Product Development Strategies for startups

1. Product Development
Allan C. Tan

2. Minimum Viable Product

3. Minimum Viable Product
• Features to see if something will work.
• Building a product that people will use and
pay for.
• Not to see if the product can be built in terms
of technical feasibility.
• Days worth of work, not weeks or months.

4. Traction
• A measurable set of customers or users that
serves to prove that your startup is "going
places."

5. Formula
50% Product + 50% Traction = Growth
0% Product + 100% Traction = Superficial
100% Product + 0% Traction = Expensive

6. Concierge MVP
Generate
Interest
Order Page
Manual
Fulfillment
Collect
Payment
Automate
Traction Development

7. Optimize MVP
Build Landing
Pages
Ad
Campaigns
Registration /
Pre-order
A/B Tests
Build Feature
MVP
Traction Development

8. Prototype MVP
Look for
Advocates
Build Prototype
(Paper / Digital)
Pre-sell /
Fundraising
Build MVP
Traction Development

9. Reuse MVP
Generate
Interest
Build from
clone /
whitelabel
Sell
Analyze
/Customize
Traction Development

10. Approach by Market Type
• Existing Market
• New Market
• Cloned Market
• Niche Market

11. Existing Market
• Tested Idea
• Existing Market
• High Risk
• Tough Competition
Examples:
– POS, Inventory
– CRM, ERP
– Social Networking
– Notetaking

12. Existing Market
Goal: Displace the #1 or disrupt the market
Steps:
1. Identify Unfair Advantage
2. Look for advocates / partners
3. Create Prototype
4. Presell the solution, test the market
5. Build the dream team or outsource partner
6. Sell the solution

13. New Market
• Untested Idea
• New Market
• No/Low Competition
• High Risk
Examples:
• Not possible by definition 

14. New Market
Goal: Develop the new market
Steps:
1. Build landing page, vids, ads, etc.
2. Talk to domain experts
3. Test the market
4. Build the dream team or technical partner
5. Develop the MVP
6. Teach the market and gain traction
7. Maintain your leadership

15. Clone Market
• Tested Idea
• Localized Market
• Low Competition
• High Risk
Examples:
– eCommerce, Buy and Sell
– Crowdsourcing, Microtasking

16. Clone Market
Goal: Dominate the Local Market
Step:
1. Validate the local market
2. Check competition
3. Look for existing solution
– Clone scripts
– Commercial software
– Whitelabels
4. Customize
5. Sell

17. Niche Market
• Tested or Untested Idea
• Domain Expertise
• Low Risk
• Low Competition
Examples:
– Relocation Software
– Sports Betting
– Insurance Software
– Legal Research

18. Niche Market
Goal: Dominate the market
Step:
1. Leverage network and expertise
2. Build prototype
3. Presell
4. Build
5. Sell

19. Summary
Risk Compe-
tition
Concierge
MVP
Optimize
MVP
Prototype
MVP
Reuse
MVP
Existing Market Hi Hi ★ ★ ★★★★★ ★
New Market Hi Lo ★★ ★★★★★ ★★
Clone Market Med Lo ★★ ★ ★★★ ★★★★★
Niche Market Lo Lo ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★

20. Project Tracking Tools

21. MVP Tools

22. Testing Tools

23. Agile / Scrum

24. Writing Requirements

25. Scrum Board

26. Measuring Progress
• By Business Value, not hours or features.

27. Resources
• http://media.balsamiq.com/ebooks/Balsamiq-
Interviews.pdf
• http://www.usefulusability.com/24-usability-
testing-tools/

28. Thank You
Allan C. Tan, SCEA, PMP
CEO/President
Email: allan@ideyatech.com
http://www.ideyatech.com/
allanctan
@allanctan ph.linkedin.com/in/allanctan/