6 questions to ask yourself if you're considering building a startup

I started the startup journey 9 months ago. Halfway in, I realized it's about a series of questions you try to uncover the answers to. And knowing when to ask each one.

I've collected 65 questions, segmented them into

1. Customer desirability
2. Feasibility to play and deliver in the industry
3. Product offer to fulfill the needs and desires
4. Go-to-Market Flywheel
5. Viability to sustain a business
6. Research to push and challenge your assumptions and thinking.

Happy to share it with anyone interested. There isn't one way. Or right order. So here are the initial ones I feel are critical

1. Our Why, People's Pains & Gains

• How do we know this is a real problem and worth solving?
• What are people's unmet human needs, desires, and unwelcome or harmful situations (functional, emotional, and psychological)?
  
• Stack rank their needs and desires. What's at the top?
• Are they ready to solve the problem?
• Are they willing to act now (i.e. is the pain large enough to action it now)?

2. Our What & Vision

• How do we solve the problems?
• What does it look like in a product, service, or experience?
experience: doing and seeing something (i.e. theatre, travel tour).
  product: use or consume a physical (i.e. clothing, food), virtual (i.e. apps, tools) good. It can be intangible too (i.e. credit card).
  service: to receive a benefit through your resources, skill, ingenuity, and experience (i.e. food, training).
• What can we do to make X happen?
• What can we do to make Y not happen?
• What would the market compare and position this as?

3. Our Value Proposition

Value must be something you're increasing or decreasing, adding or removing. If it doesn't convey one of these four, it is not your value. It's your offer. Why? Because you don't need a product that doesn't solve a need or desire, no matter how great it works, looks, is built or designed.

• Take the needs and desires from question one. Then, tell your target customer what are you adding or removing? Increasing or decreasing?
• Which are pain relievers and gain creators?
• Look at all your values. What's unique about them? 
What do you promise you'll always do for your customers?
  

4. Go to Market -- Who are the Early Adopters

Crossing the Chasm:
- Who are the early adopters? The ones who embrace change and are first to try
- What are you providing them?
- Where are they located? Not city, tell me the neighbourhood they hang out in.
 These will be your channels to acquire customers. Deliver and support your offer.

To make sure it aligns with your personal motivation, add one of these two

5. What Question We're Uncovering

What question/mystery are we obsessed with uncovering in the world?

6. Our Purpose

Why is this problem worth solving beyond making money?

What question do you ask?