ENTREPRENEURSHIPWeeks to result

Consult

Act as a consultant to your users

Problem it solves

business growth stalls

Best for

B2B startups with a small number of users

Not ideal for

Startups with a large number of users

Overview

Why this framework exists

The Consult framework involves acting as a consultant to your users, by picking a single user and building something just for that one user. This approach can help startups to create a product that meets the needs of their users and to build a strong relationship with them.

Core principles

3 total
  1. Act as a consultant to your users
  2. Build a strong relationship with your users
  3. Create a product that meets the needs of your users

Steps

2 steps
  1. Pick a single user
    Pick a single user and build something just for that one user. This will help you to create a product that meets the needs of your users and to build a strong relationship with them.
    Pro tipUse this approach to create a product that is tailored to the needs of your users
    WarningBe careful not to over-engineer the product
  2. Act as a consultant
    Act as a consultant to your users, by providing them with a high level of service and support. This will help you to build a strong relationship with your users and to create a product that meets their needs.
    Pro tipUse this approach to build a strong relationship with your users
    WarningBe careful not to overpromise and underdeliver

Checklist

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Examples

1 cases
Viaweb

Viaweb acted as a consultant to its users, by building online stores for them and providing them with a high level of service and support. This approach helped Viaweb to build a strong relationship with its users and to create a product that met their needs.

OutcomeViaweb was able to create a successful product and build a strong reputation

Common mistakes

1 traps
Not acting as a consultant
Not acting as a consultant to your users can prevent startups from building a strong relationship with them and creating a product that meets their needs.

Origin story

How this framework came to be

The Consult framework is based on the idea that startups should focus on building a strong relationship with their users, rather than trying to build a product that meets the needs of a large number of users. By acting as a consultant to your users, startups can create a product that is tailored to their needs and build a strong reputation.

Source

Traced to primary
Source · ESSAY
Do Things that Don't Scale
Paul Graham · 2024
Open source →