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Brian Bourque πŸš€ Profile picture
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12 Jan, 8 tweets, 3 min read
There are 5.14 billion Google results for "how to build a startup."

Most are a waste of time.

Here are 5 that are pure gold:
1) Learn from Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and other top entrepreneurs.

Essays, videos and interviews on startup topics including fundraising and growth from the best founders of our generation:

ycombinator.com/library
2) Join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs.

Success stories, case studies and camaraderie as hustlers build side projects and MVPs in public, sharing what they learn.

indiehackers.com
3) Find the right freelancers to get your product off the ground

Graphic designers, software engineers, content creators, marketers and more.

I've hired great people from around the world using this site.

upwork.com
4) Learn how to market your business

Facebook's Ad library lets you see the ads running for any company in the world.

It's a powerful tool to understand your competition and get ideas on how to position yourself.

facebook.com/ads/library/
5) Ready to launch?

Exciting new startups launch their products on ProductHunt every day.

Study the homepage for how your peers are getting early traction.

Join the community for support and deals that will save your company money.

producthunt.com
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More from @bbourque

Brian Bourque πŸš€ Profile picture
14 Jan
It's common wisdom in startups that "execution beats talent."

But how do you execute well?

A 7-step framework to figure out what matters and get the RIGHT sh*t done quickly:
Step 1: Pick your north star metric

What's a north star metric?

A single, quantitative KPI that is:
a) measurable
b) easily understood by everyone

Most startups should choose either:
a) revenue
b) active users

Everyone should understand how their role impacts this KPI.
Step 2: Standardize measurement

Measuring revenue or users sounds simple but may not be.

6 years ago we had an Excel dashboard that would run for 3 hours to tell us how much money we'd made, and we couldn't tell if it was accurate.

Or, how do you define an "active" user?
Read 15 tweets
Brian Bourque πŸš€ Profile picture
11 Jan
17 ways your startup can get its first customer:
1. Comment on the first tweet in this thread (above) with a link to your product.

I'll check out every product that's linked.

If I get decent responses I'll pick the best one and amplify your startup across my network of 10K+ followers.

We'll find you a customer.
2. Build distribution before launch

Distribution is the new product.

Relevant audiences are more valuable than ever.

If you're in early idea phase, now's the time to develop an audience on twitter that you can then pitch your product to.

Roadmap: twitter -> email list -> sale
Read 19 tweets
Brian Bourque πŸš€ Profile picture
10 Jan
Y-Combinator has invested in 3,000+ startups worth over $600 billion today.

Here are 22 startup insights from YC's legendary cofounder, Paul Graham (Vol. 1):
"One of the biggest things holding people back from doing great work is the fear of making something lame."
"Competitors are rarely what kills startups. Poor execution does."
Read 26 tweets
Brian Bourque πŸš€ Profile picture
9 Jan
Apple, Nike, Red Bull.

3 legendary companies. 1 common brand trait:

A hero's narrative.

Here are the 3 types of problems your brand must solve to turn your customers into heroes...

(and win their loyalty forever)
1. Solve an external problem.

This is the most basic type of problem your customer faces:

Apple: I need a computer to process information and surf the web.

Nike: I need a shoe to protect and support my feet during physical activity.

Red Bull: I'm tired and need to stay awake.
2. Solve an internal problem.

"Companies tend to sell solutions to external problems, but people buy solutions to internal problems."

"By assuming our customers only want to resolve external problems, we fail to engage the deeper story they're actually living."
Read 9 tweets
Brian Bourque πŸš€ Profile picture
6 Jan
15 forms of leverage to supercharge your startup:
1) Strategic board members / advisors

Strategics are well connected in your industry.

They’re often entrepreneurs or CEOs who’ve successfully built companies before.

They can offer crucial intros to potential customers and should have a lot of ideas on how to grow.
2) Tribal signaling

Many companies use virtue signaling to appeal to specific tribes.

Patagonia's sustainability programs target net-zero carbon emissions.

Their goal of producing all clothing from renewable resources attracts green consumers.

What tribe can you tap into?
Read 17 tweets
Brian Bourque πŸš€ Profile picture
31 Dec 21
The 5 best threads on "lessons learned" in 2021:
5. Nik shares insanely rich content on DTC marketing all year long.

His 2021 retrospective highlights characteristics I value: integrity, consistency and positive-sum people:

4. Jesse is a force-of-nature entrepreneur who’s taken to sharing his insights on bootstrapping successful companies.

These 21 lessons are about how to handle the hard things to grow a startup.

Each of them rings true and was earned through battle:

Read 7 tweets

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