🕹 Startup Tycoon Game. Day 7! Final day: Presenting the idea to brand partners.

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📅 FINAL DAY: Presenting Our Solution to Partners.

In case you missed it, we’re simulating the startup journey with Pete, a guy who manages a sporting goods store.

Recap of day one: Pete’s Startup Journey Day 1
Recap of day two: Pete’s Startup Journey Day 2
Recap of day three: Pete’s Startup Journey Day 3
Recap of day four: Pete’s Startup Journey Day 4
Recap of day five: Pete’s Startup Journey Day 5
Recap of day six: Pete’s Startup Journey Day 6

It’s been an amazing week for Pete, who finds himself in front of a sneaker brand, presenting his solution.

👉 How did Pete make this happen?

✔ Realistically a lot of business success hinges on introductions, who you know and sometimes blind luck.

One of the people that read Pete’s post on the sneaker forum has a friend that works for an up-and-coming sneaker brand. Pete received a warm introduction to present his idea.

👉 Note: I added this because in the real-world I presented a sneaker idea on a forum and got introduced to the founder of a major sneaker marketplace - which helped me determine whether or not I should pursue the idea.

✔ Presenting the sneaker checkout solution.

This brand has a loyal and growing following - and they also release sneakers in limited availability drops.

They know the frustrations of their customers and they are interested in Pete’s ideas.

👉 Note: Since the success of Pete’s idea hinges on brands and retailers adopting his checkout technology, it was smart for Pete to get in a room with a brand to gauge their interest. He’s created a mockup and has strong customer feedback to share.

🙋‍♂️ This is how Pete’s day went:
 

1️⃣ First, Pete showed the sneaker brand a simplified mockup of what the final bot-resistant checkout could look like, incorporating the features that received the most interest from sneakerheads (like SMS verification and delayed shipping).

2️⃣ Then he explained the core features that would give sneakerheads a fair shot in drops, reinforcing that the product is user-driven and backed by feedback.

3️⃣ Then Pete shared his hard stats:

✔ He talked to dozens of people in person and many more online and the #1 frustration with sneaker enthusiasts is the drop process — specifically bots.

✔ He gathered information from dozens more and they said they’d much prefer an extended checkout process with SMS and phone verification among other things.

✔ Over half of the people he reached signed up to be notified when this new system becomes available.

✔ Sneaker brands are turning away their most enthusiastic ambassadors in favor of automated bots and resellers.

✔ Ending bots would also protect the aftermarket, as a much smaller percentage of their sneakers would appear on aftermarket platforms.

📃 Summary of Pete’s Accomplishments

• Identified a Major Problem

  • Through research and validation, Pete confirmed that bots dominating limited-edition sneaker drops are a major issue.

• Validated the Solution with Sneakerheads:

  • Built and shared a landing page aimed at sneakerheads, gathering 118 signups and 14 pieces of feedback that guided the development of key features.

• Designed Key Features Based on User Feedback:

  • Incorporated critical features such as SMS and email verification, a 5-minute verification window, and phone number confirmation to ensure real users could access drops without bots getting in the way.

• Mocked Up the Checkout Process (MVP):

  • Created a simplified checkout mockup highlighting the bot-resistant features, giving sneakerheads a fair shot while making the experience seamless and secure.

• Prepared to Pitch to Brands and Retailers:

  • Recognized that for the solution to succeed, brands and retailers must adopt it, making Pete’s next step to show sneaker companies the interest from real users and how this solution can enhance brand loyalty and improve customer trust.

We’ll close the story of Pete in this way:

We acknowledge building a product often ends with pitching to strategic partners or customers. As stated earlier, lucky breaks and introductions are valid reasons for startup success.

⭐ However, you can put yourself in those lucky situations by networking, talking with early customers, refining your idea based on feedback and asking for introductions to key people.

🙋‍♂️ Tell us what you think Pete should have done differently:

😐 In the end, the brand agreed to pilot test the checkout — and even help develop the program.

Pete feels like this is going to be a long process — so he’s glad he didn’t quit his day job.

The pilot test will determine if his solution really does cut out the bots — or if the bots are too smart and adapt.

🙏 Thanks for playing along with us. Over 60,000 people read the story of Pete and many of you participated in polls.

Good luck out there. Reply to this message and let us know what’s on your mind.

📩 Forward this to your friends that like startups.

👉 Let’s connect on LinkedIn here: Aron Meystedt’s LinkedIn

Aron