PICKYOURVENTURE
What counts as a way in?
Our founder, Bo Bennett, started his first business while he was a student at business school. He approached his own school's Student Affairs director and offered imprinted items. She knew him, so she gave him a chance, and then she passed his name to her counterparts at other local schools. The product was ordinary. What made it work was the way in: a buyer who already trusted him, and peers who listened to her.
That is what we look for. A good idea helps, but a way in is what gets a new business its first customer, and the first customer is the hardest one to find.
A strong way in has four parts
- A decision-maker who knows you. Not "I know people in the industry", but a specific person who controls a budget and will take your call.
- A problem they would pay to fix. You know it is real because they have told you, or because you have watched them struggle with it, not because you assume it.
- Others like them who talk to each other. One customer is a job, not a business. The second customer matters as much as the first, and it is far easier when the first one recommends you.
- A few hours a month from you. Introductions, the key early meetings and promotion through your network. We do the rest.
What is not a way in on its own
An interest or a passion. A social media following with no buyers in it. Knowing that an industry is large. An idea nobody has asked for yet. These can all help, but none of them opens a door to someone who will pay.
Some illustrative examples
These are invented to show the pattern. They are not partners or customers.
| The way in | A business it could support |
|---|---|
| A school nurse who watches every school in the district handle medication permission forms on paper. | A permissions and medication-log portal sold to school districts. |
| A youth-sports league treasurer who knows the treasurers of a dozen neighbouring leagues. | Registration, payments and volunteer scheduling for local leagues. |
| A retired HVAC contractor whose former suppliers and competitors still take his calls. | A maintenance-agreement and reminder service for small contractors. |
| A dental practice manager who belongs to a regional association of practice managers. | A patient recall and reminder tool for independent practices. |
Test yours
Before you apply, try to answer two questions in a sentence each: who would say yes first, and why would they say yes to you? Our first-customer worksheet helps. When you can answer them, apply to partner with us.
