Work Hard, Work Wisely
The Structured Start-Up was built on the belief that to obtain success, start-ups need careful planning, including the consideration of a myriad of factors that are evaluated reiteratively. Successful start-ups are not magic or lightning in a bottle. They are the result of successful execution of a prudent plan. Building on a plethora of resources from business and entrepreneurial leaders, The Structured Start-Up works through 20 aspects of entrepreneurial ventures critical to success.
Module 1: Why? The Mission and Purpose of a Company
Module 2: Value Propositions, Product/Market Fit, Identifying Customer Pain Points, and Solutions
Module 3: Market Sizing, Competitor Analysis and Initial Beachhead Market, Go-to-Market Strategy
Module 4: Finding Your Entrepreneurial Story and Narrative Arc, Incorporating Your Story Into Your Mission, Branding
Module 5: Product Design, Minimum Viable Product, Proof of Concept
Module 6: Initial Customer Relationships and Retention, Alpha and Beta Customers, Finding and Attracting New Customers
Module 7: Customer Experience, Customer Development, and Customer Personas
Module 8: Distribution, the Buyer’s Journey, and the Sales Process
Module 9: Guerilla Marketing, Growth Hacking, and Other Sales Techniques
Module 10: Operating Your Business, the What, Best Practices, and Building Culture
Module 11: Understanding the Industry Ecosystem
Module 12: Leadership and Team Dynamics, Building the Team, Co-Founders and the C-Level Team
Module 13: First Hires and Headcount
Module 14: Bootstrapping the Gaps: Contractors and Advisors, Industry Experts
Module 15: Culture and Values
Module 16: Revenue Forecasting
Module 17: Unit Economics
Module 18: Metrics
Module 19: What Could Go Wrong? Identifying Assumptions and Biases
Module 20: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? And How Are You Going to Finance It?
Final Project: The Pitch Deck