#StartupJourney #EntrepreneurLife
Hey there fellow entrepreneurs! 🚀 So, I’ve been on this entrepreneurial rollercoaster for a few months now. I’ve poured my heart and soul into my idea, crafted a killer presentation, and sent it out to VCs in the hopes of gathering feedback (and maybe a little investment). After some insightful calls with investors, the verdict is in: “Work on your idea until you’re ready to hit the market, and keep us updated along the way.”
Now, armed with determination, a bit of savings, and a whole lot of coffee, I’m ready to take the plunge. My business model is a mix of B2B platform, partner networks, and some old-fashioned offline legwork. Sounds exciting, right? But here’s where I need your help – where on earth do I start?
Should I dive into interviews with potential customers, or focus on building relationships with partner companies first? 🤔 Maybe there’s a magical book out there that can guide me through this tough decision – any recommendations?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and any advice you have to offer. Let’s navigate this journey together! 💡✨ #EntrepreneurialDilemma #HelpMeOut
Customers, always.
Validate the idea, create a wait list.
I know this advice is simple and everyone says it…
Everyone says it because it works. 👍
Once you’ve got interest then think about building it out and at what stage you could start selling it to your waitlist.
Why don’t you start to work on both sides? Yes I agree with one of the coments here that you need to start with the customer but if you have enough time why don’t work on both?
What partners are you referring to on the partner side?
Mom test
as
You went fundraising with nothing to show but an idea? But why, you don’t need funding to get started making a SaaS. It’s also worrying that you seem to be making something with no demand from customers.
What funders/VCs took a meeting with you, when it’s only an idea?
I’ve spent the past months using ChatGPT to produce code that has become my SaaS.
Seriously, you can achieve a lot with AI even if you’re not technical. It won’t be the prettiest, it won’t be scalable. But it will get you to a point where you can test your idea on real customers. If your product solves a need or problem for them that is big enough, they will start signing up.
Hey, helping early stage startups in this 0 to 1 phase.
Depending on the resources you have, start with
A) Landing page and a waitlist
B) MVP
Get some insights in both the steps. Document. Iterate.
When you think you have enough data to make sense of it, you might either want to :
1) Raise funds and build advance products
2) Build with just bootstrapping
3) Pivot
If done properly, best case scenario is you find people who would want to use your product once built, and might also want to invest in your product.
Customers, ignore VCs, don’t go to founder dinners and this and that.
Just start – right now, go! Things will reveal themselves after you start moving. Use this comment in lieu of the book you are hoping to read.
Were you really going to focus on customers and wait around for that to happen, then start working on the partners? Do a little bit of everything until something starts working, then do more of that.
Think…UVP. Everything gets clearer.
Talk to potential customers and validate your idea before building anything.
[I posted tips here](https://twitter.com/inesTheTechie/status/1789795146399129635?t=oOOtNLOYIFgJJ_e0Lazh-Q&s=19) about how to interview potential users to get valuable feedback.