Startups
The startup checklist.
Most failed startups did the right things in the wrong order. This is the sequence we walk founders through, each step earning the right to the next.
Before you build
- Validate the problem with real potential customers, not friends
- Define the model: who pays, for what, how much and how often
- Size the market honestly, top-down and bottom-up
- Map the competition and your defensible difference
Before you launch
- Write a lean business plan you would actually follow
- Decide your go-to-market: positioning, pricing and first channels
- Build only the minimum needed to get paid
- Set the few numbers you will watch weekly
After launch
Talk to every early customer, fix the unit economics before you scale, and resist hiring ahead of proof. Growth is earned by doing less, better, until something clearly works.
Related services
Startup ConsultancyPlans, GTM and pitchesBusiness ConsultingStrategy and growthAI Consulting & AgentsAI agents and automation
Further reading
Independent sources we return to. Every link was checked and live at the time of writing.
Harvard Business ReviewWhy the Lean Start-Up Changes EverythingBlank's case for testing before you build.Read the article Harvard Business ReviewHow entrepreneurs can use AI to scaleStaying small for longer without capping your growth.Read the article Google CloudStartup technical guide: AI agentsA founder-facing guide to shipping an agent.Read the article
Links open in a new tab. Manara is not affiliated with these publishers, and some allow only a limited number of free articles each month.
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