Fastlane · B2C · short video marketing tool
Ask people how they solve the problem today, not whether they like your idea
Found a shared pain for solopreneurs; founder says it told them what to build
Workedvalidationoutbound-sales
What they did
Reach the personal network and DM people on Twitter to get them on calls, paying them if needed. Use The Mom Test: never ask 'would you use this?' or 'do you like my idea?'. Ask 'How are you solving this problem? Walk me through the last time you solved it. How much time or money did it cost? What would happen if you did nothing?' Build once you hear a shared, common painful problem.
What happened
Confirmed a real pain for solopreneurs marketing their products; led to building the MVP
- Stage
- Pre-launch (Pre-build / early build)
“Try DM people on Twitter, and get on a call with them, even if you have to pay them, and just ask them a few questions. We used the principles from this book called The Mom Test.”
“How are you solving this problem? Walk me through exactly the last time you solved this problem. How much time or money did it cost you? What would happen if you did nothing about it?”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Fastlane: Give users 7 extra days of access for booking a call with youAbout 20 calls a week, 2,000 calls total; founder calls it the main growth driver
- Fastlane: Email every waitlist signup a call invite, then silently watch them use the productRevealed lots of UI friction; led to the swipe-style redesign
- Fastlane: Find your heaviest users in analytics and call them to learn what helpsShowed short-form views and installs were the value; team went all-in on it
- Fastlane: Cut an all-in-one marketing AI down to just short-form videoAbout $69K MRR two months after public launch; earlier version had little traction mentioned
- Fastlane: Put all call notes in one AI dashboard and score which customers love youShowed signups who said 'I need marketing now' stick around better than curious ones
- Fastlane: Find early users in Reddit threads and with free lead magnets on socialWaitlist reached about 2,000 people by the December beta
- Fastlane: Sell a paid beta to your waitlist and iterate for months before launchingAbout $16K ARR from beta users before the public launch