For Starters

For Starters is a resource for early-stage entrepreneurs focusing on critical but often overlooked aspects of starting a business, including customer demand validation, pricing strategy, dealing with competition, defining success, the importance of early sales over product development, and the decision to pivot or stop.

Entrepreneurship Start-up Strategy Customer Demand Validation Product Development Pricing Strategy Business Pivoting Competition Analysis Success Measurement Innovation Types

The hottest Substack posts of For Starters

And their main takeaways

For Starters #36: Your Product's Atomic Unit of Value

19 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
💼 Business Product Strategy Value Proposition Pricing Models Market fit
  1. Every product has an 'Atomic Unit of Value', which is the smallest measure showing how much value the product brings to a customer. Understanding this helps businesses know if their product is successful.
  2. To experience this value, customers need to access the product, use it, and get a positive result from it. Simply having a product isn't enough; real interactions and outcomes matter.
  3. Pricing strategies should encourage the creation of this value, rather than charging directly for it. This way, customers are motivated to use the product and realize its benefits.

For Starters #35: 3.5 Tips for Pricing

39 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy Value Proposition Customer Experience Marketing
  1. Pricing should highlight what makes your product special. If customers understand its unique value, they're more likely to use it.
  2. Help your customers see the benefits fast. Make onboarding smooth and ensure they quickly experience the product's value.
  3. Don't worry about making your product perfect before setting a price. Charge based on the value customers see now, not on what you want it to eventually be.

For Starters #17: At Least Pay for Your Lifestyle

19 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
  1. Price your services to at least cover your lifestyle expenses
  2. Consider value-based pricing for your services
  3. Calculate the number of transactions needed to sustain your lifestyle through your business

For Starters #14: When Do We Stop?

19 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
  1. Stopping a venture is optional and can happen at any time.
  2. It's important to set time-bound minimum goals for success from the start.
  3. Consider pivoting your business if necessary, with a clear plan and timeframe.
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For Starters #7: 'How' Innovation and 'What' Innovation, Pick One.

0 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
  1. There are two kinds of innovation: Operational & Commercial or 'How' & 'What'
  2. Operational Innovation focuses on changing the production process to reduce waste
  3. Commercial Innovation involves creating new products and focusing on delighting customers

For Starters #12: On Competition

0 implied HN points • 18 Dec 23
  1. Publicly available information can be outdated and not entirely accurate in determining competition
  2. Competitive landscapes should be continually revised and based on customer perspectives and JobToBeDone
  3. Understanding customer needs and preferences through qualitative interviews is crucial for developing a successful product strategy

For Starters #6: When's Success?

0 implied HN points • 06 Nov 23
  1. Achieving success can sometimes happen without realizing it
  2. Defining clear goals and a north star simplifies decision-making
  3. Revisiting your personal definition of success is important for progress

For Starters #16: Latency

0 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
  1. Innovation and progress happen faster when reducing latency in information and action.
  2. Professional success often depends on being ahead in the race against time and competition.
  3. Stay proactive and constantly seek ways to reduce latency to maintain a competitive edge.

For Starters #4: Coordination Costs Everything

0 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
  1. To move quickly in the early stages of a venture, minimize the number of people involved to reduce coordination costs.
  2. Companies grow to minimize operational transaction costs, creating internal departments when working with external agencies becomes too cumbersome.
  3. In early stages, solo founders can leverage SaaS tools and should focus on customer interactions before considering adding team members.

For Starters #1: The End is Inevitable

0 implied HN points • 18 Sep 23
  1. Everything has an expected lifespan.
  2. Setting time-bound goals from the start is crucial.
  3. Appreciate the journey and acknowledge when things come to an end.

For Starters #0: What Problem is Someone Buying This to Solve?

0 implied HN points • 11 Sep 23
  1. The key question when creating a product is 'What problem is someone buying this to solve?'
  2. Using the JobsToBeDone model can lead to more creative solutions and clear success criteria.
  3. A persistent, frustrating problem is a reliable starting point to develop useful solutions.

For Starters #15: When Can We Expect Overwhelming Demand?

0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
  1. Product-market fit is about achieving and maintaining extreme levels of customer demand.
  2. Product-market fit is an indicator of success for resource-constrained organizations focused on quality customer experience.
  3. Product-market fit signals one company is on its way to capturing a market with a compelling product.

For Starters #9: Be Better than the Internet

0 implied HN points • 27 Nov 23
  1. In any endeavor, strive to provide specific and actionable feedback that is better than what the internet can offer.
  2. Value human interaction, active listening, and understanding context over relying solely on internet resources.
  3. Prioritize setting standards and providing personalized service over reacting to internet trends.

For Starters #8: Is this a 10yr project?

0 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
  1. Leaders are seeking to better understand B2B customers for growth
  2. Consider a venture's long-term success by targeting persistently unsolved problems
  3. Use the Futures Wheel exercise to explore long-term future scenarios

For Starters #3: All Ventures Face the Same 6 Riskiest Assumptions

0 implied HN points • 01 Oct 23
  1. Maximize resource constraints by focusing on the riskiest assumptions
  2. Lean into each individual risky assumption and validate them thoroughly
  3. Two important things in startup are stopping if a solution already exists and if the problem is too small to solve