I’ve talked about the most important pre-launch first step when launching your business, and why customer and market validation, before launch, can save you a fortune. But once you’ve validated the idea and done some planning, at some point you need to think about the brand. And that means a lot more than just your […]
Using Google Surveys to Validate Your Idea and Market

Want to save yourself a ton of time, money, and headache? Then validate your idea and market fit before getting too tied to your specifics. Easy to say, harder to do, right? I figured you might think that – because I’ve heard it before. Over and over. So here’s just one of several ways to […]
Business, founders, growth, marketing, sales, small business, Startup, venturePerform Customer and Market Validation Early
I almost titled this post “Find Your Niche” but as I thought through it, a lot of the content I would have written was about customer and market validation. But let’s start there… Find your niche When providing a service, selling a product, solving a problem, etc. you can’t be everything to everyone. You can’t […]
customers, lean, marketing, sales, StartupBeware the Vanity Metrics
Very few things get improved that don’t get measured. Metrics are important. How do you know if you’re making progress or if you’re falling behind without metrics? Some people like raw numbers and some people like charts and graphs. Make sure you are measuring the “right” things though. It is very easy to track and […]
Business, growth, marketing, small business, Startup, ventureHow To Get Some of Your First Users/Clients – Community
When you are just starting up your venture you’ll likely be anxious to get your first few clients, and at the lowest cost possible. What I recommend to startups that I mentor is to be sure you hit the low-hanging fruit first. One thing to do is some very basic SEO optimization so people can […]
angel, customers, growth, sales, Startup