Infinity - 2

Consistent updates are the best way for anyone measure progress on difficult non-linear tasks regardless of the interval. Otherwise, I've found things can feel like you're in a minimum or sloping down. These updates makes space to show all the parts that are continuing to evolve while also celebrating the highs and lows. No matter what, as long as you are periodically reflecting on your consistent work, you will be on an upward trajectory. Whether or not that trajectory or your velocity is enough to be 'successful' is a different story.

Where This Update Fits

Continuing to chip away at all the possible strategies to find customer pull. It's still very much in progress with a slightly new direction from before.

What Moved Forward

What I've found is that in this stage and given my experience with the domain I'm interested in, I don't think either of the techniques laid out are optimal. Previously I was making my way to some sort of case study by hypothesizing demand (details below) and trying to get folks engaged, but nothing was working. This is because I don't know the customers that well (both what they do and who they are). I'm a complete stranger to the space and so there's both a lack of knowledge and trust.

This made me remember something I learned during ODF about the types of founder's they've seen be successful. One was the 'complete immersion' or 'all in' founder. These founders, change roles to do the work of their customers for a period of time until they have as much understanding as their customer and empathy for the situation.

Even though I was getting some traction from cold outbounds, they were not moving the needle. What I needed was trust and empathy by doing the work. I decided to pivot from trying to sell a product I didn't know to folks who didn't know me to working for them -- an apprenticeship.

The strategy I employed was to use my close network that knew the people I want to know for introductions. Rather than cold DMs, I'd go the referral route because I don't have enough trust to trade on and need to convert from others. In life, I think it's extremely high leverage to think of what your network can help you with and ask. This not only becomes your script for friends and cheerleaders, but also for introductions that aren't able to directly help you.

What’s Still Open

I still have not secured any sort of apprentice work, but the velocity I'm going is much faster than before because I have an expensive network of people who would like to help. So now, I've been able to activate much more of my network to help me than before.

Help Wanted / Feedback Loop

Introductions to solar asset managers, origination, or investors who would like a sharp person to help with anything across their stack as a contractor or, for the right team, and apprentice.

My New Framework

Unfolding is this process to iterate over the pull that you've established through verified means (only selling). You can approach this by building out a case study and unfolding. But what do you do if you don't have a case study?

You can build out your demand hypothesis based on customer interviews until you have a first customer and eventually case study. But what if you don't have a demand hypothesis?

You can fully immerse yourself in your customers problems by becoming the customer. But what if you don't have access or skills for this?

Mobilize your network, look at job descriptions, dabble in those skills so long as they don't require a new degree (significant effort).

Case Study Format

• Why the customer needed to change
• What options they considered, and why one option stood out from the others
• What they chose & what success they achieved
• How it worked (and what your product did to help them accomplish that success)
• How they thought about price vs. value
• How they got to success
• When they knew they were going to be successful

How to Get to a Case Study?

• Write your hypothesis using the PULL framework
• Talk to 5 potential customers who should, if the hypothesis is true, rip the product out of your hands. Record the conversations so you can review them.
• Based on what happens on the calls, adjust and repeat steps 1-2.

How to Get to a Demand Hypothesis

• Make it up based on extensive research and customer interviews
• Become the customer and know it from first hand experience