Research & Customer Development

The Founder InstitutePresented by: Nestor Villalobos

Invest in Your Education

• Audible vs. iTunes• Kindle vs. Facebook• Udemy vs. YouTube

Are You Ready to Make the Sacrifice?

Research Industry Reports

• IBIS, Hoovers, Dun & Bradstreet

• Universities have Access • Ask Other Businesses

Understand the Landscape

“I don’t have any competition”

Know Your Competitors

Direct Competitors Indirect Competitors

Gather Information

• Call Your Competition• Gather Information • Don’t Underestimate

how much you will learn!• Buy From Them

Attend Conferences

Grow Your Email List

• Understand your Demographics• Give Something Away

(www.gleam.io) • Leverage Ads on Facebook,

Instagram & Twitter• Leverage Google AdWords

Conduct Surveys

Leverage Online Tools

• Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts)• Google Trends (www.google.com/trends) • TalkWalker (www.talkwalker.com) • Mention (www.mention.com) • Alexa Rank (www.alexa.com) • SpyFu (www.spyfu.com) • All Other Social Media (Twitter, FB, IG)

Understand the Barriers to Entry

Conduct Financial Modeling

Financial Modeling (Con’t)

• Separate Key Assumptions Page • Conservative Market Penetration Numbers• 5 Year Projection Calculated Monthly• Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow• Break Even Analysis

Choose the Right Market

Design a Purple Cow

Validate Your Idea

Image Courtesy of Friendly Human

Rinse & Repeat

• Knock on Doors • Show/Sell the MVP*• Get Feedback • Iterate the Product

* Ensure IP is Protected

Prepare for Next Steps

Contact Information

Nestor Villalobosnes@nestorv.com

www.nestorv.com (LinkedIn)www.nestorvillalobos.com (Blog)