focus or fail: why and how startups get focused

Mick Liubinskas

Why be focused?

How to be focused?

Prac4cal

Interac4ve

Collabora4ve

Informa4ve

Fun

Future geek

Name Company

What does it do? Aims for the workshop What animal are you?

80 Web Businesses 7 countries

You Are

Here

The Startup Juggle

Customers Move Slowly…

1. Don’t get crushed

2. You can’t afford not to

3. Customers will like it more

3 Features 20,000 prospects

Focus… How?

Are you my purpose?

Simplicity.

Features Fun

Why are you building a business?

What are you changing in the world?

Wildest dream

What’s the one thing that happens that means it’s all working?

Get The Sequence Right

Picking Your Segments Characteris:cs Segment 1: Segment 2: Segment 3:

Reachable -‐1 -‐1 1

Strong immediate need

0 0 -‐1

Can get the value 1 -‐1 0

Can use it 1 0 -‐1

26 more… 1 1 1

TOTAL +2 -‐1 0

Choices, choices,

choices…

You must sacrifice

Focus (one)

Do (few)

Don’t (many)

Core Utility

Support Features Crap

Opportunity Clear

Solu4on Clear

Build It Sell It

Customer Discovery

Customer Valida4on

Customer Crea4on

Company Crea4on

Old School

Customer Development

Source: Steve Blank and Eric Ries

Your Service = Context

of Leads

Reten4on

Viral

Sharing Content

Refocus - what focus means

A One Track Mind….

1.  Sacrifice 2.  Sequence 3.  Core first

TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST NEXT

Mth 1 Mth 2 Mth 3 Q2 Q3 Q4 Y2

Business & Vision

Customer Development

Product

Marke4ng

Business Development

Need Money in Bank

Need Signed Term Sheet

Need CommiXed Investors

Start Pitching

Be Investor Ready

8-‐16 weeks

Capital Raising

Turn this!

1.  Focus to win

2.  Core first

3.  Test, test, test!

Go Read and Join!

•  Eric Ries - Lean Startup / Minimal Viable Product •  http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/

•  Sean Ellis - Metric Driven Marketing •  http://startup-marketing.com/

•  Steve Blank - Customer Development •  4 Steps to the Epiphany – book. •  http://www.steveblank.com/

•  Sydney Lean Startup Circle •  Silicon Beach Forum

Technology

Focus Design Itera:ons

Pollenizer Methodology

Photo References: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcassaa/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjmccray/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/25318921@N07/2461652609/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/melyviz/160269050/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihtatho/627226315/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/statusfrustration/134388320/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/buck82/7855198/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pazit/2400635021/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/theopenseas/182775698/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/valeriebb/296470096/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/54122508@N00/317904727/

Mick Liubinskas Mick Liubinskas

Mick Liubinskas Pollenizer.com

[email protected] @liubinskas