How to launch a startup right now — today

There are a million reasons not to launch your startup today, but they’re just excuses.

Here's how a first-time founder can go from idea to testing with real customers in just a day or two without code, money, or working crazy hours — that all comes later.

Begin with an experiment — not an MVP.

Our goal is to end the day by putting an experiment in front of real customers to get real feedback. We want data that answers the most important question a new startup can ask: are there customers out there who have this problem and want my solution?

Develop a product hypothesis.

Start with the customer for whom you want to solve a problem. Sketch out as much information as you can — guesses are ok, and expected, but get as specific as you can.

Then document what they do without you to address that problem. What pain, wants, needs, and fears do they feel? To develop a value proposition, draw a line from where they are to your product. How are you going to make their lives better?

Ask customers if it resonates.

Don't sell; we have nothing to sell. Determine if it’s worth building something to sell.

List where those customers hang out: social media, search engines, grocery stores, whatever. Then, pick the place where you can get in front of the most customers for the least effort. If you have to build an audience, you’ve picked the wrong one.

Now put your message up there and get data — impressions, clicks, comments, etc. Determine which metric makes sense for the channel, and decide what the pass/fail number is before you launch. Also, try to collect emails or other contact info for later.

If the experiment fails (likely), ask yourself: what does this mean? And then revise your model and try again. When it succeeds, double-down. Just keep iterating.

Honestly, that’s about it. If you want a startup, launch it right now. I'm here to help; just ask! If you don’t, that’s ok — I'm sure your day job's fine.