10. Invalidated low-income weightloss segment
Kara Early 40s
Overweight
Low-Income
Oakland, CA
Pain points Our Value Props
Life stressors: can’t
prioritize health
Improves long-term
health
“I have to deal with practical stressors of getting by in life, so I backburner my health
considerations.”
Hard to lose weight
Lose 2lbs/month
without lifestyle
changes
11. Invalidated low-income weightloss segment
Kara Early 40s
Overweight
Low-Income
Oakland, CA
Pain points Product/Market fit?Our Value Props
Life stressors: can’t
prioritize health
Improves long-term
health
No bandwidth to think
about long-term health
“I have to deal with practical stressors of getting by in life, so I backburner my health
considerations.”
Hard to lose weight
Lose 2lbs/month
without lifestyle
changes
Not enough loss and
we cannot legally claim
this in marketing
12. Found vague signal around affluent middle-age
“I just want to make sure to get the requisite vitamins that my doctor tells me I need.”
Don
Wants a yummy catch-all
health snack since no
time to plan meals
All-in-one, easy
health snack
Late 50s
Overweight
Mid-Upper Income
New Jersey
Pain points Our Value Props
Health is complicated and
wants Dr. recommendation Dr. Recommended
13. If they enjoy the taste,
then could replace
vitamins
If we can get local
doctors to recommend
it, then will buy
Found vague signal around affluent middle-age
“I just want to make sure to get the requisite vitamins that my doctor tells me I need.”
Don
Wants a yummy catch-all
health snack since no
time to plan meals
All-in-one, easy
health snack
Late 50s
Overweight
Mid-Upper Income
New Jersey
Pain points Product/Market fit?Our Value Props
Health is complicated and
wants Dr. recommendation Dr. Recommended
14. Our journey takes an upward swing
Great product
& team
Can’t make
weight loss
claim
Positive signal
from market
Customer’seyeslightup!
Cholesterol
value prop?
Weaksignal
1 2
3 4
5
15. We found our archetype!
“Of a certain age and certain cholesterol numbers, you’re trying to find
something that doesn’t involve drugs.”
John
50 yrs old
Generally healthy
High cholesterol
Mid - high income
Wants a more natural
way to treat high
cholesterol
All-in-one, easy
health snack
Pain points Our Value Props
Wants something he can
integrate easily to routine All in one, portable
Bar lowers bad
cholesterol
16. We found our archetype!
“Of a certain age and certain cholesterol numbers, you’re trying to find
something that doesn’t involve drugs.”
Product/Market fit?
John
50 yrs old
Generally healthy
High cholesterol
Mid - high income
Wants a more natural
way to treat high
cholesterol
All-in-one, easy
health snack
Pain points Our Value Props
Wants something he can
integrate easily to routine All in one, portable
Bar lowers bad
cholesterol
18. Doctors’ feedback supported our new value props
“No one wants to take medicine, and
there’s side effects to statins [including]
liver function, myalgia...I almost always
recommend lifestyle changes first unless
cholesterol is way out of control.”
— Dr. Ian McDaniels, Primary Care
Resident
19. Doctors’ feedback supported our new value props
“I would guess 1 in 20 or 1 in 30 people make
the lifestyle changes that they say they will
make when they have high cholesterol”
— Dr. Lara Bruneau, Primary Care Physician
“No one wants to take medicine, and
there’s side effects to statins [including]
liver function, myalgia...I almost always
recommend lifestyle changes first unless
cholesterol is way out of control.”
— Dr. Ian McDaniels, Primary Care
Resident
23. We saw positive results in our customer funnel
KEEPGET GROW
Tested online get strategies:
- Adwords: saw higher than industry average CTRs
- 3.88% conversion rates while on site
Learned from other bar companies, customers and industry experts:
- GET: Sampling is crucial
- KEEP: Education and Community Building
- GROW: Referral programs, Product extensions
24. 78.1
American Adults
with high
cholesterol
Million
Million
31.3
Haven’t changed
lifestyle to lower
cholesterol
Our market size was still very large
Source: CDC, American Council on Science and Health, customer interviews
Not using
statins34.8
Million
145
Overweight
Americans Age 20+
70 Americans trying
to lose weight
Million
Million
35.7
Million
Americans
snacking 2x day
Original Market Size (Obesity) New Market Size (Cholesterol)
TAM
SAM
Target Market
25. We ran into roadblocks
Great product
& team
Can’t make
weight loss
claim
Positive signal
from market
Left side of
canvas:
negative
signals
Invalidated
major
partnership
Customer’seyeslightup!
Cholesterol
value prop?
Weaksignal
1 2
3 4
5
6
7
26. High costs made our product too expensive
Channel Cost - $2.03
COGS- $1.14
($0.20
higher than
industry
averages)
Royalty - $0.02
(25% of Pre-Tax
Profits, will grow
as company
scales)
Gross
Profit -
$0.31
$3.50 VitaBar Retail Price
$2.26 Avg. Competitor Price
>
VitaBar
Unit
Economics
$2.00 Stated Customer WTP
27. Drs. won’t recommend -> hard to reach customers
Physicians acknowledged our value prop of reducing
cholesterol through natural means
However, they did not see it as their role to recommend
specific food products
This meant that we would have to go through traditional retail
channels - a daunting prospect with the 1,100 bars in the
market
28. Customers’ sensory feedback was mixed
“I enjoyed it. I liked but didn’t love the flavor. [It’s] far too dense to consume
all in one sitting and I eat a lot.”
— Tyler Fisher-Colbrie (ate the bar for one week)
“I tried it and didn’t find it tasty. I would want a doctor’s recommendation to
replace my current, tastier bars.”
— Salim Saglam (sampled the bar once)
“This tastes like crap.”
— Jim Hornthal (sampled the bar once)
29. Our final pivot
Taste is king
What we learned
from interviews
Price must be
below $3
Dr/nutritionist
channel is not
viable
Can’t make
marketing claims
30. Our final pivot
Taste is king
25% royalty fee &
expensive ingredients
What we learned
from interviews
The bar doesn’t taste good
enough
Research doesn’t meet
rigorous standards
Price must be
below $3
What we learned about
our partnership
Dr/nutritionist
channel is not
viable
Can’t make
marketing claims
The bar is high in sat fat +
fiber isn’t oat-based
31. Our final pivot
Taste is king
25% royalty fee &
expensive ingredients
What we learned
from interviews
What that means for
VitaBar
Need to reformulate the
bar, but our partner was
inflexible regarding bar
formulation.
Economics are currently
unattractive
The bar doesn’t taste good
enough
Research doesn’t meet
rigorous standards
Invalidate partner
Price must be
below $3
What we learned about
our partnership
Dr/nutritionist
channel is not
viable
Can’t make
marketing claims
The bar is high in sat fat +
fiber isn’t oat-based
32. Is this a viable business?
People clicking “buy” on website!
Positive signal from potential customer interviews →
pain is evident
No relevant expertise (medical or recipe dev)
Crowded bar market
Exit strategy is difficult for products tied to health claims
33. Our journey ends
Great product
& team
Can’t make
weight loss
claim
Positive signal
from market
Left side of
canvas:
negative
signals
Invalidated
major
partnership
Not pursuing
VitaBar but
we’re better
prepared for
the future!
Customer’seyeslightup!
Cholesterol
value prop?
Weaksignal
Reflection
1 2
3 4
5
6
7
8