Mental Models to Startup Building

判断一个业务可行性的基本问题

• 为用户提供什么价值？
• 是否足以驱动用户来使用产品？
• 如何规模化触达潜在用户？
• 规模化触达的成本是什么？

Ref:

• 谋与断

Product Strategy Map

• Target audience - narrowest relevant set of users;
• Problem you're solving - specific challenge solved for users;
• Value proposition - a clear value statement for users;
• Strategic differentiation - what makes it better than competitors;
• Channel strategy - how to attract your target audience;
• Monetization strategy - how you monetize your audience.

For a product strategy to be any good, not only need to articulate your view on each dimension, it also:

• Compelling - have conviction that each dimension will work;
• Coherent - Each of the dimensions needs to aligns well with each of the other dimensions, e.g., a freemium monetization strategy is misaligned with a small target audience since freemium only works with a very large target audience to monetize.

Ref:

• Product Strategy Map

Start Small and Monopolize

• Every startup should start with a very small market because it's easier to dominate a small market than a large one:
  • You are small at the beginning hence lacking competitiveness.
• Small doesn't mean nonexistent;
• The perfect target market is a small group of particular people concentrated together and served by few or no competitors:
  • A large market will either lack a good starting point or it will be open to competition.

Ref:

• Zero to One Chapter: Building Monopoly

Outsize profit = gaining monopoly position

• Competition means you can't get all of the reward;
• Profit is the reward doing business;
• When facing competition in business, profit will be competed away;
• The only way out is become monopoly in your market (big or small).

Ref:

• Lecture 5: Competition is For Losers

How to create wealth

• Give society what it wants but does not yet know how to get AT SCALE;
• Principles to get wealthy:
  • Get specific knowledge that no one but you have 🔗;
  • Find product-market fit;
  • Be accountable, i.e., take risks and own rewards;
  • Apply leverage, e.g., code, media, capital and labor.
• Caveats:
  • Doing what you love and finding product-market is a balance.

Ref:

• Joe Rogan Experience Ep. 1309 - Naval Ravikant at 1:50:21

Escape Competition Through Authenticity

• Wealth creation in essence is value creation to society exchanging for rewards 🔗;
• To gain outsize rewards, you have to become monopoly 🔗;
• Every individual is unique and could possess unique skill sets;
• If unique skill sets are channeled to creating something society wants, no one can compete.

Ref:

• Naval Ravikant | The REAL Purpose of Money AND The Principles to GET RICH at 7:31

Who is your customer?

• Can't understand what problem you are solving until knowing who you are solving it for;
• Start with a niche market. You are going to be lost because you don't know who you should talk to:
  • Frequency - How often do they have the problem?
  • How intense is the problem?
  • Are they willing to pay? Almost better to start by charging money up front. This is a good way to prove PMF;
  • How easy are they to find? Don't expect them to find you.

Ref:

• Michael Seibel - Building Product

What problem are you solving?

• This is the why and it should be stated clearly (not eassy);
• Questions to ask for the problem:
  • Do you experience the problem yourself? This is some indication that this problem exists;
  • Can you define the problem narrowly? Who is the first group of users you can address the problem first? You need to get some first indication of PMF;
  • Is the problem solvable?

Ref:

• Michael Seibel - Building Product

Does your MVP actually solve the problem?

• Best way to test if your MVP solves the problem is give to the users to try;
• Don't treat your product as a piece of art. Startup world is very unforgiving for artists;
• Check this question all the time and be honest about it.

Ref:

• Michael Seibel - Building Product

创业公司的成功的基本假设

• 团队能把产品做出来；
• 有人需要我们的产品；
• 产品能带来利润；
• 我们能够抵御竞争对手的市场“侵蚀”；
• 市场足够大，这是一个长期的商业机会。

Ref:

• Super Thinking - Charter One: Being Wrong Less - Keep it Simple, Stupid! Section

企业如何获得竞争优势？

• 企业经营成功的本质是因为获得了某种竞争优势；
• 进行市场细分只是企业的一个决策，而这个决策并不能保证企业成功；
• 保证企业成功的关键是企业针对这种市场细分、围绕这种市场细分采取的一系列特殊经营活动；
• 正是因为这种互相配合的经营活动，才塑造了企业和品牌的竞争力，并形成竞争优势。

Ref:

• 营销笔记