FAQ
I know NOTHING about Startups, Product, or Web or App development? Is this bootcamp for me? I have ideas are my ideas worth investing in?
YES! This program is entirely for you. Most perspectives on startup culture are misguided or have been set by Hollywood! Launching a new venture is a very tough thing to do but it can be a very rewarding process as you set your own company culture, hire the best talent, and overcome insurmountable tasks. But most conventional wisdom does not apply in the startup space. Not having a background in business, startups, or product development means you are an open book and ready to learn the best methods to achieve success in your new venture!
How far along can I be in my business venture for this to be relevant?
This program works best for:
- Anyone with an idea for a startup
- Startups that are getting ready to launch
- Early stage businesses that may or may not be making money
- Startups that are hitting a wall or ‘topped out’ with customers
This program is tailored to the attendees. You will receive the support you need and we’ll challenge many of your assumptions and ideas along the way. Still not sure? Reach out! Even if this program isn’t the best fit we have other programming available as well. Getting connected will open doors and help your startup over, under, or through the barriers in your way of success.
What if my idea is not an app?
That’s awesome! Not everything should be an app or even a digital product. Lots of startups achieve success through physical product development and inventions. We’re ready to help you pursue the validation and launch of your business.
What are these coaches you speak of?
Based on the needs of the applicants, we choose coaches that will help you set goals, push you to achieve your goals, and be a person that can keep you connected to the local startup scenes. The coaches job is not to do the work for you but to be your best cheerleader and try and open doors for you whenever possible.We select our coaches based on experience and domain knowledge so you gain the most help possible.
What should I expect when coming to these meetings?
You should expect to be challenged. The Startup Bootcamp team does not hold back when it comes to providing honest and deep feedback. We are not trying to crush your dreams! We are trying to identify roadblocks and challenge your assumptions. We constantly ask, “Why won’t this work?” instead of focusing on why it will. This changes the conversation to focus on identifying upcoming challenges and barriers to your success. It also means you learn to wear a thick skin when it comes to hearing feedback.It is critical that you understand our goal is to help you understand the challenges ahead of your business. It can be frustrating, disappointing, and challenging. But every startup that goes through this program comes out better, stronger, and more focused on achieving success.FoundersForge is built on many values and principles. One of the main guiding ones is, Give Before You Get. This means you should be prepared to offer honest feedback, value, and connections to your fellow bootcamp members. You might have a connection or a piece of feedback that helps them be successful. By providing value to others, you will receive an incredible amount of support back from everyone else. We have seen this work incredibly well over the years and that is why it’s a founding principle of FoundersForge.We also expect all members of the program to Give Back to the next cohort by supporting them in any way you can. We invite every Bootcamp to attend a welcome session right before the next program starts.
What are high-growth startups?
High growth startups are businesses that are focused on selling a product at a national or global level at an early stage of their businesses. This is different than a small or hyper-local business that is focused on a local town, city, or even a region. The focus required to quickly scale and grow to achieve high-growth is a different mindset and requires a different skillset. This does not necessarily mean only high-growth startups are tech startups. Product companies, online services, and even medical devices are all high-growth companies.Our focus on high-growth startups is not to designate one type of entrepreneur as more important than another. Our team’s skillset and our experiences are in the high-growth sector. Other programs like CO.STARTERS, STRIVE, the TSBDC, etc. are much better suited to help someone start a small business, landscaping service, or other similar new venture. We’re always happy to chat and help where we can but learning from others with experience in your field is the best way to launch quickly!
I have a Multi-Level Marketing “Company” Do I Qualify?
No.
First of all, you are an entrepreneur! But MLM’s are one of the many reasons our country has seen a dip in entrepreneurial growth. These companies pray on self-starters that believe they can launch/sell their products to achieve success. The math behind being successful in these schemes simply doesn’t work. If a startup came to us asking how to be more successful and the sales model was anywhere close to a MLM business, we’d encourage the startup to scrap their entire business model!But, you ARE an entrepreneur. We’ve seen MLM’ers launch their own businesses, or simply use the MLM space to launch a business selling to existing people trying to go the MLM route. It’s all about selling pickaxe’s not mining for gold. If you are trying to sell as an MLM. You are trying to mine for gold with multiple handicaps!We highly recommend launching your own product or spending the exact same amount of energy selling a better suppliers products. Need something to sell?
- Visit your local Farmer’s Markets and find artesian, hand-made products. Often, those who are making these products are not great at selling them! Partner and launch your own venture!
- Have something you’ve always wanted to make? Draw it out? We’ll connect you to local maker spaces and individuals that will help make your ideas a reality!
- Visit entrepreneurial events to see what others are doing. You might just find the perfect fit on a product you not only believe in, but you can be successful at selling!For these reasons, we will not accept a MLM “business” into our programs but we would love to work with you truly start your own venture.
The development of a product (digital or physical) should not be the first step of your new venture. Products are relatively easy to build (unless you are curing cancer!). With enough time and money, you will receive the product you ask for. However, building the right product is the challenge.The best products are ones that solve a problem that customers truly want. You need to validate your ideas with potential customers by talking with them. You must learn to put yourself in their shoes so you truly understand their problem. If you feel you are the customer then you need to find others. Too often, startups fail because they simply build a product that no-one or only a few actually want. You also need to measure the possibility of making money for your startup.Without a successful business model, you have only created an expensive hobby!After you have sorted out that your customers have a true problem that they are willing to pay to solve, you should start product development. The goal at this point is to take your grand vision and break it down into manageable chunks. Cut the features down by only focusing on that bare minimum you need to release your product that can still generate revenue. Even if it only makes $1, this is the validation that you need to keep moving forward. Then you build-measure-learn your way to success by adding features and understanding your customers behavior. Following this patter, you should only be building features your customers want, will use, and that provide enough value for you to earn money.On the technical side, you can build your products in a number of ways:
- You can build prototypes that look like full products, but are manually managed behind the scenes
- You can build on top of existing services like Shopify, or other platforms to get your eCommerce solutions up and running
- You and learn to code – but let’s be realistic… its rare for a non-technical founder to succeed at this. We highly recommend you learn to use a no-code tool such as Bubble.io instead.
- You can find a technical founder – but this is difficult and if you get it wrong it can mean disaster!
- You can find a student to work on the product… this can go very well but students come and go!
- And last, you can pay someone to build your app! But you have to find the right person.
No matter what path you choose the process is best if you spend the time to design the product as much as possible. This is typically called creating technical specifications for the app. This can be hand written, drawn, or a physical prototype can be created. The most important part is that you create a list of screens, items, or pieces for the developer to create. This is your vision so don’t turn it over to the developer. Figure it out, write it down, and then hire it out. You’ll save an incredible amount of money and most importantly… time.
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