hey friends 👋
I’m JDM (aka Josh David Miller) and I’m a traction scientist — I partner with pre-seed and seed-stage startups to turn assumptions into data, and data into product-market fit, using science. I run design sprints at The Right Box , I’m co-founder of the Traction Lab incubator, and I’m a content creator.
Check out my recent content below, or read more about me .
Upcoming Events
Every week, I host live office hours to help early-stage founders cut through the noise and get real traction. It’s fast, practical, and occasionally a little spicy — and I’m often joined by smart friends who bring their own sharp takes to your startup questions.
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Substack Live AMA
Substack currently does not allow scheduling the livestream in advance, but all my followers are notified when I go live — so give me a follow!If you can't join live, you can submit a question in advance here. -
Substack Live AMA
Substack currently does not allow scheduling the livestream in advance, but all my followers are notified when I go live — so give me a follow!If you can't join live, you can submit a question in advance here. -
Substack Live AMA
Substack currently does not allow scheduling the livestream in advance, but all my followers are notified when I go live — so give me a follow!If you can't join live, you can submit a question in advance here. -
Substack Live AMA
Substack currently does not allow scheduling the livestream in advance, but all my followers are notified when I go live — so give me a follow!If you can't join live, you can submit a question in advance here.
Recent Content
I write two weekly newsletters, co-host a podcast, and create content on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and other places — all based around helping first-time founders launch sooner and scale faster with traction science.
These are four of my most recent pieces:
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TAM I wrong?
Zero to Traction Podcast ·Most startup TAMs are complete BS. We rated real examples from "college fridge rentals" to "AI legal platforms" - some scored zero points. Learn the bottom-up approach that actually works.
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🧠 Your TAM is meaningless (and investors know it)
Traction Thinking ·Queue the investor eye roll! “We’re targeting the $500B productivity market, and if we capture just 1%…” Yikes. Here’s why your top-down TAM kills credibility — and how to build one that makes sense.
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Did they say that, or did you?
Zero to Traction Podcast ·Stop asking customers "would you use this?" and start asking "tell me about the last time you..." The difference will save you months of wasted development. We break it all down.
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Founder's pie or founders crumble
Zero to Traction Podcast ·That advisor who made 3 intros? They just claimed $800K of your Series A valuation. We break down why most founder equity splits are investor red flags waiting to happen.