A product, but an unclear buyer
Several markets sound plausible; the buyer for a specific use case is still missing.
When this helps
Busy is no longer enough.
A studio depends on one client
The team has capability, but the next offer has not been tested outside its existing contract.
A partnership stays a conversation
There is interest, but the pilot, resources and commercial terms remain undefined.
Scope
An agreed scope with an end.
- One target segment, a specific buyer problem and clear qualification criteria.
- An offer, pricing, pilot boundaries and initial delivery economics.
- A map of up to 20 target companies, contact checks and an agreed communication test.
- Market conversations, a record of signals and objections, and the next commercial experiment.
How it works
From facts to a working change.
Weeks 1-2 · choose
Compare the opportunity with experience, buyer access, test cost and team capacity.
Weeks 3-4 · test
Test language and pricing through available conversations; separate interest from willingness to buy.
Weeks 5-6 · shape the pilot
Define scope, milestones, costs, acceptance criteria and the commercial proposal.
By week 8 · decide
Consolidate evidence, constraints and economics. Recommend continuing, changing the segment or stopping.
Acceptance
Know what the team will keep.
Handover includes the offer, buyer criteria, contact map, test results, available conversation records and pilot economics. The founder has inspectable reasons for the next decision. A paid pilot is a possible commercial outcome, not a guaranteed deliverable.
Boundaries
Ownership needs boundaries.
The base scope covers one segment and one offer. It does not include full product development, mass outbound, advertising spend, legal opinions or a guaranteed funding round. Responses and meetings depend on the market; record completed work and actual signals.
Relevant experience
I have worked inside the change.
At Nord Beaver, I connected production with commercial relationships involving AliExpress, 1inch and Burning Man. At Mind Meal, I helped build publishing capability and worked with Tencent and Perfect World Europe. At Kujo, I connect product use cases, partners and production capacity.
More about the experiencePricing and start
6-8 weeks · from $6,000 per project
From $6,000 for a 6-8 week project. Agree the segment, available materials, personal-work scope and team involvement before starting. The fixed fee pays for the agreed validation work; a commercial success fee can be agreed separately and does not replace the base fee.
Before starting, agree the outcome, scope, team involvement, decision rights and acceptance. Calendly books an introduction, not a paid project.
Questions
Do you guarantee the first customers?
No. I own the agreed validation and quality of commercial work. Buyer decisions and procurement timing remain outside the project's control.
Can we begin without a finished product?
Yes, when value can be tested without full development. If significant engineering is needed first, narrow the hypothesis and the budget before committing.
What if the hypothesis fails?
That can be a useful result when the test and the reason to stop are clear. Agree stopping criteria before starting.
RELATED THINKING
When to change direction: market signals and the cost of transition