What’s the vision for your startup?
My POEM Framework is being used by an increasing number of entrepreneurs and startups as a guide to answering the question “Where do I start?” especially if I really want to get my start-up funded. Personally, I’m a big fan of Eric Ries Lean Startup and the “Build, Measure, Learn” process which is evolving as I write thanks to the likes of Steve Blank.
However the question of what exactly it is that you’re building, measuring and learning should start with some old-fashioned thinking about what you see in the future — YOUR VISION! I mean taking yourself through a process that recognises you’re preparing to build a business (and that’s exactly what your startup is!) that can change the world!
It is critical to begin with a think-through of the journey you are starting on while you’re still a startup! (get it?) Because once you’ve started, while you might evolve, pivot and scale you’re never going to get to start the same company again.
Every succesful founder has a vision of the potential inherent in their company’s future and what they imagine it could be. That vivid compelling imagination of something you desire to bring to life in anticipation of commercial gain. Your first challenge as an entrepreneur is to be able to share that vision in a way that shows how you are solving a problem, creating economic value and making an…
