Startup Stage 2
Identify first customers
What is a startup stage 2?
You already have a product (even if it's a minimum viable product), service or something that a client recognizes as addressing one or more pains he has.
At this stage, the startup is like a mosquito and can only "make damage" if it focuses on a tiny little thing.
This is the time to get painfully narrow on one-two customers' pain, preferably one(s) that define a customer segment. Get painfully narrow.
Clients: some
Revenue: < 100k
What needs to grow: Focus
The highest cost is doing something that doesn't matter. Don't do that.
Before
You try to build features that address all the concerns prospective clients raise.
You have launched or are thinking of launching a big marketing campaign that, by magic will make clients flock to you.
You try to label your solution with the hip-term of the moment, and you went up going in circles, not going anywhere.
You think that clients don't get what you are doing or that your solution is a few years ahead of them, and that's why they don't buy from you.
You've built a product according to potential clients' feedback but now that you've developed what they asked, looks like no one cares about it.
There are some sales, but you lose money on every deal. (Oh... you are buying market share... okayyy).
After
You deliver on what matters to the client and, most important makes them open their wallet.
You know what's working and why it's working. This is important so you can make more of it.
You understand what triggers the sale and know what else they are open to paying to have.
You'll know how and where to find clients that care about what you have to sell.
If you don't know yet, you'll learn the basics of demand finding and what it takes to close a deal (and the joy that comes from it).
If your startup pass through this stage probably is on to something. If it dies at this stage it's good so you don't spend your time doing something that goes nowhere.
A couple months of work with XYZ Close can save you thousands of hours of labour and lots of money.
Some startups do stuff at this stage that doesn't matter and sabotage themselfs. Don't do that.
Most startups die at this stage than any other stage. Don't be that startup.
Get a quote for your case.