Session 1

Simplify the Complex:
Innovation is a Process

  • Introduction
  • Innovation is a Process
  • Overview of Early Product Management
  • Customer Segmentation
  • Customer Discovery & Validation
    • Observation
    • Interviews
      • Screening
      • Recruiting
      • What to ask? (Interview Script)
      • How to Analyze Feedback
  • About the Homework
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About this Session

In order to set a solid foundation and simplify our journey in the future, we need to build a sound strategy off of well-executed customer research. In our first session, we review the actual benchmarks product-market fit benchmarks for pre-seed startups. Then we use a cheeky example (The Taco Crawl) to highlight the stages of early product-management.

With this strong foundational understanding, we then jump into Customer Segmentation and our first hypotheses regarding our early-vangelist. With those hypotheses, we learn the step-by-step plan to leverage observation and interviews, to start learning what we need to define the Most Valuable Problem.

Two Week To-Do’s

Schedule 20 Interviews

  • Use the Defining the Early-Vangelist (Google Worksheet)
  • Start by created 2-3 hypothetical customer segments that fit the Early-Vangelist description
  • Using those descriptions, craft a social post to request interviews and an email template for the same (See slides)
  • Get them scheduled – at least 10 before the next session
  • While you are waiting for the interview dates to come…

Execute at least 10 interviews

  • Use the Big Book of Interview Questions to create your interview script
  • Execute at least 10 before next session 2/25
  • Code your findings in the Industry & Customer Research Tracking spreadsheet

Observe: Identify 3-5 Facebook, Reddit, or other group forums where your target hangs out

  • Ask your own question posing as your target, and/or answer your targets’ questions
  • Record Insights

Review your Individual Assessment

  • Find your assessment on Google Drive, it’s a Google Doc
  • Inside you’ll find Lindsay’s writing in red
  • Use the comments feature to correspond with her

Inner Circle Facebook Post Prompt

Post your introduction with an #ask to help find people to interview.

FB Intro Template | Link to FB Group

Have specific feedback on any of this session’s guides and templates? Fill out this survey!

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex…It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."

Albert Einstein