Sprouting: Validate Your Business Model.
The most critical period.
This stage is all about validating your business model. You will expand on the Minimum Viable Product, which basically is a mockup of your idea that we have used to test the problem/solution fit, by developing and releasing a set of Minimum Marketable Features to your target audience and track response. The goal is to iterate and pivot your way to a product/market fit as soon as possible and then exponentially increase traction as your product or service evolves.
Once a business starts to sprout, the clock starts ticking. It is a period in which often more is spent than earned. And we also need to outpace any competition. This period of burning money should be gone through as quickly as possible without serious damage. Once you generate a positive cash flow for three months in a row, the chance of survival for your company increases significantly.
Once a business starts to sprout, the clock starts ticking. It is a period in which often more is spent than earned. And we also need to outpace any competition. This period of burning money should be gone through as quickly as possible without serious damage. Once you generate a positive cash flow for three months in a row, the chance of survival for your company increases significantly.
Strike RootWe coach and mentor you as you lay the foundation for your business and anchor it firmly in the environment that surrounds it. And while not the most inspiring task of every entrepreneur, you will have to implement effective legal, administrative, fiscal, financial and operational frameworks.
It's also time to decide which features to actually develop and release in your first increment. In this stage, Ukukhula will provide you with an lean-agile coach to guide you through the first iterations. Once you have decided on the minimum marketable features, we will help you to start building your brand and your stakeholder community based on your personal story. You will need to become a great storyteller. |
SproutTime to test your sales skills and your communicative abilities? The moment you go out there for the first time, you're the most vulnerable. How will the stakeholder community respond to your business proposition? And your first deal: exciting!!!
While your team tests assumptions and iterates (and pivots) the validated solution to product/market fit, we will help you to define objectives and key results (OKR's), traction targets and the critical growth path. We will adjust Business Model Canvas as you go. Once you demonstrate initial user growth and/or revenue we can help you attract additional resources (money or work equity) by hooking you up with angel investors or venture capitalists (VC's). |
Strengthen the trunkOnce investors are on board we need to accelerate even faster. Thus, we you need to hire staff for solution development and marketing. You might also need a growth hacking team once user reviews become positive.
Hiring (and firing) employees is a challenging task that cannot be delegated. We will coach you through that process. We can also get early employees to gamble on your company by accepting a low salary plus some stock. Once you've achieved a positive cash flow or significant traction it is important to push through. You learn to serve the interests of all your stakeholders and reflect on your mistakes. With our help you will continually adjust your plans. Finding the optimum product/market fit requires perseverance and many pivots. |
What is your chance of success? |
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