, “I’m not sure how to do Lean Startup.” (They buy into the theory, but they have difficulty applying the principles.). One of his main objectives is to help you reach PMF by running experiments with your customers, not on them. Practice asking for more information about that and…. You need a third option, and I want to recommend one: backup business ideas. If you can find Early Adopters, people who are actively seeking a solution to the problem you want to solve, there’s an incredible fit between both of your needs. And Repeat if necessary. Justin Wilcox, Founder of Customer Development Labs, explains that you need to create a context to get real information when interviewing your potential customers. In the biking example, we’d find them on Amazon, Twitter, Reddit, and in the Subway. Then, they’ll happily spread the message to other people who have the same problem (i.e your Early Majority). roommate), etc. Now I work with startups and communities around the world teaching them how to practice Lean Startup principles. Opt-out when they're not useful. In entrepreneurship, the Early Adopters are the first group of people that buy any new product/service (tech or otherwise). Start by interviewing a batch of 5 customers (one at a time), At least 3 of the last 5 people you’ve interviewed, are, Figure out what to do if you aren’t getting interviews, Turn those Solution Seeking Behaviors into, Who your Early Adopters are so that you can answer the question…, How to talk to them once you’ve identified them…, Lean Startup experts (e.g. The answer is written within each of these behaviors. I wasted 18 months, and $50k building software…that no one wanted. Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit is designed for startup founders with early ideas, getting ready to find cofounders and launch their products. … Can you tell me about the last time that happened? Remember, this is not your opportunity to solve the problem, but to simply ask them what steps they’re taking. The problem isn’t painful enough yet (e.g. Remember now is not the time to offer solutions. On the other hand, if you’re not able to find your Early Adopters, you know from Part 1 that you won’t be able to lock in your Early Majority. Write down 2 groups of people you identify with, e.g. Your goal is just to listen, hear their problems and hear the words they’re using to describe those problems. The ultimate secret to coming up with good ideas is to focus on the problem not the product. We've had a … You need to find the people who are actively seeking a solution to the problem you want to solve. This general framework can be applied in many different areas of running a startup or innovation program. Use this as an opportunity to restrain yourself. Just because someone buys a folding bike, doesn’t mean they bought it to solve problems getting on a subway. This process has led him to investigate the science of entrepreneurship, a topic he spoke about at last year’s Lean Startup Conference in a talk on crowdfunding MVPs. No one wants to buy. I can't wait to get my hands on the workbooks! If we get past these assumptions then we’re on our way of building a multi-million dollar company. On the path to your Product Market Fit, not all potential customers are created equal—at least, not at the beginning. Lean Startup Night is a meetup series designed to help our community connect and swap ideas with one another while learning the nuances of the methodology from our expert network. You need to interview the people who you think are trying to solve the problem your startup is tackling to confirm they are actually your Early Adopters. The startup “market” is an education play — and it has a creepy side. Justin has 11 jobs listed on their profile. Your customers are using a bunch of language and jargon you don’t understand all while you’re fumbling with your next question. 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