Loading...
Answers
MenuHow do you come up with a clear action plan/ roadmap/ checklist to get you from idea to launching a business?
I want to create a social networking site. I like structure. How can I come up with basic action steps from a-z that I can then break down into small bite size pieces?
Answers
To start with, create a "No-To-List" of non-action items. It will help you keep your focus intact on the actual and planned goals. It will also help the team's focus to move in unison.
Talking about "To-Do" list of laundry items, start with assessing your internal capability, external requirement, and map the two to find the loosened nuts and bolts.
Once you finish up with above exercise, create a list of action plan items that could help you move from possessing idea to establishing business. However, do ensure to plan your business model in the beginning to prevent from doing recurring redundant task.
Let me know if you've tried creating any such checklist. You can DM me the same or we can hop on a quick call to discuss the fine prints.
Having just launched a software product myself I realize that the work we did before starting the project was the most important work we did. Before you begin developing a software product you need to answer a few questions first:
1. What is the demand for your product?
2. Who are your competitors?
3. Who currently owns your audience?
4. What is your MVP Minimum Viable Product?
5. What is your MMP Minimum Marketable Product?
6. How will you monetize your platform?
7. Who are the influencers in your product audience?
I think there's a lot that goes into this besides creating a roadmap. I think your first focus needs to be to answer the above questions and then decide how you want to move forward. Then you can move into a roadmap, finding the skillset you need to develop your product, creating a marketing strategy for your product, creating effective demand and scarcity for your product launch, etc...
Hit me up if you need additional help. I'd be happy to chat with you about this.
A structured action plan for a social networking site could be:
A: Research The Idea and the Business Model
A1 - Create Mockups of your idea (e.g. using Balsamiq Mockup or other tools)
A2 - Use the Mockups and develop a questionnaire about your idea. Create a landing page.
A3 - Conduct 200 offline and online interviews to potential users, to get feedback on your idea. Show the mockups to offline users and send online users to the landing page. Use Mturk.com, AYTM, Pollfish and other services for cheap feedback on your idea.
B: Set-up A Team for the MVP
B1: Get a technical co-founder or two. You will need at least a couple of developers for your MVP (back-end/front-end and designer). If you cannot get a technical team together and you want to pay for your MVP, then get someone to write the technical specs for your project. Use these specs to recruit freelancers from elance/peopleperhour/odesk etc.
C: Build the MVP
C1: Do the project management for the MVP.
C2: Continue testing the marketing channels and driving early adopters in your landing page, so that you create an email list with your first X thousands of users.
D: Get Your First Users
D1: Use social media, paid ads, PR releases etc to drive traffic to your site.
E: Prepare for Next Steps
E1: Test the business model. Test conversions from visitors to members. Test analytics such as engagement time, times of visit per day etc.
E2: If you have found a way to grow every week you will probably need to raise some money. You have to prepare for pitching to investors and raising your first round.
Let me know if you need more help and good luck with your project!
To come up with a clear action plan you must understand the following:
1. Why You Need an Action Plan
Sometimes businesses do not spend much time on developing an action plan before an initiative, which, in most cases, leads to failure.
2. Prioritize tasks and add deadlines
Consult with the person responsible for carrying it out to understand his or her capacity before deciding on deadlines.
3. Set Milestones
Milestones can be considered mini goals leading up to the main goal at the end. Start from the end goal and work your way back as you set milestones.
4. Identify the resources needed
You can assign a column of your action plan to mark the cost of each task if there are any.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
Related Questions
-
How has Uber grown so fast?
Obviously, they do the fundamentals well. Good brand. Good experience. Good word of mouth. Good PR. Etc. Etc. But after my interview with Ryan Graves, the head of Global Operations at Uber (https://www.growthhacker.tv/ryan-graves), it became clear that they are operationally advanced and this is a huge part of their success. I'll explain. Uber isn't just a single startup, it's essentially dozens of startups rolled into one because every time they enter a new city they have to establish themselves from essentially nothing (except whatever brand equity has reached the city ahead of them). This means finding/training drivers, marketing to consumers, and building out local staff to manage operations for that city. This is where Ryan Graves comes in. He has a protocol of everything that must be done, and in what order, and by who, to ensure the best chance of success in a new city. So how has Uber grown so fast? Essentially, they figured out how to grow in one locale and were relentless about refining their launch process to recreate that initial success over and over in new cities. No plan works for every city, and they've had to adapt in many situations, but it is still a driving factor for their success.Bronson TaylorBT
-
how to start earning on clarity.fm
Most of the earnings come from the people you are in contact with. The platform is not that big at the moment but it can be earned. My recommendation is to create content on your private page web, facebook, instagram ... and leave a clarity link through your work. If you need extra help call me for 15 minutes.Devrig BornetDB
-
How was SnapChat able to grow so quickly?
I'm answering your question assuming that you hope to be able to replicate it's own success in your own mobile app. There are a couple of factors responsible for it's growth that are instructive to anyone building a mobile app. "Leveraging the intimacy and privacy of the mobile phone." We now have an *intimate* relationship with our phone like no other device in the history of technology. Every internet company that started before around 2010 has built their core interactions around "the old web" one which was accessed primarily via a browser on a computer. Companies that start with a clean slate, should be building their interactions around how to do whatever the app is supposed to do while leveraging what is unique to people's relationship to their mobile devices. Photo-sharing has become a core part of the way we communicate now. Snapchat built something that provided an experience that leveraged the feeling of privacy and intimacy that is unique to mobile. "Provided an escape from the "maturity" of other online services." Too many parents, aunts, uncles and other "old people" have encroached into the social networks of teens and young people. As a result, they've had a desire to find places to express themselves in places inaccessible by older generations. An important distinction is that it's not just parents and relatives that young people are trying to avoid, but also employers & colleges who are increasingly using "mature" social networks to review applicants. "Leveraged PR even bad PR" The fact that the app got so much press about it being used to sext was perfect PR for the company, as it essentially reinforced the brand experience that it has today. Essentially, "if it's safe enough to send a sext, it's safe for any kind of communication I want to have." And although the safety and security of Snapchat is actually not as advertised, it still enjoys the reputation of having less impact than any primarily web-based service. Building a successful mobile application is one of the hardest challenges to face designers, programmers and entrepreneurs in the history of writing software. Happy to talk to you if you're considering building a mobile app, about what I've learned about the "table stakes" for success.Tom WilliamsTW
-
Whats the best way to find commission sales reps?
This is not my specialty, however, I have been in your position many many times -- maybe this will help. If the product is in-tangible, then look for JV partners on the Internet. Try to find an expert that deals with these JV opportunities (like me). If the product is physical, then look for sales organizations that have networks of sales people across the country. You do the deal with the organization and the independent network of sales people sells your product. It's a sweet setup if you can negotiate a margin that works for everyone. Hope that helps - Cheers - NickNickolas PassigNP
-
How do you make money to survive while you are building a business? What are some quick ways to make money with less time commitment?
I love this question. If you have to work on the side while building your business, I recommend doing something you absolutely hate. That keeps you hungry to succeed on your own. You'll also typically save your energy for the evenings and weekends where you'll want it for your business. Don't expect to make much money at your "other job" but you can work it to pay the bills while you build your business. This approach also forces you to build incrementally, and it keeps you frugal. This is not necessarily ideal. Having a bunch of money set aside sounds nice and luxurious, but not having the resources puts you in a position where you have to figure it out to survive. I love that. I started my business eight years ago on $150 and today we do a million a year. Don't wait until you have the resources to start safely. Dive in however you can. And avoid shortcuts. Don't waste your time scheming to make bigger money on the side. Do something honest to live on and create a business that drives value.Corey Michael BlakeCM
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.
