Startup Compass

From early tests with some users, I've gotten some really good feedback on what to improve in the guide.

The Product Iteration part (Step 3) have been redone to guide entrepreneur to properly build an MVP by prioritizing features according to value vs effort.

The Product Marketing part (Step 4) also received small changes where entrepreneur is ask to also consider the effort required for each marketing channel.

I also managed to figure out how to add an overview page where you can see all details you have filled at a glance. It's organized around the Build-Measure-Learn loop.

The most revealing feedback is that the guide is more like a workbook and would benefit greatly from some sort of supplementary material like a book or a course. I'm planning to run a pilot workshop to figure out what their content should be.

I finally got around to setting up the landing page and email funnel for the guide. When a user subscribes to the list, they will receive an email with the link to the guide.

This is all done with ConvertKit which is breeze to use. I've also introduced it on my blog to get more feedbacks.

https://www.clipsoflogic.com/blog/2021/1/introducing-startup-compass

From some initial feedback, I restructured the layout of the guide on the Notion.so document. Instead of all questions being on a single page, it's now broken into different pages for each section.

I've also started sharing this with local entrepreneurs group to further validate the utility of the guide.

I finally decided on the name Startup Compass and bought the .io domain.

It's quite fitting as I imagined the guide helping entrepreneurs navigate their startup journey. They will need to return to it to ensure they are still on the right track, heading towards product-market fit.

I've decided to breakdown the guide into 5 sections. It'll guide entrepreneurs through:

1. Customer Discovery
2. Solution Design
3. Product Iteration
4. Product Marketing
5. Product-Market Fit

Each section currently consists of 4 questions and a checklist. Early test with some users looks promising.

The entire guide is a Notion.so document as it gives me the ability to build tables and checklist.

One of my assumption on why canvas are harder to use is because it's doesn't naturally guide you on where to start.

I opted to explore a Question and Answer format so guide entrepreneurs through the various stages of building a startup. This way, it flows linearly and I could use hints to provide more explanation and context for each section.

Over the years, I've advised and consulted many entrepreneurs and realised they don't have or use the Business Model Canvas. Those who do tend to only use it during ideation stage and never go back to update it.

I wondered if this is something to pursue and brainstorm some concepts on how to make a better canvas. I wanted the focus point to be on the customer. After all, the product exist to solve problem for the customer.

However, something don't feel quite right and I went back to the drawing board for now.