Which startup are you?
Stage 1 - Product Problem fit
Customers: 0
Revenue: 0
What needs to grow: Product
Stage 2 - Identify first customers
Customers: Some
Revenue: < 100K
What needs to grow: Focus
Stage 3 - Generate revenue
Customers: B2B < 10 ; B2C < 100
Revenue: < 250K
What needs to grow: Customer
Stage 4 - Ramp-up
Customers: B2B < 50 ; B2C < 500
Revenue: < 1M
What needs to grow: Founder
Stage 5 - Scale-up
Customers: many, depending on the industry
Revenue: < 10M
What needs to grow: Team
Startup days can be demanding. You want to be doing this with someone who has already done it.
This is especially true if this is your first startup.
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Pedro Fernandes
12 years of corporate experience
6 years of startup experience (and counting)
4 own businesses founded
3 bootstrapped
2 funding rounds
1 exit
0 acquisitions (so far)
3 countries work experience
Graduation in Economics
MBA (you get to do a lot of Canvases...)
LinkedIn profile here
(Say Hi! Yes, it's a cold start talk for you and me, but we have things to finish and we need to start somehow).
In startup days, you wear many hats. Time is your most valuable asset. The highest cost for startups is doing things that don't matter.
On top of that, what matters to a startup is changing rapidly, because it is growing and iterating. Therefore, what needs to be done is different. So how do you know, that you are doing what matters? Identify your startup stage and see what we have to say (have a look above on this page).
You also want a team that can serve several purposes.
Startup loops, back and forth, in product, sales and marketing can be frustrating for some people.
Our team is used to that kind of environment. If your people are not used to that, you may spend more time dealing with your team's health, recruiting and training than customer needs.
What's the ROI of your investment with us:
1 - Your first ROI is to ensure that the idea can be a business. Do you want to spend a dozen months chasing something that turns out to be nothing?
2 - After we know that the idea can be a business, we identify your narrow set of customers and ensure they recognize the value in the solution. So your ROI is to know that it is a viable business and an increase in valuation. If you are looking for funding, this will enable you to raise Pre-Seed and Seed funding rounds.
3 - If it is a business, then we will get you your first customers, and revenue and make sure your customers are happy. So your ROI is revenue and an increase in valuation. This will make the business reduce the cash burn or break even; it depends, and if you are looking for funding, it will enable you to get a Series A.
4 - If you found a market, revenue, and happy clients, then it's time to implement the engines of marketing, sales, and customer success and review the pricing model. So our ROI to you is revenue, growth rate and a higher increase in valuation. This will enable you to grow your team, prepare for key hires, and prepare for a Series B funding round.
5 - So, if you have a growing business with the potential for further growth, our ROI to you is ensuring you don't mess up: the right hires and onboarding; the right incentives; the creation of a short, medium and long-term sales pipeline. This brings you revenue, the right talent and an increase in valuation. If you are looking for funding, this will enable a Series C.
6 - After this: our ROI is to leave you alone :-) and pass the flag to others that can do better than us in the later stages of a startup. Our work with you ends officially here, but, we can always have a beer or a cup of tea! :-) Enjoy the ride!