David Cummings on Startups

4 Startup Stages in 8 Words

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David Cummings

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Earlier today a friend emailed me a Quora article on the one thing that you would advise NOT to do when you start a startup. The author provides some great insight, but, more importantly, includes an awesome graphic that overlays four startup stages on Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm theory. Similar to the August post titled 5 Steps to Startup Success in 30 Words, the goal is to synthesize startup stages in a concise manner.

The four startup stages in eight words:

  1. Pilot it
  2. Nail it
  3. Scale it
  4. Milk it

So, there you have it: the lifecycle of a successful startup in eight words. Short, sweet, and concise.

What else? What are your thoughts on the four startup stages in eight words?

Comments

3 responses to “4 Startup Stages in 8 Words”

  1. Jason Denenberg Avatar
    Jason Denenberg

    Great graphic indeed, however, it could be better/more useful. I would love to see the core metrics (vs. vanity metrics) that coincide with each of the four stages. What do you think David, a future post?

    Reply
  2. Kelly Marc Alston Avatar
    Kelly Marc Alston

    Great graphic! My partner and I are working on a site that assigns tools and resources specific to each stage (www.artofthestartup.com) and we add a ‘final’ stage if entrepreneurs are looking to sell/exit (‘Sell it’?).

    Reply
  3. emmetmurtagh Avatar
    emmetmurtagh

    Reblogged this on DCU Ryan Academy Digital Marketing student. and commented:
    Interesting startup stages for your new business defined in 8 words. Adopted from Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm theory. Moore applied the crossing of the chasm in terms of the Technology Adoption Life Cycle (TALC). The TALC is a marketing theory in terms of high tech products. Documentum was one such company who successfully managed to cross the chasm. Moore suggests that in order to cross the chasm you must sell your product to the Pragmatists and Conservatives i.e. the early majority and late majority in the graph below. In order to do this you must place “all eggs in one basket”. Pragmatists and Conservatives are viewed as followers. They only purchase your product when they see someone else doing it. The conservatives watch the pragmatists very closely. Once the pragmatists like you, then the conservatives will follow. The Pragmatists are the real problem group. They are followers, but the only people they are willing to follow are each other!! It’s tempting to think they will simply wait for the group ahead of them to like your product, but it’s not true. The endorsement of the Early Adopters is not enough. The Pragmatists are watching each other, waiting for someone else to make the first move! The Conservatives can be seen as “sceptics” who are not easily convinced, having doubts and reservations. The Pragmatists on the other hand are “evolvers” who are tough nuts to crack but adopt new ideas before the average person, typically purchasing from the market leader. Crossing the chasm is an interesting read in terms or reaching the mainstream market.

    Reply

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