1. Research & Customer
Development
The Founder Institute
Presented by: Nestor Villalobos

2. Invest in Your Education
• Audible vs. iTunes
• Kindle vs. Facebook
• Udemy vs. YouTube
Are You Ready to Make the Sacrifice?

3. Research Industry Reports
• IBIS, Hoovers, Dun &
Bradstreet
• Universities have Access
• Ask Other Businesses

4. Understand the Landscape
“I don’t have any competition”

5. Know Your Competitors
Direct Competitors Indirect Competitors

6. Gather Information
• Call Your Competition
• Gather Information
• Don’t Underestimate
how much you will learn!
• Buy From Them

7. Attend Conferences

8. Grow Your Email List
• Understand your Demographics
• Give Something Away
(www.gleam.io)
• Leverage Ads on Facebook,
Instagram & Twitter
• Leverage Google AdWords

9. Conduct Surveys

10. Leverage Online Tools
• Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts)
• Google Trends
(www.google.com/trends)
• TalkWalker (www.talkwalker.com)
• Mention (www.mention.com)
• Alexa Rank (www.alexa.com)
• SpyFu (www.spyfu.com)
• All Other Social Media (Twitter, FB, IG)

11. Understand the Barriers to Entry

12. Conduct Financial Modeling

13. Financial Modeling (Con’t)
• Separate Key Assumptions Page
• Conservative Market Penetration Numbers
• 5 Year Projection Calculated Monthly
• Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow
• Break Even Analysis

14. Choose the Right Market

15. Design a Purple Cow

16. Validate Your Idea
Image Courtesy of Friendly Human

17. Rinse & Repeat
• Knock on Doors
• Show/Sell the MVP*
• Get Feedback
• Iterate the Product
* Ensure IP is Protected

18. Prepare for Next Steps

19. Contact Information
Nestor Villalobos
nes@nestorv.com
www.nestorv.com (LinkedIn)
www.nestorvillalobos.com (Blog)