What is an “eureka” moment? How does a startup founder really start?

Now, you are aware of what is a start up company. If you are still confused, check my previous article: “How do we know if a company is a startup? What if not?”

So how do startups really start? What is an “eureka” moment?

What is happening after?

Today, most people have been thinking to start new businesses as a startup company. When you go back in time, you are going to see that everyone has an “eureka” moment, if it is their first experience.

“Aha! I found it! Yea!” or something like that.

Actually, they just solve a problem in their mind! This is a kind of “problem – solution” cycle!

They are not the one who solved that problem around the world. People also face with same problems but very small group of people step for the execution!

Then the first mistake they have taken is:

They start talking about the idea with everyone else as they are going to become a future co-founder together!

It is usually like this: “Hey, I have an idea bro! Do you think that it works or not?”

Don’t!

This is wrong!

If you do that people may react like “Well; it doesn’t work bro! Nevermind! Who cares! You can’t be succeeded! This is non-sense!”

The key point in here is we can’t know from the first moment that it will work or not? Can’t! There are too many details affecting!

Also how do they know that you can be successful or not? Or if it works or not?

Do people around all have start up experiences? Do they really master on this subject?

Do they really know details affecting like a timing, a team, an investment, a business plan, an idea, market shares, competitors?

Most probably they don’t.

The truth is they just emotionally react your question! Yeap! Emotional reactions!

This is not an SME or micro business. This is a start up! A scalable business that needs validation or has steps like a proof of concept, a prototype, a minimum viable product, a product-market fit.

So what is the real question?

The real question is “Would you buy or not?”

To buy or not to buy… That is the matter!

So simply ask them this question but not directly. For example you can pitch like this:

“Hey, there is a product that enables people or companies to… So here is the link or pdf. What are your thoughts? Would really this be helpful? The price is also that? What do you think?

Also you can pitch the product as you are not the founder of it!

This is just a product that you found on the internet. You have a problem too and pretend like you found the solution with this! Just wondering about thoughts of people around you!

Don’t overthink about the link or pdf. It is not so hard!

You are just going to create a one pager website, a landing page, maybe from "Wix" or something like that. Maybe it is going to include fake buttons, etc. Then you are going to copywrite a kind of hero statement, value propositions, problems and solutions.

I know it is going to be really bad for the first time but better than nothing. Right? Because you have no customer experiences at the day first.

Meanwhile, you are going to dive deeply to the market research. At the same time!

It is going to take much more of your time rather than talking around yourself!

Market research comes first. It is very important!

Market research can’t be done in a day or a week! You should really dive deeply. Maybe it is going to take months. You should not just search simply at google.

All social medias with different languages, hashtags, groups, your leads and prospects, companies, maybe incubators and accelerators, startup marketplaces, tech marketplaces, maybe you are going to think of paying some companies that serves market researches as valuable data!

There will always be someone else trying to solve your problems, unless you solve a problem that just only you faced in the whole world.

If this problem would only belong to you, you would have become the only customer of yourself in the world so this is impossible. There is someone! Always there is!

Finding competitors are not a bad luck. Competitors show you that there is a market!

So as a result of all, follow the list:

1- Understand that an “eureka” moment is just solving a kind of a problem,

2- Don’t be emotional about your “eureka” moment,

3- Avoid from obsessions,

4- Start market research and deep dive,

5- Never underestimate the market research, it is not an easy stuff, takes time!

6- Create a landing page or a one pager as problems and solutions type,

7- Start talking around as they are prospects, I mean potantial customers not co-founders,

8- Try to pretend like you are not the founder of it,

9- Avoid from obsessions one more time,

10- Keep calm and don’t start racing with time.

Finally, you can start focusing on an execution plan. A team? A simple business plan? A prototype? An MVP? What do you need?

Just pay attention again that finding competitors are not a bad thing or luck.

Competitors always show that there is a market and you may receive helpful insights easily!

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P.S. In the next article, we are going to focus on awareness levels of leads and execution steps!

Which factors are affecting an execution? How are you going to pitch the landing page?

After that one, probably going to focus on PoC-prototype-MVP journey! How do we analyse a market research for our product?