Zero to One GTM: Refining My Value Proposition

Bridging from ICP jobs-to-be-done to my value prop while acknowledging real challenges

Day 28 of writing daily.¹

I’ve been thinking a lot about value proposition.

I certainly still need to hone it down (more on that directly below), but a few things I’ve realized.

1. My goal is to niche down and become an n of 1 while still being able to deliver value to a wide enough audience to live comfortably.

2. I need to stop thinking of going after jobs that people hold, and really frame it in terms of jobs-to-be-done and value to be unlocked ²

3. Getting the marginal client has felt really tough until this point (not unlike other pre-product market fit companies at the nascent stage³) BUT

   1. I need to remind myself things can shift as I continue to go through this process of refinement of the ICP, problem, value prop, offering.

   2. I also need to make space for an abundant mindset vs. always holding tightly to a scarcity mindset⁴

Relatedly, so here I’m going to showcase some continued evolution and thinking of my value proposition.

⬆️ Version 1 of my headline value prop

See: https://bit.ly/davidfuconsulting

I’m your human copilot 👨🏻‍✈️ for 0 → 1 product dev and GTM in education 🎒 workforce 💼 and beyond ✨

BUT I’m increasingly realizing my real unlock and power might be this:

You get equal parts:

👨🏻‍✈️ strategic co-pilot

🧑🏻‍🔧 hands-on doer (+ coach, active listener)

I’ve realized this from testimonials/past engagements and continued engagement and why people are asking for my help and the help they want from me.

The new problem arises is that this feels wide vs. narrow, so I’m trying to figure out how to deliver on some value prop aligned with this while also having a particular repeatable process and support I’m providing.

💼 Evolving Value Prop from Job-to-be-Done

If I focus, I can see overlap btw jobs to be done for ICP 1 and ICP 3⁵ :

• ICP 1 (founders, early stage): Help achieve product-market fit

• ICP 3 (accelerators, studios, etc.) Support their founders and startups to also achieve product-market fit.

🌟 Value Proposition in Practice:

🧠 Unlocking Brain Space for founders and leaders.

I’m someone they can bring in to build, implement, and provide strategic thought partnership to launch and grow their business. The value I deliver is through:

• startup ICP 1:
  refining your product-market fit
  (through execution and experimentation driving learning & strategic iteration)

• incubator/program/studio ICP 3:
  providing frameworks, coaching, and facilitation to help their founders navigate product-market fit.

One of the interesting aspects of my prior value proposition was its emphasis on being a "human copilot. Being a strategic thought partner is a way to capture that as well.

On the other hand, a big question I still have: is there enough of a market within edtech or how might I complete effectively enough to capture a significant portion, or do I need to go broader. My current value prop no longer speaks to edtech so is it too broad? We’ll see, but that’s the constant dance and evolution!

🔑 Conclusion

The value proposition is an essential bridge btw ICP and their job to be done/pain and your solution. It evolves as you refine your understanding of their pain points and how to address them. Right now, I’m in the process of wrestling down my own value prop to something more precise, but it’s an ongoing journey to finding my own product-market fit.

Remember, it’s OK if things feel tough in the early stages (today, I wrote that statement as much for me as my audience). Refinement takes time, but with constant iteration and attention to customer needs, the value prop will become clearer.

1. Yesterday became somewhat of a cluster related to maintenance / service of my car. Hence why I didn’t have time or energy to publish.

2. Connected with my recent post about naming pain, job to be done, impact if left unsolved and the growth you can help businesses achieve.

3. The precise quote about nascent stage:

That’s because the hallmark of this level is that it lacks repeatability — that’s to be expected at Level 1. Finding the marginal customer is the opposite of easy. At this point, you’re not entirely clear on what a customer needs to look like in order to be the right fit for what you’re building.

4. Re what I shared about imposter syndrome and fear a few weeks ago, and while cash flow management is super tight, and juggling capacity and onboarding/offboarding clients every few months.

Left to right: ICP 1 founder early stage | ICP 2 larger org leader | ICP 3 studio, incubator

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