Customers & Research
Finding your niche / beachhead
Win a tiny market completely before going wide.
What is a beachhead market and why does everyone say to start with one?
A beachhead is the one tiny, winnable market you conquer completely before expanding, the head of the bowling pin that knocks over the rest. You go...
How do I pick which niche to go after first?
Pick the segment with the most acute pain, the easiest to reach, and the best path to adjacent markets after. Rank candidates by 'can I actually re...
Isn't picking a tiny niche going to limit how big I can get?
It's the opposite, a niche is a doorway, not a ceiling. Amazon started with books, Facebook with one campus; you win the beachhead to earn the righ...
How do I know when I've won my niche and it's time to expand?
You've won when you're the obvious default in that segment, customers refer you unprompted, your name comes up first, and growth within it is slowi...
How do I find a defensible niche in a market full of big incumbents?
Find the customers the giants ignore or serve badly, too small, too specific, too weird for them to bother. Your edge is caring about a segment the...