Starting a startup is hard. It’s complicated and confusing. There is a myriad of tasks that need attention. Branding assets, website, landing pages, tracking setup, videos, support systems, onboarding setup, various documents, payment process, marketing campaigns … the list goes on.
So many things to do, so little resource. It’s easy to get lost and lose time working on things that don’t matter.
The only way to fight through task-noise is to prioritise. Easier said
One of the biggest challenges when creating a two-sided marketplace is overcoming the initial ‘dead zone’. Without enough users in the app, no one is going to find value in it.
You’ve probably heard of the term ‘tipping point’, a point at which there is enough of something to act as a catalyst to exponential growth.
This is what we are looking for when creating a two-sided marketplace.
It’s not easy. We have
I was 17 when I started learning web design and marketing at Media Design School in Auckland, NZ.
It was 2001, and the internet was a new playground for a marketer (growth hacking definitely wasn’t a thing). A few changes to your meta tags could result in increased website traffic. And manipulating the search engine algorithm wasn’t tricky.
But like anything, as a market starts to mature and more people start operating off the same
One of the startup mantras I love is ‘know you know nothing’. Everything you think you know is merely assumptions. It’s only through testing and validation that we get the data the prove or disprove what we assume to know. Getting the right people involved can expedite the process and help guide your validation. Over the last month, I have pulled together a team of kick-ass people to assist me in the areas they excel
Customer development has defined where the value lies on both sides of this platform. Insights into pains and requests have structured what could be an MVP. I now have a feature and functionality list worth testing. I have looked at various partnerships/development opportunities to get some initial tests working. However, I believe in starting this off correctly with the right in-house team will be beneficial in the long run. A development team will be one
The last two weeks of daily customer interviews have been insightful, to say the least. Collecting qualitative data from numerous businesses, brands, and digital publishers. What I found surprised me. I thought I would get pushback from publishers. Instead, I unearthed what looks to be a massive systemic issue with the entire digital advertising model. A few years ago CPM (Cost per 1,000 impressions) could get up to $40 (NZD), so I’m told. In today’s
I have an idea. I have a GREAT idea! A concept for a platform that doesn’t currently exist. From what I can find there are a couple of solutions which are close, but I believe are not hitting the mark. Validation is needed! I refuse to give in to the temptation of blindly building a product without following the tried and true Lean Startup methodology. Over the years I have seen countless startups fail due to their
This isn’t easy for me. First of all, I’m opening myself up and letting you in. Your views, your opinions, your judgment. But I want you to hold me accountable to the process. I’m committed to writing about my experience and learnings in hope that you too can take some valuable lessons away. Short, sharp and punchy is how I want these blogs to be. Let’s roll it back a few weeks. I recently grew