Stages
Startup Stage: $0 – $1M ARR
You’re In the Startup Stage If:
- You have a product concept or early version with some features built
- You’re actively seeking your first paying customers
- Your team is small with everyone wearing multiple hats
- You’re focused on validating that people will pay for your solution
- Day-to-day, you’re doing everything: building the product, selling to prospects, supporting users, and keeping the lights on
Your goal: Validate that customers want what you’re building enough to pay for it and continue using it
Key Priorities
Find Your ICP
Define a narrow Ideal Customer Profile where you can:
- Win deals consistently
- Deliver immediate value
- Get customers using your product quickly
Build Minimum Viable Processes
Create basic processes for:
- Finding and closing customers
- Onboarding new users effectively
- Supporting customers and gathering feedback
- Incorporating feedback into product development
Validate Product-Market Fit
Confirm you’re building something people want by tracking:
- Acquisition: Can you consistently acquire new customers?
- Retention: Do customers keep using your product?
- Referral: Are customers recommending your product?
- Revenue: Are customers willing to pay and renew?
How Do You Compare?
See exactly how your metrics stack up against other companies at the Startup stage:
- Customer Acquisition: What’s a “good” conversion rate at your stage?
- Revenue Growth: Are you growing fast enough?
- Team Size & Structure: How many people should you have?
- Burn Rate: Is your runway appropriate?
- Retention Metrics: What retention numbers are typical?
Primary Functions at the Specialized Stage
Marketing
- Direct outreach to your narrow ICP
- Network-based referrals
- Simple content that explains your value
Sales
- Founder-led selling
- Personalized demos
- Fast follow-up and high-touch closing
Customer Success
- Immediate, hands-on support
- Personal onboarding
- Direct feedback to product team
Product
- Rapid iteration based on feedback
- Focus on core value proposition
- Prioritizing speed over perfection
Development
- Fast, scrappy shipping
- Minimal process overhead
- One or few developers doing everything
Supporting Functions at the Specialized Stage
Finance
- Typically handled by the CEO or a part-time bookkeeper
- Focus on tracking runway and ensuring bills get paid
- Simple spreadsheets for financial models and budgeting
HR
- Ad-hoc tasks like drafting offer letters and ensuring compliance
- Setting cultural tone even with a small team
- No formal department, just scrappy solutions
Recruiting
- Primarily through personal networks and referrals
- High bar for hiring as each person is critical
- CEO-led interview process with little formal structure
Operations
- Basic office management and IT setups
- Shared among the team or led by a founder
- Focus on minimizing friction for the core team
Specialized Stage Essentials
CEO Role
As CEO, you’re doing everything: selling, building, supporting, and evangelizing. Your days are spent with customers, directing your team, and making most decisions.
You’re the chief storyteller—pitching investors, energizing the team, and convincing early adopters why your product matters. Meanwhile, you’re laying the groundwork for basic processes that will support future growth.
Leadership Team
At the Startup stage, your leadership “team” might be just you and one or two co-founders. You might have a technical lead (CTO or Head of Development) and someone overseeing product or design. Each person wears multiple hats with no true “heads of” marketing or sales yet.
Because roles overlap, the lines between leadership and individual contributors are blurred. The key members are doers first, managers second. You need people who can drive product vision, handle operational tasks, and jump in on support calls.
When You Graduate
You’ll know you’re ready for the Repeatable stage when:
- Multiple customers are using and renewing your product
- You clearly understand who buys, how they buy, and what problem they’re solving
- Basic processes exist for selling, onboarding, and support
- You’ve defined a narrow ICP you can consistently win in
- You can win and retain customers repeatedly
Ready to Accelerate Your Growth?
- Get Your Strategic Blueprint
- Our Startup Stage blueprint will help you define your ICP, build minimum viable processes, and set the foundation for predictable revenue.