insight that moves you forward


 

Three good frameworks. Each solves part of the problem. What was still missing, from someone who has worked with all three.

The most natural move at $1–10M — and the one that costs the most.

Revenue is coming in but growth creates drag. False Traction is the most dangerous pattern at stage 1. Here's how to spot it.

The market will crown a leader regardless of whether you show up for it or not. The question is whether you're making decisions today that compound your position stage by stage — so that when the market starts to converge, you're not hoping to be chosen. That's the difference between growth that stacks and growth that stalls.

This is an excerpt from a Pricing Model Webinar at Stone and Chalk. Published as a Stone & Chalk Blog post here: https://www.stoneandchalk.com.au/articles/startup-pricing A guide to startup pricing design and models: Why is pricing design crucial for startups? Pricing is a crucial aspect of your startup's success, although it's often a challenging topic. It significantly impacts your bottom line without requiring significant changes to your product or business. When introduci

This article is an excerpt from a Webinar at Stone and Chalk Melbourne, and published as a blog post here: https://www.stoneandchalk.com.au/articles/align-go-to-market-strategy From early market to mainstream: Align your Sales and Go-to-Market Strategy To commercialise innovation usually means creating a new market, and new market development has its unique challenges. Due to limited VC funding, Customer-funded sales are becoming more important, however, customers' budgets mi

The "F" Series is our conversation with Visionary Founders who have built Category Leading companies, about anything that is important for growing their company. Here, we have Nandan Nilekani, Co-Founder @Infosys, Visionary, Philanthropist, and ChangeMaker, answering questions to help us navigate Scaling in this New World post-COVID. We are experiencing chaotic times with changes happening at all levels of our lives. What do we need to know to scale and grow in this New World

Real Growth vs Fake Growth: Not all Growths are Equal This article explores why it's important to examine the different types of growth we see in the market and decide as CEOs, Founders, and Business Leaders, what kind of Growth we aspire to have. In this article: Types of fake growth What causes fake growth? Selfish, self-centred Growth Why fake growth is unsustainable How to achieve real, sustainable growth -------------------------------------------------------------------

Redesigning your startup's pricing model: key considerations for success In the ever-evolving landscape of business, one critical element that often demands attention is the pricing model. By understanding the signs indicating that your pricing strategy needs a refresh, you can ensure that your business stays competitive and profitable. So, let's dive into the key considerations for redesigning your pricing model and setting your business up for success. When to review your p

The next step for your startup's expansion A lot of content and programs help startups craft minimum viable products (MVPs) to get to Product-Market-FIT, and that is also when Series A funding happens. However, many startups continue to do what they do at the Product-Market Fit stage, thinking that scaling is guaranteed with more resources funded from investments. This also explains why only 40% of funded startups reach Series "A" and only 20% reach Series "B". Note: The term

Crossing the chasm: from early adoption to mainstream market success What does it mean to "cross the chasm"? The terms "early adopters", "beachhead" and "crossing the chasm" have been circulating in startup circles, but not many people understand the origins of the terms or realise the meaning behind them. In short, "crossing the chasm" is a concept popularised by Geoffrey Moore, representing the challenges that startups face when trying to transition from early adopters to m

Network Effects is the most hyped and misunderstood topic amongst startups and investors. And yet: "Network effects have been responsible for 70% of all the value created in Tech since 1994. Founders who deeply understand how they work will be better positioned to build category-defining companies." - James Currier @NFX, SFO based VC. Here are 7 questions to help you bust those false claims. What is the difference between Uber's network effects vs Airbnb's such that Uber is

To kick off our Platform Series with Prof Julian Wright and A. Prof Andrei Hagiu, world experts in Platform Strategy and Network Economics, we talked about what you need to know about Platform businesses, as well as: What type of companies are often confused and mistaken as one? Why do investors and entrepreneurs love this business model? What is it about them that defies conventional rules? How are these companies changing the way we work, live and trust? They also share a f

In this interview with Prof Julian Wright and A. Prof Andrei Hagiu, experts in Platform Strategy and Network Economics, we talked through the 6 questions to ask to evaluate data-enabled learning moats. This helps you understand whether the learnings from your customer usage data are really helping you create a competitive advantage and sustainable growth. We also discussed briefly about data network effects vs regular network effects and platform business model. We spoke abou

The "F" Series is our conversation with Founders about everything that is important for growing their company. Here, we have Geoff Manchester answering a question from a Business Owner, Jun Yan from Ravit Insights. Get new articles in full, straight to your inbox. Subscribe to the newsletter. Josephine Too is the founder of Sofos Advisory, helping innovation-led founders fix the right thing for their stage, so growth holds through each transition and builds toward category l

The "F" Series is our conversation with Founders about everything that is important for growing their company. Here, we have Geoff Manchester answering a question from a Business Owner/Founder, Koby Jones from The SILC Group. Get new articles in full, straight to your inbox. Subscribe to the newsletter. Josephine Too is the founder of Sofos Advisory, helping innovation-led founders fix the right thing for their stage, so growth holds through each transition and builds toward

The "F" Series is our conversation with Founders about everything that is important for growing their company. Chat with Geoff Manchester about co-Founders' Relationship, what it was like for him, and his co-founder, while they were building the company. Get new articles in full, straight to your inbox. Subscribe to the newsletter. Josephine Too is the founder of Sofos Advisory, helping innovation-led founders fix the right thing for their stage, so growth holds through each

The "F" Series is our conversation with Founders about everything that is important for growing their company. Geoff Manchester, co-Founder of Intrepid Group, talks about starting this global company and being the Category King that is aiming to be a 1Bn adventure travel company in 2025 while also being good for the world. Intrepid Group was ranked #4 for 2019 World Most Innovative Company (Travel sector) by Fast Company. TRANSCRIPT: Josephine: Well, I thought it would be gr

"There is no greater waste of time than doing efficiently that should never have been done." -- Peter Drucker There are 4 major shifts that a startup needs to make in order to be successful in the scaling-up journey. The 3rd Shift is from Individual Productivity to Human Execution System. When you are a startup, it is important that everyone is productive, but once you have a relatively large mass of human beings, it's about making sure that the company is productive. Mos

There are 4 major shifts that a startup needs to make in order to be successful in their scaling-up journey. Driving Revenue to validate your product/service's commercial value is key as a startup, however, as you pivot to scale, it is also important that you have clarity and can validate your profit model. In this article, I will discuss 5 reasons why you need plenty of cash to scale and grow, and the 10 ways to improve your profit and cashflow. It is not smart to scale an u