Inside the Box with JDM

A podcast about how successful innovators and startup founders think.

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Flip startup odds on their head with rapid prototyping

Everyone knows 95% of all startups fail, and most people that I talk to think that startups are killed by the marketplace. But startups are rarely murdered. Instead, they commit suicide by building or scaling a product too soon. But there’s another option: rapid prototyping.


TOPICS

At it’s core, rapid prototyping is pretty simple:

  • Build a “facade” of the real thing.

  • Show it to real customers.

  • Look for a “wow moment”.

  • Iterate until you get it.

And before you think you can only prototype software, just know you can prototype absolutely anything.

Prototyping is a way of de-risking any effort you’re undertaking that involves some kind of nontrivial investment with a high probability of failure.

No more failed product builds. No money flushed down the toilet. No wasted time.

Just a product that customers are begging you to build.

Hello rapid prototyping, and goodbye unwanted products.

Segments on this episode of the show:

  • Why create rapid prototypes?

  • What are the tools and techniques for creating prototypes?

  • How do you put a prototype in front of customers?

  • What kind of data are you looking for? What is a “wow moment”?

  • How do you iterate toward traction?

Plus: a special announcement about a brand new prototyping cohort program facilitated by JDM. Link below.

LINKS

Traction Thinking Prototype Cohort program: an online, 5-week, rapid prototyping bootcamp sponsored by the Sacramento MetroBusiness Center, so it’s entirely free to join.

Apply now → https://tractionthinking.com/cohort

Keep in Touch with JDM. Every week, more than 1k founders receive one tool or tip from JDM to help them find traction — or fail fast trying. Every Monday morning, straight to your inbox.

Join us → https://jdm.bio/newsletter

About JDM → https://jdm.bio

Questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you. Send questions, comments, episode ideas, & feedback to podcast@tractionthinking.com.

SPONSORS

Inside the Box with JDM is sponsored by The Right Box, a bespoke team of entrepreneurs and innovators who help venture-backed startups find product-market fit.