It’s easy to have an idea. It’s not too hard to get a startup going. And it’s not necessarily all that hard to build an MVP.
It’s the last challenge, making something consumers want and will pay for, that separates the field.
A lot goes into that process, says the co-founders of a Kansas City startup that aims to mentor and consult fledgling startups. Proof —a product strategy and development consultancy— has grown over the past few months to lend a hand.
Nate Allen and Willis Jackson III want to “teach you how to write your own map,” Allen told SPN.
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Practice makes perfect, or in this case, process makes perfect.
The co-founders have spent years in startups and tech companies, also mentoring others through a number of Startup Weekends—they’re regulars at KC startup community events.
After working together occasionally on several projects, the two decided to join forces with Jackson reaching out to Allen about Proof’s potential. Their experiences helped them piece together a formula, using lean principles, they say will help startups make the right decisions along the way. They’ve seen the missteps, including their own, and are ready to guide startups down a steadier path.
“We want to see a change in how people start businesses,” Jackson (right) told SPN.
They describe their company as a “development consultant that pays attention to clients’ needs.”
Their process is to use market data to validate that the idea has legs and find its focus, design products for customers to test, get that data back and help build a final solution. The emphasis at all times is on learning throughout the process.
“You should test something before you build it out,” Jackson said. “[Startups] understand they should use lean principles, but have problems applying them. They’re the most susceptible to getting the wrong thing built, and get killed if they do.”
Startups at any stage of investment—bootstrapped, seed funded or venture backed—can find a fit with Proof, though they most often have a few customers and a start on data. Most also are from outside KC right now—Jackson made a lot of contacts through his last position at Databasically—but they hope to help local companies grow.
For now, they can handle about eight clients at any time with the help of contractors, including Allen’s co-founder at Four First Names. They said there’s a number of flexible ways startups can pay for their service, but the key is to “get them on early and see if they’re serious,” Jackson said.
Allen (left) said reading about lean principles make sense, but it’s a whole other struggle when it comes to putting them to use every day in a business.
And unlike many dev shops that require companies come up with technical requirements and make technical decisions on their own, Proof hopes to distinguish itself by bringing that know-how to the equation.
“You should be focused on your business,” Allen said.
You can find Proof on the 5th floor of the Think Big Partners building, 1800 Baltimore.
