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Top 20 Activities to Launch Your Startup

Top 20 Activities to Launch Your Startup. Matt Dyor CEO and Founder, Payboard.com. Have a Clear Goal . Know Love Really Like Your Customer. Lock in Your Team. Your team is your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness.

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Top 20 Activities to Launch Your Startup

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  1. Top 20 Activities to Launch Your Startup Matt Dyor CEO and Founder, Payboard.com

  2. Have a Clear Goal

  3. KnowLove Really Like Your Customer

  4. Lock in Your Team • Your team is your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness. • Your first team member defines your culture – be selective and intentional • Talk about the business you intend to build and how you intend to build it. • It is better to go it alone (for now) than to go with a bad fit. • Build the business that your team can build.

  5. Financial Model Cash (or lack thereof) Kills Teams What does your team need to survive? Can your business support your needs? If not, raise capital! If not and you can’t, get a job!

  6. Business Sketch • What is the core value? Personalized Drip Training for SaaS companies • How much does it cost? $100/month • Customer Acquisition Cost? $10 • How many customers can you get? 100 • http://bit.ly/13z9nfp

  7. Customer Discovery Doc and Folder • Set Up Google Doc with Key Fields • Set Up Google Folder for each Customer • Can Use Startup CRM • Dyor.com – Free, and not that great • Zoho - $300/year, and not that great. • Goal is to have a place where you go to set up your first 20 to 50 interviews (5x if you are B2C) • Payboard Customer Discovery Doc • How to conduct customer discovery: http://9slides.com/Talks/Business-Model-Primer

  8. Mentor Outreach • Once you have a decent signal from your customers, ask 5 mentors for help. • Spend time with you for the next 3 months while you launch your business. • Push you to make faster progress. • Connect you with potential customers.

  9. Investor Outreach • Same Approach as with Customers • Start Talking Before Asking for Investment • But don’t waste their time. • Have something interesting accomplished (working on a pilot with companies X, Y, and Z) • Ask if you can add them to mentor update email.

  10. Get a Brand You Love • …and your customers can spell. • They should not have to repeat it to you when you say it to them. • Ideally they say “I like that name.” • There should be a single misspelling per brand (.io and .co count as a misspelling). • It may cost you money.

  11. Develop Content Strategy • 1 Mentor Update Every Other Week • Use MailChimp • Do not fancy format • Tell them what you have accomplished and how they can help. • 1 Blog Post Every Other Week • Establish yourself as an expert in the space • Use WPEngine for the blog (working on it!) • Use Spokal to help with blogging (working on it!) • Find out where your customers are, and comment/blog/share there. • Quora • Create events, and add them to your calendar.

  12. Corporate Formation • Hire an attorney who deals with startups. • Bootstrap: Carter Mackley • VC/Angel-Backed: David Wickwire, Charlie Carter • $2,000 for basic formation documents • Wickwire willing to do $15-$25K deferred for small equity percentage (.5-2%) • should last through first $500k of investment • talk to him for details and whether you qualify • Terms of Service, Privacy Policy – Can use AutomatticTOS and Privacy • Gates other activities (bank, SSL, accountant)

  13. Get a good accountant • Madeline Bailey, www.qccomputing.com • Accounting, Business Analysis, Projections • Accountant $360 for the afternoon ($90 an hour) and you will be good for the setup. • Bookkeeper $120 an afternoon ($30 an hour) • Quickbooks Online – it is easy to use, but hard to set up. Costs $13/month. • Set up time when you have very first bank statement (with US Bank). Until then, put your receipts in a folder.

  14. Get a Bank Account • US Bank • Works with Washington State S Corp (and LLC), and Delaware S Corp • Works with Stripe • No Fees for basic banking • Decent mobile app • Small branch in Safeway around the corner

  15. Get a logo…boom! • 99 Designs, Ei Talent Marketplace, Fiverr

  16. Business Cards • Sounds small, but it is a ritual of business • $22.84 for 100 cards from Uprinting.com

  17. Company T-Shirts • Wear your T-Shirts around, and people will ask. • It will help you with your elevator pitch. • You will look cool. • Socedo has the best shirt quality of all time, from Ted Dann <ted.dann@kotisdesign.com>. • American Apparel • 2 color logo • $15/shirt2 color 12 quantity ($180) • $8 at 37 • Front only • Heather Black is popular right now.  • 7-10 business

  18. Get a Gym Membership • $10/month at Crunch, plus some other fees. • Too easy to let your health fall apart while you are building.

  19. Work at Ei • $150/Table until we are full, then $200/table. • Just do it! • 8 Tables Left.

  20. Social Stuff • Create your twitter, facebook, and linkedin pages (and cruchbase and angellist if you are raising). • Integrate accounts into your content strategy. • Update your linkedin profile.

  21. Set up Wireframes • Set up wireframes • Use createlyeg - http://bit.ly/1aanHKa • Use paper • Resist high-fidelity (Photoshop or actual web page)

  22. What Next? • What did I miss? • What has no place on that list? • Tweet your favorite out (and mention @eastsideinc)

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