Essay

How most founders get their beachhead wrong

Jeroen Coelen · Doctor Market Fit Free Advanced

Coelen explains why founders can't segment their market from a desk using industry reports, they have to talk to real customers to find the fault lines, which directly supports the short answer's call to interview people outside your own bubble. It is a clear, modern explainer written specifically for founders stuck exactly where this question starts.

  • You cannot find your real segment from market research reports alone, only from customer conversations
  • Keep your beachhead small enough that you can execute against it with total focus
  • Broad segmentation is usually a sign you haven't done the qualitative work yet
Open on doctormarket.fit ↗

The question it answers

  1. How do I define my ideal customer when I'm a domain expert who thinks everyone in my industry needs this?

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  3. A short, practical field guide to customer discovery: who to talk to, how to find them, and how many. Pairs perfectly with The... talkingtohumans.com Book · ~80 pages (free PDF available) Talking to Humans Giff Constable
  4. Market size is meaningless until you know exactly who you're for, and Lenny turns that into a concrete, repeatable ICP exercise... Lenny's Newsletter Article · ~15 min read How to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP) Lenny Rachitsky
  5. The author of Crossing the Chasm explaining beachhead selection in plain, modern language, the fastest way to absorb the... Lenny's Podcast / Lenny's Newsletter Podcast · ~75 min Geoffrey Moore on finding your beachhead, crossing the chasm, and dominating a market Lenny Rachitsky & Geoffrey Moore
  6. The best book on positioning against competitors by understanding the alternatives customers actually consider. Directly turns... aprildunford.com Book · ~200 pages Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It April Dunford
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →