from 0 to 1 million using the lean startup approach
TRANSCRIPT
From 0 to 1 Million CHF
using the lean startup approach
Reto Lämmler
Lean startup Zurich - June 2017
@rlaemmler @testingtime
We recruit test usersFor Usability Tests, Interviews, Focus groups, Surveys and more.
80‘000+ Test Users
Top Customers (from 300+)
• Co-Founder & CEO TestingTime.com
• VP Product Management at Doodle.com
• MAS Human Computer Interaction Design
• BS in Computer Science
• Lived and worked for 6 years in San Francisco
• 2 failed startups: Xcellery and RememberTheName
About meEvery product should put a smile on your face.
The beginning of TestingTime
TestingTime
Recruit test usersOrder test users for your usability tests
Ask UX expertsOrder a UX review from an expert
Lean: Round 1
BuildInitial prototype
MeasurePotential customer interest
Test User Recruiting vs. Expert reviews
Do you do user testing? Would you register as an expert?
Today’s solution vs. TestingTime
How do you recruit? How much does it cost?
Would you outsource it to TestingTime?
Convince a co-founder
Do I find a co-founder for this idea?
LearnKill, pivot or continue
Idea seems promising
No one turned it down. But would they pay for it?
Two offerings is one too many
Test user recruiting was the real pain point.
We are a team now
Reto & Rahel
Revised IdeaOnline test user recruiting service
5
48
50
20‘000
Minutes
Hours
CHF
People
(Time to order)
(Time to recruit)
(Base costs per test user)
(Pool of test users)
Lean: Round 2
BuildMVP to test the market
Customer order form
Implement simple order form with credit card payment.
Pool of test users
Let’s cross the bridge when we get there.
Recruiting engine
Rahel & Reto
MeasurePaying customers
Launch MVP
Launch date was set for Startup Camp Basel
on 23rd February 2013
Get first paying customer
Do we get 1 paying customer within 1 month?
Get repeat customers
Do we get 2 repeat customers within 3 months?
Our first and repeat customers
LearnTake aways from the first 3 months
In-House vs. Remote User Testing
Customers wanted people primarily for In-House Test.
Our pricing is too low
Even customers said we are too cheap.
We seem to attract medium & large corporations
And not startups as we initially thought.
We need our own test user pool
Are people ready to participate in tests for 30 – 50 CHF?
Lean: Round 3
BuildThe show must go on
Acquire test user pool
A qualitative pool of test users from Switzerland.
Professionalize Customer Order Form
Retire Wufoo Order Form and build proper system baseline.
Recruiting engine
Rahel & Reto and Excel
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
1400000
1600000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Revenue CHF
Financing roundWe raised 850k CHF with investiere.ch
Staying lean with
money in the pocket
Donts
Dos
International Growth the lean way
1. Organize salestour: 20 meetings in 1 week
2. Conduct Salestour and write diary
3. Measure KPIs and decide to follow up or drop
Make them believe you are local
Killing features is equally important as creating new ones
Give awaysSummary of my learnings
Feel the pain before you build
Don’t build ahead of time. Learn, then build.
Do things manually and feel the pain first.
Lean is not cheap
Spend money wisely but don’t be cheap.
E.g. we spend CHF 5000 on a sales training.
Set time free for innovation
Keep innovating. Dare to canibalize yourself.
www.startup.ch/testingtime
Thank you!
Q & A
Fake it to make it.
www.testingtime.com
Reto Lämmler
@rlaemmler @testingtime