Great idea.
Now prove it.
Zero to Launch
Start right. Or start again. I help founders validate the idea, name it, shape it and get it to market. And if you’ve already launched and you’re getting nowhere, I find out why and get you moving again. In focused sprints. No cohort. No application. No equity.
Startups face many challenges.
Not Getting Funded
*European VC firms get 1000+ proposals yearly. Just 6% of proposals result in investment.
Fierce Competition
*20% of startups end simply by being eclipsed by the competition.
Owning Their Space
Building brand awareness. If customers cannot understand why you’re different, why should they choose you?
Time To Market
“You’re going to be defined by your first 90 days. You’ve got to act” – Jack Welch, former GE CEO.
And most don't fail at building.
They fail at being wanted.
The most common reason startups fail is building something the market never asked for. It shows up in roughly four out of ten startup post-mortems. That is avoidable with better questions, asked earlier. That’s where I come in. I do the research before you spend the runway.
Sound familiar?
→ I have an idea. Is it a business?
→ Who actually wants this, and what will they pay?
→ What on earth do we call it?
→ Why would anyone choose us over our competitor?
→ We’ve raised. Why does the brand still look pre-seed?
→ We launched. Why did nobody notice?
If you’re asking any of these, we should talk.
Four stages. Start where you are.
Prove it.
Before you build, know. I research your market, your competitors and your customers, pressure-test the idea and help you build a business case that stands up to hard questions. Sometimes the answer is go. Sometimes it’s not yet. Both save you money.
Name it.
Company names. Product names. Solution names. A good one does half your marketing before you’ve spent a cent. A bad one costs you every time you have to spell it. Naming is one of my favourite things to do, and it shows.
Shape it.
Who you’re for. Why you, not them. What you say, and how you look saying it. Positioning, messaging, founder story and brand identity, built to be believed.
Launch it.
A go-to-market plan, a website, a sales deck, a story for the press and a date in the diary. Then we press the button.
Launched. And nothing happened?
The site went live. Then, quiet. It happens to good businesses, usually for dull reasons. The wrong audience. A name nobody can spell. A message that makes perfect sense to the people who wrote it. I’m rather good at finding the dull reason. I talk to the customers you were hoping for, read what your competitors are saying and tell you plainly where it’s coming unstuck. Then we fix it and go again. This time, with an audience.
Built in sprints. Because runway is short.
Accelerators taught startups to work in short, focused bursts with a deadline at the end. I’ve kept the pace and dropped the cohort. Every sprint has a fixed scope, a fixed timeframe and something finished at the end of it. Take one. Stack several. Or run the lot. Heading into an accelerator? Even better. Arrive validated, named and ready to use every week of it.
Validation Sprint. Is it a business? Market research, competitor mapping, customer evidence and a business case. You leave with a straight answer: go, pivot or stop.
Naming Sprint. A name for your company, product or solution, with the thinking behind it and the early domain and trademark checks done.
Positioning Sprint. Your market, your edge and your message. The page everyone on your team will quote from.
Brand Sprint. Identity, voice and a launch website. Looking like you belong in the room, before you walk into it.
Launch Sprint. Go-to-market plan, launch campaign, sales materials, PR and customer onboarding. Everything between ready and live.
Investor Story Sprint. Your pitch narrative, deck, investment memorandum and financials made visual. The numbers are yours. I make them impossible to misread.
Relaunch Sprint. Launched to silence? I find out why, reposition and send you out again. Properly, this time.
Zero to Launch.
Ninety days.
All four stages, back to back. You arrive with an idea. You leave with a validated business case, a name, a brand, a plan and a launch. It’s the intensity of an accelerator, with one difference. I don’t just advise. I do the work with you.
The Real Deal.
“What a ride! We would strongly recommend River to any startup out there. You really learn a lot about who you are. We have a plan, beautiful branding and an excited team!”
Chris Donnachie, founder of Kernel Edge Technologies, Unizest, Bespoke Payments, and Direct North Solutions.
I've done this more than 50 times.
I've personally launched well over 50 startups. I worked inside the South African government's SEDA startup fund and at the eGoliBIO biotech incubator, worked closely with The Innovation Hub, and consulted to startups in the Maxum incubator. I know how funders, incubators and investors think, because I've sat on their side of the table.
I've sat on yours too. Behind that are 20+ years, 200+ businesses and business strategy training from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. I'm a researcher by instinct, a namer by habit and, for as long as we're working together, the most invested person in your business who doesn't own any of it.
Startups I've launched
You can't change a mind without winning a heart.
If you are looking for a real marketing partner, it’s time to speak to me today. I am incredibly responsive and value your questions. Send your details via the link below, and I will respond and be in touch with you over a complimentary email chat. Not ready to hire my brain just yet? No problem. Find out more about mondayfriday here. Stalk me on Social Media, links below.