Article · 8 min read

What is an ideal customer profile?

Unusual Ventures Field Guide Free Beginner

This is a clean, no nonsense definition written for enterprise founders, distinguishing ICP (the company), buyer (who decides), and user (who touches the product) in one short piece. If the short answer's language about firmographics and situation feels abstract, this piece grounds it in two concrete questions you can ask about any company on your list. Good as a five minute refresher before you write your own.

  • ICP is the company, buyer is who decides, user is who touches the product, keep the three separate.
  • Ask what about a company's size, vertical, or tech stack makes them a fit, not just whether they might buy.
  • Discipline to disqualify companies that do not fit matters as much as the definition itself.

The question it answers

  1. What is an ideal customer profile and how do I define mine?

Read with it

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  5. 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
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