Find your first customer with the early adopter pyramid

A common problem for early-stage startups is that they have a huge market.

That's a problem? Heck, yeah!

Startups require an extraordinary amount of focus. Each customer segment you target requires different processes, collateral, value propositions, channels, etc.

Not to mention they all cost money. You literally can't afford it.

And, even if you could, you wouldn't want to. Each customer segment is packed with a stack of assumptions. More segments means more assumptions. More assumptions means more risk.

Yikes!

This is why all the advisors in your orbit are telling you to focus and niche down — it's literally the only way you'll survive.

But how do you decide whom to target first? Which of the many customer segments that you COULD target is the one you SHOULD target?

The Early Adopter Pyramid can help.

Originally from Steve Blank, it's a path you can traverse to narrow in on the most important customer to focus on right now.

It's five steps:

1/ They have the problem.

At the base of the pyramid is the entire universe of people who have the problem. We don't care about anyone who doesn't.

2/ They are aware of it.

Not everyone who has a problem is aware that it's a problem. The last thing you want to do in a risky early-stage startup is have to convince people that they need the thing you want to sell them before you can even sell them.

3/ They are looking for a solution.

Just because they have the problem doesn't mean it's a big enough that they need it solved. Which customers are actively seeking a solution to it? Who's hungry for your product? Don't waste time trying to convince people the problem is bad.

4/ They have hacked something together.

We don't want to stop there. We want the people who experience the problem so acutely that they're DESPERATE. They've actually hacked something together out of spare parts! No solution out there got the job done. Who are the customers who've got spreadsheets & manual labour to get it done? It's gross and sucks and they are just itching for a solution — yours.

5/ They have the money.

Lastly, they need to be able to pay for your solution. For B2C, they need to be able to afford it. For B2B, they need to have budget for it. There's no point in trying to target a customer who can't buy.

And that's it.

Which of your potential customers has the problem, knows it, is actively looking for a solution, is so desperate for one that they've hacked something shitty together out of spare parts because they can't live without a solution, and have the money to by yours?

That's your early adopter. Everyone else comes later.