Backstory
I’m often approached by friends and connections who want to test out a business idea or share their creative work. They are usually extremely non-technical people, who want guidance and recommendations. I’ve spent my whole career working with early stage startups and gladly share my ideas and time with others looking to do the same.
Results
I created First Step Strategy to provide pro-bono mentorship to makers. To date, I’ve worked with 10 makers in various stages of an idea. From friends and connections to complete strangers, the experience of working with other creators has been rewarding. I plan to continue offering free mentorship with the hopes of inspiring creativity in others.
Inspired by the no-code movement and my MakerPad membership, I challenged myself to build First Step Strategy in under a day. The site was built and hosted on Carrd and utilizes an embedded Typeform to gather responses.
I hope to expand this style of peer mentorship into a bigger program at some point. There are plenty of large communities that exist online for makers and entrepreneurs, but there aren't enough small, peer-groups. I believe there is a real benefit to interacting with a group in an intimate and on-going setting
This project showcases many of the business strategies I preach to first time founders and even my own clients. I'm a strong proponent of using available technology, rather than building from scratch. In this situation, an interactive Typeform was far more effective than attempting to design a form from scratch.
Max replied very quickly to my submission with a short video, which was wonderful. It provided specific steps and advice regarding what I could do to be more effective in reaching my audience and marketing strategies. It was specific and applicable to what I was doing.
Lisa Watkins
Holsitic Medicine Practicioner and Entrepreneur