What if everything you know about gaining initial traction is wrong?
In this eye-opening episode, we sit down with Colin McIntosh, who flipped the startup script and rocketed his bedding company onto the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing list. Discover the unconventional strategies he used to validate his market before building anything, the biggest pitfalls secretly holding founders back, and how to turn seeming desperation into marketing gold.
Most founders get trapped perfecting their product while their market opportunity slips away. Colin reveals a counterintuitive approach: validate your market first, build your audience before your product, and embrace looking ridiculous in pursuit of attention. His framework helped him gather 10,000 email subscribers with just $9,000 in ad spend, leading to a $284,000 crowdfunding campaign that launched his business.
The episode delivers tactical advice on:
- How to identify and validate market opportunities before building
- Why your early marketing should make you uncomfortable
- The exact math behind planning a successful product launch
- When to focus on scale versus staying focused on current channels
- How to turn early adopters into vocal advocatesundefined
Watch the Full Episode on Initial Traction with expert Colin McIntosh below:
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