Introduction

Your idea for a digital product, online service, mobile app or offline retail business is only great if people or companies will pay for it. At the end of the day you have to make money.

Let's start by developing a product and marketing strategy to get 100 people or businesses to pay for your product or service. The sad reality is that most entrepreneurs can't even sell 1 customer.

The key to selling your first 100 customers is to leverage your personal strengths and resources, simplify every component of the product, narrow your focus to a single use, have the right distribution system and partners and merchandise effectively that drive your first 100 sales. I call my overall product and marketing strategy the Power of 100.

The majority of entrepreneurs and startups don't need a business plan. What we need is a product and marketing strategy.

Is your business, product or service idea really as good as you think?

Is there room to improve it or to iterate to strengthen the product?

Have you thought through all the components of your product or business and simplified or scaled-down the overall marketing strategy with the goal of selling 100 customers?

This is not just the Lean product concept but getting lean and focused in how you distribute and sell to your first 100 customers as well.