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On scale

I’ve been reading a bit of literature on physics. Turns out matter doesn’t exist? Matter only exists when two particles ‘meet’? Aka: in the physical world there is no matter, there are only events? (I’m summarizing here. Badly, probably.) It reminded me of something I read in Ray Dalio’s book a few years ago: the closer you align yourself to the rules of nature, the bigger your chances on success are. If you, for instance, find a way of scaling something that used to be unscalable, you turn something scarce into something abundant and you’ll be rewarded for that effort.…

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From 4 believers to $10k MRR

I previously wrote how we got our first 4 customers without having a product. And I can’t stress enough how important these first customers are. How small a milestone it may seem in your incredible dream of start-up success, these 4 customers are the difference between certain death and the small chance of making your dream come true. However, after the first 4 customers, it’s time for the next hurdle. I spend a lot of time reading and talking to smart people to find out what these hurdles will be. $10k in MRR? 10 unaffiliated customers? International expansion? … It…

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The pitch vs reality gap

Like everyone, I’ve been following ‘My start-up has 30 days to live‘. It’s an honest and emotional story about ‘a start-up going south’. One interesting quote was this one: Of course, it’s only lying if you don’t believe it’s true right? We set the stage for greatness and then scurry away to make it happen so that the moment someone looks under the hood, they see the gears of technology spinning away and not the emptiness of yet another slide deck. (Source.) My first company: about Paul & Frank The quote got me thinking about the first company I founded.…

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How I got my first customers without having a product

People often ask me what they need to do to get funding. I always give the same answer: sell your product, without having the product. It’s the only way to really prove your idea is worth an investment, and it’s a great way for yourself to find out *if* your idea is worth your investment. I realize it’s not easy. I’ve done it, and at times it was a frustrating experience. On the other hand, it taught me a lot about my target audience, pricing model and product. For free. That’s why I would like to share how I’ve done…

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