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Aug 2024
39m 50s

The step by step guide to starting a bus...

Greg Isenberg
About this episode

I’m joined by Adam Robinson who has bootstrapped startups to millions of dollars in revenue, as we deep dive on how we would validate and grow a startup idea.

1) The Yonder Phone Pouch market is exploding
• Locks phones away to create "phone-free spaces"
• Already in schools, concerts, comedy shows
• Huge potential for innovation (charging, remote unlock, etc.)
• Adam predicts 98% of middle schools will require in 10 years

2) How to validate & launch a Yondr competitor:
• Target affluent customers first (Elon approach)
• Have 100s of conversations before building
• Look for "eyes lighting up" as signal
• Prototype only after strong validation

3) Growth strategy: Micro-influencer UGC
• Outreach to 1000s of relevant micro-influencers
• Send free product, ask for honest posts if they like it
• No monetary incentives needed for authentic content
• Aim for breadth of coverage, not mega-influencers

4) Copywriting Framework
• Study successful brands in similar space (e.g. Jolie)
• Use AI (Claude, ChatGPT) to adapt their style
• Remember: Don't copy, but get inspired and make it your own

5) The "third way" of building startups:
• Combine Rework's bootstrapping principles with Y Combinator's focus on product excellence
• Result: Profitable growth without VC dependency
• If product is truly excellent, word-of-mouth drives growth

Want more free ideas? I collect the best ideas from the pod and give them to you for free in a database. Most of them cost $0 to start (my fav)

Get access: https://www.gregisenberg.com/30startupideas 

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Episode Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
02:34 Startup Idea 1: Yondr Phone Pouch 2.0
09:53 How to validate & launch a Yondr competitor
18:41 Growth strategy: Micro-influencer UGC
26:28 Copywriting Framework
30:43 The "third way" of building startups:

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