4. 1. Entrepreneurs count off into team of 5
2. Audience selects 30 random words to use for a name
3. Each team selects 2 words to use for a name (example. Blank-
blank.com)
4. Each team has 5 minutes to create a business plan
5. The business plan should consist of:
• A tagline
• A product or service (your solution)
• A business model (How do you make money)
• A go-to-market strategy (How do you get customers)
6. Each team has 60 secs to pitch their plan
Networking game: half baked.com
5. How we used to launch startups
Business Plan Launch
Product
Development
Learn if idea will work!Months / Years
16. The story of anyperk: 3 months
1 Dating site Mieple (Through friends)
2 Introductions to investors (Through friends)
3 Introductions to jobs (Through friends)
4 A translation company
5 Movie advice company
6 Teaching through Skype
7 AnyPerk (Offer discounts and perks to employees)
22. 1 Build a product no one wants
2 Don’t know how to attract customers to buy
23. The only thing that matters is product/market fit
- Marc Andreessen
24. You can always feel product-market fit
when it’s happening.
- Marc Andreessen
• The customers are buying the product just as fast as you can make it –
• or usage is growing just as fast as you can add more servers.
• Money from customers is piling up in your company checking account.
25.
26.
27. Social network
Facebook
Don’t know who is
going to be in my
class.
Harvard
Students
Personal invite
Don’t know who is
single.
Visit the website
Sign up on
website
Return to
website
Invite friends
Friend
invites
Landing
page
Messaging
Profiles
View classes
Search friends
Features
Message friends
Create profile
Register courses
Find out who are in
your classes
Look up friends of
friends
Search for people
at your university
Don’t know who
that person is
Friend invite
feature
28.
29. Black like me
Black like me
Burns and
Smelt terrible
Black
Female
Consumers
Formulas
developed for real
ethnic hair
Not designed
For black hair
Meet with sales
person
Order product Reorder product
Face-to-face
selling
Sales pitch
Samples
Product to help
with perms and
curls
Maximum hair
Car protection
Uses natural oils
Repeat visits
Phone calls
30.
31. Retail shop
Jenny Button
Look great
at work
Career
women
Clothes for
international and
local career
women
No high quality
Fashionable
Executive wear
Visit store
Purchase
products
Tell their
friends
Retail
outlet
Sales pitch
Samples
Fashionable
Female
Executive clothes
Manufactured
In
Cape Town
Every collection is
sewn in house
Repeat visits
Retail
outlet
33. You can always feel when product-
market isn’t happening.
- Marc Andreessen
• The customers aren't quite getting value out of the product,
• word of mouth isn't spreading,
• usage isn't growing that fast,
• press reviews are kind of "blah",
• the sales cycle takes too long,
• and lots of deals never close..
38. 1 Have a problem
2 Trying to solve it
3 Spent time or money
1 Have a problem
2 Want it solved
1 Have a problem
39. Overweight people
spending money on
trainers, diets, exercise
programmes, etc.
Overweight people
trying to lose weight on
their own with no help.
Overweight
people that
have no interest
in losing weight.
Exercise
App
40.
41. EveryoneH
Start with an early adopter market
Elite
Universities
US
Universities
All
Universities
42. Step 1:
Guess who you think your early
adopter customer will be.
Easy to reach - Big pain - Ability to pay
44. Corporate
employees looking
to start a business.
IGNITOR
Task (5 MINS)
1 Brainstorm potential customer segments.
2 Choose the customer segment you believe is your early adopter.
3 Place it on your canvas.
4 Return to your seats asap.
Hint: Choose a market with the biggest pain, is easy to reach and will pay.
53. Corporate
employees looking
to start a business.
IGNITOR
Scared of failing.
Don’t find
corporate work
meaningful.
Need help ensuring
the business will
succeed.
Task (5 MINS)
1 Brainstorm different customer goals and problems
2 Write the biggest customer problems and goals on a sticky note
3 Place the biggest customer problems and goals on the canvas
4 Return to your seats asap.
64. “I can’t believe I have wasted a year building something
that will never make money. F@#k!”
65. How to conduct a problem interview
INTRODUCE
INDICATORS
INTERVIEW
INVITE
Reminder: 4Is
66. How to conduct a problem interview
INTRODUCE yourself
i.e. My name is [name] I am doing market research for a startup and I was wondering if I
could take 5 minutes of your time.
Check customer INDICATORS
i.e. Ask questions to test if they are in your target market.
Conduct INTERVIEW
i.e. Story, Challenge, Solution.
INVITE them to meet with you again.
i.e. Ask if they would be interested in seeing the product and giving
feedback when it is done.
68. What questions to ask?
SOLUTION:
3. What if anything have you done to solve the problem?
3.2 What was not ideal about the solution?
CHALLENGE:
2. What was most challenging about that? What frustrations or problems did you encounter?
STORY:
1. Tell me a story about the last time you
(describe the goal they are trying to achieve)?
69. What questions to ask?
SOLUTION:
3.1 What if anything have you done to solve the problem?
3.2 What is not ideal about that solution?
CHALLENGE:
2. What was most challenging about that? What frustrations or problems did you encounter?
STORY:
1. Tell me a story about the last time you tried to get advice or help with starting your
business?
70. How do you conduct a problem interview
1 RAPPORT
2 CUSTOMER INDICATOR
3 GIVE CONTEXT
4 PROBLEM QUESTIONS X3
5 WRAP UP
6 REFERRALS
7 THANKS
71. Write your problem interview script (10 mins)
INTRODUCTION:
Introduce yourself and set the context.
Customer INDICATOR:
What questions / observations will tell you if they are a potential customers?
INTERVIEW:
STORY:
Tell me a story about the last time you (describe task they are trying to achieve)?
CHALLENGE:
What was most challenging about that? Why was that challenging?
SOLUTION:
What if anything have you done to solve the problem? Why did you dislike that solution?
INVITE:
We are actually developing a solution [mention their biggest problem]. Can I contact you if we develop a
solution?
73. Problem
interviews
Corporate
employees
looking to start
a business
Startup
Events
10
Interviews
Sought advice
or help with
starting the
business
7 / 53
Sought advice
or help
Most people
don’t spend a
lot of money
on seeking
help
Look for
sponsors and
offer the
programme for
free
76. Problem &
Solution
interviews
Nurses
Hospital
Visit
Interview
58
Nurses
Said they
would want to
use it
92%
Said they
wanted it
Nurses want
this product
Keep going.
Talk to decision
makers at the
hospital
Problem &
Solution
interviews
Hospital
Administrations Hospital visits
Interview
10
Administrators
Interested
In purchasing
0 / 10
Were
interested in
buying
User is not the
customer
Pivot
Problem &
Solution
Interview
Moms
Baby shops
Interview
105 moms
Would they
purchase
96%
Interested in
purchasing
Mom’s are
excited about
the product
Develop
Prototype
77. Video &
Landing page
Mom’s Media
1000
Online ads
Leave email on
landing page
477 emails
Big demand for
the product
Keep going
Interviews
Mom’s Visit baby
Stores
Interview
139 customers
Most they
would pay
Average pricing
$182
They would
Pay more
Raise
prices
Landing
Page
Price test
Website
Visitors
Website +
Online ads
1130
Click on
Buy button
Max Profit
$299
It is more
Profitable to
raise prices
Select price
78.
79. Before you leave
1 Filled in Customer, Problem
2 You have a plan to talk to customers tomorrow
3 You have written up your interview script
87. Interview tips
• Get psyched to hear thing you don’t want to hear
• Disarm “politeness” training
• Use the mom test (Behaviour not opinions)
• Listen, don’t talk
• Encourage but don’t influence
• Parrot back to confirm
• Say thank you
98. Paul Smith X X A bigger problem was having no time!
XX X
X X
X X X
Mark Briggs
Sipho
Ndlovu
Michael
Mandy
Greg
Linda
Julian
Richard
Siya
X
X
Older customers
Lived in a rural area!
99. Problem
interviews
Corporate
employees
looking to start
a business
Startup
Events
10
Interviews
Sort advice or
help with
starting the
business
3 / 10
Sort advice or
help
Most people
don’t spend a
lot of money
on seeking
help
Look for
sponsors and
offer the
programme for
free
100. CAN YOU… find early adopters?
1 Do 1 round of interviewing
2 Write up actual results
3 Analyze what you have learned
- New customer definition
- New customer problem
- New channel
2 / 10
Spent money
trying to solve
the problem
101. 2 / 10
Spent money,
time or effort
10 / 10
Spent money,
time or effort
1 What was different about customers that had the problem?
2 Is there a bigger problem worth solving?
3 Should you try targeting a different customer segment?
4 Should you try a different idea?
102.
103. Interview customers
• Get out of the building
• Conduct customer interviews (Phone or face-to-face)
• Aim to do at least 10 interviews (Ideally 20 interviews)
• Aim to run and analyse 2 experiments
• Next presentation at 16:00
• Feel free to ask for help from Justin or Paul after each round of
interviews
108. Create customer interview plan:
Put together a plan to speak to at least 10 customers tomorrow morning:
1. Friends and family (Facebook, Linkedin, Email, Cell phone)
2. Social media (Twitter, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn)
3. Online ads (Twitter, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, OLX, Gumtree)
4. Similar services (Competitor products, Products / services you use before/after)
5. Events (Conferences, Sporting events, Seminars, Meetups)
6. Bored people (Waiting in lines, Gautrain, Bus stops, Taxi ranks)
7. Cold calling (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google)
8. Public spaces (Events, Parks, conferences, Airports)
110. Task (5 MINS)
1 Brainstorm 5 different channels (Ways to find your customer)
2 Select the best channel.
3 Place your Channel / Experiment 1 column.
4 Return to your seats asap.
Customer
problem
Customer
problem
Customer
problem
Customer
problem
Customer
problem
Customer
problem
Channel
Channel
Channel
Channel
Channel Channel
Editor's Notes
The founders believed it would revolutionize transport and get the wealthy to trade in their BMWs.
Instead security guards and tour guides were about the only market besides R380 million in startup capital.