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Don't Pretend to Be Big: Embrace Early Adopters

2025-05-24
Don't Pretend to Be Big: Embrace Early Adopters

This article shares a valuable lesson learned: don't try to appear like a large company, especially in the early stages of a startup. Instead of using corporate jargon and stock photos, embrace authenticity and transparency. Connect with early adopters who appreciate the fresh approach, are comfortable with a potentially buggy product, and actively engage in feedback. These early users offer invaluable help in building a better product and ultimately contribute to success.

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(longform.asmartbear.com)
Startup customer relations

Product Purgatory: Why Good Products Don't Sell

2025-05-09
Product Purgatory: Why Good Products Don't Sell

Many startups face 'Product Purgatory': a good product, loved by customers, yet unsold. The author introduces the 'Magic Wand Test': if the product were free and perfectly implemented, would the customer use it? A 'no' suggests the product's value doesn't significantly outweigh implementation costs (risk, time, money). Even passing the test, customers might delay purchase due to a lack of urgency. The author advises focusing on customers urgently needing the product (e.g., due to regulatory pressure, competition, or emergencies) to escape Product Purgatory.

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(longform.asmartbear.com)
Startup customer needs

Startup Funding: What Money Can and Can't Buy

2025-04-18
Startup Funding: What Money Can and Can't Buy

This article explores the role of money in startup funding. The author argues that while money solves many problems—marketing, hiring, coding—crucial elements like team building, market positioning, and strategic decision-making are beyond its reach. Successful startups balance both: using funds to accelerate growth while demonstrating the ability to overcome challenges without money, such as A/B testing to optimize products and adapting strategies based on customer feedback. Proving your ability to learn, adapt, and innovate convinces investors your project is worth funding.

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(longform.asmartbear.com)
Startup

The Myth of Exponential Hypergrowth: How Companies *Really* Grow

2025-01-11
The Myth of Exponential Hypergrowth: How Companies *Really* Grow

This article challenges the common assumption of exponential growth in tech startups. By analyzing real-world data from companies like Facebook, Slack, and Dropbox, the author argues that high-growth companies actually follow a quadratic growth model, not exponential. A new model, the 'Elephant Curve,' is introduced to explain the lifecycle of marketing campaigns and their impact on overall revenue growth. This model suggests that multiple campaigns, when layered, result in quadratic growth. The article also explores the impact of virality, word-of-mouth, and hot trends on product growth, offering corresponding models like the logistic growth curve. Finally, actionable advice is provided for marketing teams and product managers to better understand and manage company growth.

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(longform.asmartbear.com)
Startup Company Growth Elephant Curve Model Quadratic Growth