Luke Johnson’s Post

Founders, scoping your first MVP can be extremely difficult. Your MVP has to add value for your customers, which is hard to do with a nascent product. What does "add value" mean? To me it means you improve a single workflow, and nothing else. When I built my last startup, Reflektive, I didn’t scope the MVP myself — I leaned heavily on design partners. A few conversations made my set of MVP features crystal clear. Here's more information on my approach.

🤔 What does it take to go from concept to reality? To turn “what if” into “how” – and then “let’s do it”? That’s exactly what Bash’s Chief of Staff, Bailey Kropman, has done time and again. Bailey will dive into: ✨ Turning concepts into reality 🎯 Navigating the zero-to-one phase with agility ⚡ Strategies for thriving in high-growth environments 🔍 The real meaning of "zero to one" 🎢 The excitement (and hurdles) of startup growth If you're building something, trying to figure out your next move, or just curious about how things really work in the early stages, this one’s for you. Join us next week Tuesday 👇 https://lu.ma/4qugxd6g

Don’t do it! We’re about to start the New Year, and many founders are inspired and ready to start their Next Big Thing. But, there’s a great reason to hold off just these next few days before incorporating and getting your new startup going. Peter Swan & Ryan Nash give you the rundown below!

The First Step

Many thanks to the amazing ☁️ Mark Birch 🚀 for publishing my thoughts on "the startup CTOs journey". Whether you are a startup CTO or are a founder looking to hire one, hopefully it'll give you a little context about the long, but exciting road ahead from inception to IPO! Link in first comment.

The business/technical go-between is the unsung hero of an early stage startup! The person who can understand both what's happening on the technology stack and what's happening in the business.

🥳 My co-founder and I just launched a new startup that's growing quickly. Here's how we did it and how you can too 👇 1) First of all, we established a solid partnership. ✅ We both invested a lot of time getting to know each other and learning how to navigate good and challenging times together. Having the right co-founder is key. 2) Then we got the BIG idea. ✅ It wasn't original, but we put our spin on it and we are going after a proven market. That's how a lot of great businesses are built. 3) Once we were ready, we started building the product. ✅ At first, it was just an MVP, but after 9 months working on it, it started to really take shape. And after many sleepless nights, we are super proud to launch it into the world today. DM me if you want the full Step by Step playbook. (It's not appropriate for LinkedIn.) PS: No it's not profitable and probably will never be, but the ROI is insane. PPS: Meet Mateo ❤️

I'm reflecting on 2 recent pitches that went wildly differently. At a high level, both meetings were for infra startups raising Seed rounds, and both had the CEO and CTO co-founders in the meeting. In one startup pitch, the co-founders engaged quite thoughtfully. While the CEO drove most of the pitch, the CTO chimed in throughout when relevant and it made for an informative conversation. The best part is that a healthy co-founder dynamic seemed apparent based on their interactions. In the other, the CTO actively cut off the CEO and went on wild tangents unrelated to their core pitch. They were clearly not in sync, and it made us wonder how they operate together in building their company. This sounds obvious, but when co-founders pitch together it's critical to be in sync together. If there's a lack of rapport or respect for one another, it's an immediate negative signal about your ability to build and scale a company together.

“By focusing on these three priorities, startup founders can bridge the gap between inception and exceptional scale, ensuring their business not only grows but thrives. Strong leadership, scalable systems, and a purpose-driven culture are the cornerstones of enduring success in today’s competitive startup ecosystem.” https://bit.ly/3VGNIzh

Just raised your first round? Congrats on achieving this milestone, especially in today’s tough market! Building your founding team can be daunting, but essential for your startup's success. If you or someone in your network could benefit from guidance on best practices, message me directly or mention them in the comments for free access to Ribbon. Look forward to hearing what you are building!