Building the Future with Customer Obsession

Gaining expertise comes from direct experience and action.

"There's no better way to be the expert than just to do the work. And you might be surprised at how quickly you get to become the expert."

• Dive in to rapidly build expertise.
• Hands-on experience is invaluable.
• Starting now accelerates growth.

Crisis periods can clarify purpose and guide choices.

"When I thought about it from that perspective... this was a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of the journey."

• Long-term vision guides crisis responses.
• Decisions aligning with values strengthen company.
• Investing in customers pays off over time.

Commitment to your mission is essential during funding difficulties.

"There were a few years actually in a row... where I continued to struggle to raise capital."

• Persistence is crucial facing skepticism.
• Strong metrics validate your approach.
• Confidence can eventually convince investors.

Analyzing customer behavior can optimize profitability.

"Actually, the unit economics were much stronger outside of the city centers... higher baskets meant larger revenues."

• Larger orders increase revenue per delivery.
• Operational efficiencies in less obvious areas.
• Data-driven decisions enhance profitability.

Targeting overlooked markets can lead to better growth opportunities.

"Because we had done all the deliveries ourselves... we kept hearing over and again that the need was very, very strong outside of these city centers."

• Listening to customers reveals untapped markets.
• Suburbs offered better economics.
• Contrarian strategies can outperform.

Crises can shape company culture and reinforce core values.

"We took maybe 10 seconds to make the decision to refund everybody... baked cookies so that we could deliver them at around 5 a.m."

• Responding decisively builds customer trust.
• Turning negatives into positives defines values.
• Being customer-obsessed differentiates a startup.

Fundraising can be tough, but persistence is key when investors are skeptical.

"Demo day, however, was not successful... the company almost went out of business because we didn't raise a lot of money."

• Internal conviction drives through tough times.
• Belief in metrics and mission navigates rejections.
• Sometimes, one investor's yes is enough.

Early validation of customer demand is crucial for startups seeking product-market fit.

"The number one thing we were very scared about was whether or not consumers would want this product... we wanted to make sure consumers would pay us for the service."

• Test willingness to pay to validate demand.
• Focus on viability questions.
• Customer feedback informs development.

Building a successful product often means getting hands-on experience from the ground up.

"All four of us did all the deliveries... we wanted to actually feel what it was like their lived experience."

• Founders understand the business by doing the work.
• Uncovers insights to improve operations.
• Informs better product decisions.

Finding product-market fit often starts with understanding real customer pain points.

"It was toward the end of the time we spent with the store manager that she had showed us a booklet of orders she had turned down, all of them were delivery orders."

• Immersing in customers' environment reveals unmet needs.
• Observing real problems leads to compelling ideas.
• Engage directly with users to uncover opportunities.