Samantha Hepler’s Post

Dan Hart and I founded REVKIT in 2017 to transform the way automotive enthusiasts find community & inspiration, gain knowledge and track their vehicle builds (our average user has over 100 different modifications done to each of their vehicles 😳 that's a lot to keep track of when things start to break or people inevitably ask the question "what all have you done to it?"). We have always split duties and each worn all the hats that founders do at startups 🧢🎩🪖⛑️. All that changed a couple weeks ago when we made the decision to list out all of the big picture and day-to-day duties that go on at REVKIT. The list looked something like this: Business: - Drive Revenue - Monetization Strategy Execution - Strategy Development - Execution Oversight - Fundraising - Investor Relations - Cash Flow Management - Partnership Development Product: - Web Application - Native Applications - In-Vehicle Integration - Third-Party Integrations - Communications Systems - Data Management - Feature Development Marketing: - User Acquisition - User Engagement - Customer Conversion - Community Promotion - Market Expansion - Event Management - Advertising - E-commerce Optimization - Content Marketing With the recent addition of Jason DeArmond as our Director of Marketing, that left Business and Product to divvy up between the two of us. Which led us to our decision for Dan to officially take the title of Chief Product Officer and to name myself as the Chief Executive Officer. It has only been a couple weeks, but the difference has been mind blowing 🤯. We each wake up each day knowing EXACTLY what we need to be focused on and know that the other things are being taken care of by their lead. I'm sure that there will be 5011 comments below about how simple of a concept this is and why we didn't do it sooner, but we just didn't know what we didn't know! Maybe it wouldn't have worked had we done it sooner. Who knows?! All we know is that it is working now and we 10/10 would recommend this to any and all co-founders out there! 🙌 . . . . #cofounders #independentbrand #inspiration #leadership #smallbusiness #supportsmallbusinesses #ambition #business #businessowner #design #digitalmarketing #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurship #founders #inspiration #marketing #motivation #productdevelopment #startup #startuplife #startups

Here’s how I test a potential product, feature, or idea: I talk to people and get feedback. If I’m not collecting feedback early or getting insights from my ideal customers, I’m just guessing. I’d be building based on guesses. My messaging? A guess. My positioning? A guess. My sales strategy? A guess. My go-to-market plan? A guess. It’s okay to take risks and put your product out there to see how it performs. But BEFORE that… If you want to save time, money, and build something closer to right from the start, (and I know you do because you don't get to have more time and money is always limited), Just chase feedback. Guessing is expensive, and if you’re like me, you can’t afford to guess all the time. Sometimes, the hypothesis you have is spot-on, and you get feedback like, “Same what I dream about...”. --- 👋 Hi, I'm Daniela. Need help assessing if your idea is on the right track toward product-market fit? I’m just a DM away. #startups #earlystage #founders #customerfeedback #stealthmode

Selling is helping. If you don’t believe you are helping, you either don’t care about the user or don’t believe in your product. If you understand your user and empathize, your gut feeling matters—don’t ignore it. #startup

Product Market Fit (PMF) is a term thrown around a lot in the startup world, but what does it really mean ? Imagine this: you’ve assembled a rockstar team, built a product that works (maybe even brilliantly), but things still aren’t taking off. The truth is, no matter how good your product or team is, the market is the real king. If you don’t have a market hungry for your solution, nothing else matters. In simple terms, PMF is when your product perfectly matches the needs of your target market. It’s when customers are not just using your product, they’re thrilled about it. Here’s a breakdown: 1. Great Market, Decent Product: If you’re in a market that’s eager for solutions, even a basic product can succeed. Customers are actively seeking what you offer, so your goal is to meet that demand swiftly. 2. Weak Market, Stellar Product: A fantastic product won’t save you if the market isn’t there. Without demand, even the best products and teams will struggle to gain traction. Andy Rachleff’s Law of Startup Success highlights this: - Great Team + Bad Market = Market Wins: A top-notch team can’t overcome a lackluster market. - Bad Team + Great Market = Market Wins: Even a weaker team can succeed in a thriving market. - Great Team + Great Market = Magic Happens: This is where real success happens, when both your team and market are in peak form. So, how do you measure if you’ve hit PMF? 1) Sean Ellis Survey: Ask users how they'd feel if they couldn’t use your product anymore. If 40%+ say they’d be very disappointed, you’re likely on track. 2) Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measure how likely your customers are to recommend your product. A high NPS is a strong PMF indicator. 3) Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) vs. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Compare the revenue you make from a customer to what it costs to acquire them. A positive ratio signals a strong PMF. So focus on finding a thriving market. Your team and product matter, but they won’t compensate for a lackluster market. Nail the market first, and the rest will follow. #entrepreneurship #startup #businessgrowth #productmarketfit

You should close the startup, you can’t leave it 🧐 Sometimes companies go bankrupt in the first 5 years. This occurs due to the inability to adapt to new market conditions. Pivot helps you cope with this. Pivot is a change in the course of a startup’s development to test new hypotheses, business models and growth mechanics. Changing direction is an important part of a company's development. Many entrepreneurs, after launching a startup, realize that they can get the maximum benefit from implementing a different hypothesis based on the existing one. Signs indicating the need for a pivot: ⚡️ The product does not solve the problem of the target audience. This means that it’s worth refocusing on another or adding functionality necessary for current potential clients. ⚡️ The startup does not solve the problem of users and is not in demand. In this case, zoom-out pivot or customer segment pivot can help. ⚡️ Expensive attraction and retention of the audience. A targeted “pivot” of individual product elements helps: monetization, growth mechanics, sales channel. ⚡️ Clients are not willing to pay due to the high price or discrepancy between price and functionality. You can reduce the functionality, and with it the price, or look for a new paying audience. To successfully make a reversal, you need to know the types of Pivot: 🟢 Zoom-in pivot - one of the functions becomes a separate product 🟢 Zoom-out pivot - the product becomes part of a multifunctional service 🟢 Customer segment pivot - changing the target audience 🟢 Platform pivot - moving from an application to a platform and changing the service category 🟢 Value capture pivot - changing the monetization method (moving from subscription to one-time payments) 🟢 Engine of growth pivot - change of growth mechanics 🟢 Channel pivot - change of sales channel 🟢 Technology pivot - transfer of product functionality to a new platform ☝🏼Entrepreneurs are often afraid of changing the established course of product development. But what is better: to spend money and end up going broke, or to turn your business around in time and become a winner? #startup #pivot #businessstrategy #adaptation #growth #change #entrepreneur #innovation #marketresearch #success #productmanagement #productdevelopment #productowner #productmanager #productgrowth #companygrowth #companystrategy

🚀 From Curiosity to Creation: My Entrepreneurial Journey 💡 In my second year of college, I was drawn to the alluring world of entrepreneurship. It all seemed so glamorous from the outside - exciting pitches, innovative products, and the potential for success. But once I immersed myself in building my own startup idea, I quickly realized that entrepreneurship is far more than what it seems on the surface. It's a journey filled with challenges, learning, and growth. 🌱 The process started with market research. My teammate and I conducted surveys using Google Forms, and held online meetings to better understand the pain points and needs of our target audience. A major part of this research was interacting with doctors to identify specific problems within their industry. Through these conversations, we were able to articulate their needs into actionable insights, which eventually formed the core features of our Minimum Viable Product (MVP). After gathering insights, we translated those ideas into a tangible form. My teammate and I created a Figma prototype for our MVP, incorporating the most essential features. This was a critical step - it allowed us to visually represent our product and refine it further. But we didn't stop there. We conducted another round of surveys to validate our MVP with real users. Based on the feedback we received, we iterated and improved the design until we finally reached a desirable product that could meet the needs of our target market. Throughout this journey, I absorbed a wealth of business knowledge. Terms like MVP, Business Model, TAM, SAM, SOM, Fixed Cost, and Gross Profit etc became a part of my vocabulary. These concepts, which once felt like jargon, started to make sense as I applied them to our project, helping us refine our strategy. We then focused on branding and market acquisition plans. It was all about creating a compelling narrative for our product and figuring out the best ways to bring it to market. We capped it all off with a final budgeting plan to ensure our venture was financially viable. The entrepreneurial journey is a rollercoaster - filled with highs and lows, learning and unlearning. But this experience taught me that entrepreneurship isn’t just about the end result; it’s about the process of creation, iteration, and execution. I’m excited to continue exploring this path, equipped with the lessons and skills I’ve gained so far. #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #Innovation #MVP #BusinessModel #MarketResearch #DesignThinking #Branding #Figma #TechForGood #Leadership #GrowthMindset

The seven deadly sins should be the foundation of your marketing message: pride. Lust. Greed. Envy. Gluttony. wrath . Sloth. Tell the client or user that's it's OK to have done or take part in any of the sins for "we all are sinners: Tell them people will envyvthem if they buy your product or make them envious of those who bought. Include at least 3 of the deadly sins in your startup marketing message . But if you can I'd recommend all the 7. #Startups #Marketing #growthmarketing #seedfunding.

I think this is a great post about why it is critical for sales and marketing to be on the same page when communicating value to clients. The only thing I would suggest to Alex Urquhart is that the ROI should be higher to make the decision easier for the buyer. Ideally, 10-20x of direct and indirect benefits cover quantitative and qualitative measures. Jonathon Birrell, I read your post about releasing the Leonardo.Ai B2B solution for teams the other day. What do you anticipate the ROI to be for your clients? #roi #sales #marketing #leonardo

Does slow and steady win the race? It depends on the race. When you embark on a branding process, you should do it right. Go deep. Do it thoroughly. Build something that will last you for decades to come. That is all true unless you are a startup. As a startup, you can dream of the decades to come, but you plan for your next phase. You don't need the foundations for your 5th product, 10th market, or 20th anniversary. It would help if you had a boost to get you to your next round of investments, your following significant clients, or the upcoming convention where you present your fantastic product. The race of the startups is a race for a long run, but in its early stages, it consists of a series of sprints. That is the opposite of slow and steady. A slow and steady branding process means months of research and strategy, followed by months of thorough design. While this is great for an insurance company, it doesn't meet the needs of a startup that might have pivoted twice during this long process. Startups need a brilliant process that will deliver great results on time (and by "on time" we mean shortly). That is what we offer at GR8: a sprint process with great results that will give you the boost you need to reach your upcoming goals in a month or so. Feel free to contact us to hear more and see how it fits your needs. #storytelling #marketing #socialmedia #strategy #brand #team #startups #logo #story #technology #branding #b2bmarketing #b2bbranding #b2bstrategy #branding #brandstrategy #storytelling #brandstorytelling #brandstory #creativeplanning #brandidentity #brandexperience #brandequity #GR8enough Yoav Herstein

Hello Beautiful Minds! 👋 Doesn't the thought of an idea 💭 coming to life through a product send exciting little chills down your spine? ❤️ Well, trust me, I've been there. Having co-founded my startup 🚀, I know exactly what it means to take a rough thought, sand it down, polish it, and mold it into a useful, beautiful product that people love and appreciate. Just the other day, I stumbled upon this fantastic guide 📖 I wish I had when I was starting! It's a simple, uncomplicated roadmap of product development - From the spark of an idea to the glittering launch day. 🎉 As I read it, I found myself nodding along, seeing my journey reflected in words. This guide knows what it's talking about! ✨ So to all you dreamers and doers ready to take the leap of faith, I'm handing you this armour 🛡️. It might just be what you need to turn your idea into an unforgettable product. Here's your pass to this treasure trove: A Beginner’s Guide to Product Development https://lnkd.in/gssknjTj Your brilliant idea is a bird waiting to soar! Let's give it wings, shall we? 🕊️ #ProductManagement #Startup #Entrepreneurship #PersonalBranding #B2B #ProductDevelopment #ProductStrategy #SaaS #Productivity #ProductLifecycle #AudienceBuilding 🚀