I recently saw a professional form Intuit’s innovation practice sit down with two start-up companies to offer mentoring and strategy counseling. Instead of focusing on the answers and the discussions, I noted the questions he was asking and thought they might be an interesting playbook for others to run. Ask yourself these questions, honestly and at a level that anyone from any industry could understand, and you will go a long way to clarify and refine your strategy for success.
- What is the most important issue facing your business today?
- For the audience you are targeting, what is their pain?
- When you talk to customers what was unexpected?
- Have you found anyone who has the pain you are looking to solve?
- How big is the problem and how are customers solving it today?
- Can you solve the problem once, get paid, and validate that it is a need?
- Have you heard any red (or possibly yellow) flags from customers about their need for the product, their willingness to pay, etc?
- Who can be a lighthouse account for you?
- If the business didn’t work, what would be the reasons why?