The Physics of Startups with Rob Snyder

The discussion dives deep into the relationship between supply and demand in AI startups, countering the hype around instant growth. It tackles the misconception that buyers want AI itself; instead, they seek outcomes that AI can provide. Historical insights from Henry Ford challenge entrepreneurs to focus on real customer needs. Key case studies highlight how AI meets existing demands, such as easing tedious workflows. Practical advice centers on understanding customer signals through calendars, ensuring solutions align with genuine buyer problems.

Explore the concept of 'PULL' and why it's essential for startups. Discover how this idea applies across sectors, from enterprise sales to B2C. Learn about turning a single enterprise sale into repeatable demand and the tactics to uncover 'PULL' in large customers. Delve into the differences between SMB and enterprise dynamics, plus see how consumer product design benefits from hands-on customer observations. The discussion even touches on hardware validation and the importance of listening to sales calls to identify buyer urgency.

Rob Snyder, a founder coach and writer focused on product-market fit, dives deep into the PULL framework. He explains that PULL is when customers "rip a product out of your hands" and details its four key aspects. Discover how to navigate sales calls by understanding customer priorities and the difference between actual demand and mere desire for products. Rob debunks common misconceptions about pain points and emphasizes that customers care about their own goals. This discussion is a must-listen for founders and salespeople seeking true demand!

The hosts tackle three common yet destructive sales mindsets that founders often adopt. The 'Helpful' founder mistakenly believes showing value will drive sales, leading to wasted calls. Meanwhile, the 'Smart' founder's urge to impress can alienate customers who feel unheard. Lastly, the 'Noble' founder prioritizes their mission over customer needs, creating moral lectures that push potential buyers away. Listeners get tactical advice on correcting these pathologies to better understand demand and improve sales outcomes.

Blog post: "Strict Productivity" on https://howtogrow.substack.com/Work with Rob: www.robsnyder.orgRob and RC discuss productivity based on a foundational understanding of *what is a startup* which is the necessary foundation for doing productive things. Conversation addresses the constraint-theory approach to understanding your startup, identifying bottlenecks, and practical ways Rob sees great founders tackling bottlenecks. Also get into why there is so much performative LARPing in startup-world. ----Rob's website: www.robsnyder.orgConnect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Weekly founder insights: https://howtogrow.substack.com/

Full Substack post "Customer Success": https://howtogrow.substack.com/Work with Rob: InfoRob's Miro: https://bit.ly/4q9JiP3Rob and RC focus on the "post-sell" part of PMF in this convo - customer success and retention. They discuss Rob's thinking on how to define success, what to focus on, and why so many founders are focused on the wrong metrics or doing customer success wrong ("Throwing the product over the wall"). They also discuss goblin mode, and practical steps for founders who want to improve customer success and retention. ----Rob's website: www.robsnyder.orgConnect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Weekly founder insights: https://howtogrow.substack.com/

Explore the intriguing concept of the 'Divine Lever,' which merges causality with objective goodness in business. Discover how focusing on real customer demand can lead to valuable startups. The discussion contrasts self-centered business philosophies with a demand-first approach. Learn why purity of motive is essential for quality and how unconventional choices can drive success. They also tackle practical dilemmas like knowing when to push through or when to quit and the importance of differentiating your solution in a competitive market.

Rob and RC dig into what you should do when you have lukewarm demand or something isn't working quite like it should and you aren't sure why. Includes pragmatic discussion of how to do a Demand Audit, and the difference between several "Demand problems" and "Execution problems" (the tl;dr - your problem might not be that you don't have Demand). LinksFull post in Rob's Substack, "The Demand Audit": ⁠LINK⁠Miro Board with demand Audit instructions: ⁠LINK⁠ Info on working with Rob: ⁠LINK----Rob's website: www.robsnyder.orgConnect w/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Weekly founder insights: https://howtogrow.substack.com/

Full post on Rob's Substack: LINK (Post: "Force against the status quo")Info on working with Rob: LINKRob has sharpened his theory on what exactly is demand for startups. Rob and RC dive into this, exploring how Demand behaves like a "Force against the status quo" - which has both magnitude (how much the customer wants change) and direction (what shape they want). This theory builds on Rob's Demand, Supply and PULL frameworks - and is helpful especially for founders struggling with lukewarm demand, difficulty closing deals, mixed messages from customers, demos, outbound, etc.--Rob's website: https://www.robsnyder.orgRob's Substack: LINK

*Kind of hilarious retraction*: Rob's wife let him know they use Huggies, not Pampers. Substack post: Bend the world to fit demandMore about Rob's November bootcamp: GOOGLE DOCRob and RC dive into the concept of Supply today (mostly "product" focused), specifically taking the approach of where does supply originate? The conversation goes into how supply should take shape, how to understand demand before developing supply, what to do if you already have supply that you're trying to sell, and, of course, Pampers diapers. ---Connect on LinkedIn w/ Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/ Weekly founder insights w/ Rob: https://howtogrow.substack.com/ More about Rob / work with Rob: www.robsnyder.org#PMF #B2BSales #VC #Startup #VentureCapital #Founderledsales