Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

What matters is proving the viability of the company’s business model, what investors call “traction.&# Of course this is not at all true of many profitable small businesses, but they are not what I mean by startups.) People often forget the most important part of the hockey stick: the long flat part.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Hippoland

AUGUST 8, 2018

Forget about traction and hockey stick growth. Very simply, your cost to acquire a customer needs to be lower than the value of that customer (lifetime value). In other words, if you can get 1000 people to come to your website consistently for under $5, then this business model works for you. Marketing first.

Founder 48

Founder Sales Cycle Affiliate Retention 48

Hippoland

AUGUST 8, 2018

Forget about traction and hockey stick growth. Very simply, your cost to acquire a customer needs to be lower than the value of that customer (lifetime value). In other words, if you can get 1000 people to come to your website consistently for under $5, then this business model works for you. Marketing first.

Founder 48

Founder Sales Cycle Affiliate Retention 48