Starting from zero

I was recently asked to make a startup framework for people in an economic depressed area. They don’t have money, a network, or even a place to learn from other founders. Naturally, I accepted the challenge.

To begin, I put myself in the place. Imagining landing in a new country with no connections and a few hundred dollars to survive.

Step 1: Have conversations

Before a company name, website, or bank account… one needs to find a big enough problem to solve. You do that by talking to strangers. Not your network.

But… don’t just ask what their problem is. Instead, ask for money. That’s the only way to learn the truth.

For example, you may ask a business owner, “Is processing payroll an issue for you?” Most will agree that it is. However, say you can solve it for $500 and you’ll quickly learn how big a problem it is.

Step 2: Messaging

Once you prove a market with 5 to 10 paying clients, you need to work on messaging. This is the one sentence reply to what do you do.

The message is an outcome statement. It has nothing to do with how something is accomplished. When someone with the problem you solve, reads or hears the message, it resonates.

Step 3: Formation

With a handful of customers and an effective message, it is time to form a real business. Take some of the money generated and pay to incorporate. Then open a business bank account. Next, launch a website.

For example, we recently did this with Infinia. After our first handful of customers, the message became “Infinite Sales Pipeline”. Now we are launching a website, getting serious about social media, and the like.

Step 4: Expansion

Once you’re legit, can take multiple payments, and have a professional website… you can expand with more customers. The first ten or so clients trusted you and bought into the vision, the next 100 will buy from a trust in the company.

This trust begins with the quality of your publications.

Todd Moses