Learning No. 10

Evaluate your idea on this framework. I believe it is better than the popular MBA ones. This at an overall level answers the question: what is the pain you are solving and is the pain big enough to push users to use what you are offering?

• How did they do it earlier?
• How will they do it now?
• How much would they have to change?
• How much would it cost?

Learning No. 5

Your meeting went good. You had a nice conversation, you got great feedback and you can think of a couple of ways in which you can go forward in the future. Well, looks like you had a productive morning.

Wait.

Did you get any money? Did he buy what you went there to sell? No.

So you had a nice time and have hopes of getting money in the future. This is business development alright, but if you are in a startup, you need clients now. So don’t be lead into complacency by having a good meeting. Get the cash.

Remember that, water like feedback is abundantly available and very valuable but does not bring much money when sold.

Learning series | Learning No. 1

What is the learning series?
It is an effort to put down what I learn here from my entrepreneurial journey in www.cocubes.com on the web.

Learning No. 1
Ideas begin and get implemented in the following steps

Things began with a simple idea and associated assumptions.cWe then research the idea to make it complex. Then we try to define the value proposition we are offering and cut it down again to make it a simpler offer for the market

Stages 1 and 3 are both simple representations of ideas, but what may have changed is the value proposition. This could be because of the extra insight we gained into the problem which led to modification of initial idea we had.

The take away is to get to stage 3 with minimum time investment and the correct market offering. This is one of the things I hope to get better at.

How is this made possible?

• Validate your assumptions as quickly as possible. Even the strongest assumption. This can be done by taking feedback from the parties involved in the business
• Develop a sense of what is important and what is not. Look at things that can be scaled up
• Concentrate on the basic offering – the one which provides major value proposition for the users. If you get that right, the users shall take care of the rest