# Startup Advisor > Expert startup guidance covering lean startup methodology, MVP definition, product-market fit measurement, funding strategy, key metrics, pivot decisions, and stage-appropriate advice from ideation through scale. Use when the user asks about startup advisor or needs help with related topics. Do NOT use for unrelated domains or when a more specialized skill exists. - Skill: `ferroxlabs/startup-advisor` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ferroxlabs/startup-advisor` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ferroxlabs/startup-advisor/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: Apache-2.0 - Author: FerroxLabs (https://skillmd.com/u/ferroxlabs) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ferroxlabs/startup-advisor --- # Startup Advisor ## When to Use **Use this skill when:** - The user is building a startup and needs guidance on lean methodology, MVP definition, or product-market fit measurement - The user wants help with funding strategy, key metrics, or deciding whether to pivot - The user needs stage-appropriate advice from ideation through scale for a venture-backed business - The user wants to understand startup economics, fundraising rounds, or growth metrics **Do NOT use this skill when:** - The user is bootstrapping without plans to raise funding (use bootstrapper-playbook instead) - The user wants to write a formal business plan (use business-planner instead) - The user needs to build a specific pitch deck for investors (use pitch-deck-builder instead) ## Process 1. **Gather requirements.** Ask the user clarifying questions about their specific context, goals, constraints, and experience level. 2. **Analyze the situation.** Review the information provided and identify key factors, challenges, and opportunities relevant to startup advisor. 3. **Develop the framework.** Create a structured approach tailored to the user's needs, incorporating best practices and domain-specific considerations. 4. **Deliver actionable output.** Present specific, implementable recommendations with clear rationale, timelines, and success criteria. 5. **Address edge cases.** Proactively identify potential issues, alternative approaches, and contingency plans. **Use this skill when:** - User needs guidance on startup advisor - User asks about startup advisor best practices or techniques - User wants a structured approach to startup advisor **Do NOT use this skill when:** - A more specialized skill exists for the specific subtopic - The request is outside the scope of startup advisor A comprehensive startup advisory skill that provides stage-appropriate guidance from ideation through scale. Built on Lean Startup methodology, product-market fit frameworks, and real-world startup operating practices. Covers strategy, metrics, fundraising, team building, and decision-making frameworks. --- ## Questions to Ask the User First 1. **What is your startup idea?** (One sentence) 2. **What stage are you at?** - Ideation (just an idea) - Validation (testing assumptions) - MVP (building first version) - Early traction (first customers) - Growth (scaling what works) - Scale (optimizing and expanding) 3. **Are you a solo founder or do you have co-founders?** 4. **What is your background/expertise?** 5. **Are you working on this full-time?** 6. **Do you have any traction?** (Users, revenue, LOIs, waitlist) 7. **How are you funded?** (Self-funded, friends/family, angel, VC, revenue) 8. **What is your biggest challenge right now?** 9. **What is your target customer?** 10. **What is your timeline / runway?** --- ## Startup Stage Framework ### Stage 1: Ideation **Goal:** Validate that a real problem exists worth solving. ``` IDEATION CHECKLIST: PROBLEM VALIDATION: - [ ] Can you describe the problem in one sentence? - [ ] Have you experienced this problem yourself? - [ ] Have you talked to 10+ people who have this problem? - [ ] Can you quantify the cost of this problem? (time, money, frustration) - [ ] Are people actively seeking solutions today? SOLUTION BRAINSTORMING: - [ ] List 5+ possible solutions - [ ] Identify which solution is simplest to test - [ ] Define what "better" means vs. existing alternatives - [ ] Identify your unfair advantage for building this FOUNDER-MARKET FIT: - [ ] Why are YOU the right person to solve this? - [ ] What unique insight do you have? - [ ] What resources/connections do you bring? - [ ] Are you passionate enough to work on this for 7-10 years? QUICK TESTS: - Create a landing page describing the solution - Run a "fake door" test (CTA that measures interest) - Post in relevant communities and measure response - Talk to 20 potential customers (do NOT pitch -- just listen) ``` ### Stage 2: Validation **Goal:** Prove that customers will pay for your solution. ``` VALIDATION EXPERIMENTS: EXPERIMENT 1: Problem Interviews (Week 1-2) Target: 20 customer interviews Script: "Tell me about the last time you experienced {{problem}}..." Success metric: 80%+ confirm the problem is significant Result: [ ] Validated [ ] Invalidated EXPERIMENT 2: Solution Interviews (Week 2-3) Target: 15 solution interviews with mockup/prototype Script: "Here is how we would solve {{problem}}. Would you use this?" Success metric: 60%+ express strong interest Result: [ ] Validated [ ] Invalidated EXPERIMENT 3: Willingness to Pay (Week 3-4) Target: 10 pricing conversations Method: Van Westendorp or direct pricing question Script: "If this existed today, what would you expect to pay?" Success metric: Price supports viable business model Result: [ ] Validated [ ] Invalidated EXPERIMENT 4: Pre-Sales (Week 4-6) Target: 5 pre-orders, LOIs, or deposits Method: Offer early access at discount for commitment Success metric: Real money or binding commitment changes hands Result: [ ] Validated [ ] Invalidated ``` ### Stage 3: MVP (Minimum Viable Product) **Goal:** Build the smallest thing that delivers the core value. ``` MVP DEFINITION WORKSHEET CORE JOB TO BE DONE: {{What is the #1 thing your product must do?}} MVP FEATURE SET (be ruthless): MUST HAVE (launch blockers): 1. {{feature}} -- Why: {{it directly delivers core value}} 2. {{feature}} -- Why: {{without it, product cannot function}} 3. {{feature}} -- Why: {{required for payment/onboarding}} SHOULD HAVE (Week 2-4 post-launch): 1. {{feature}} 2. {{feature}} COULD HAVE (Month 2-3): 1. {{feature}} 2. {{feature}} WILL NOT HAVE (explicitly excluded): 1. {{feature}} -- Why: {{distraction from core value}} 2. {{feature}} -- Why: {{premature optimization}} MVP TYPE: [ ] Concierge MVP (manually deliver the value) [ ] Wizard of Oz (looks automated, human-powered behind scenes) [ ] Single-feature product (one thing done well) [ ] Landing page + manual process [ ] Piecemeal MVP (stitch together existing tools) TIMELINE: {{weeks}} weeks BUDGET: ${{budget}} SUCCESS CRITERIA: {{measurable_outcome}} ``` ### Stage 4: Early Traction **Goal:** Find repeatable customer acquisition and prove product-market fit. ``` PRODUCT-MARKET FIT ASSESSMENT THE SEAN ELLIS TEST: Ask existing users: "How would you feel if you could no longer use {{product}}?" Very disappointed: {{pct}}% (target: 40%+) Somewhat disappointed: {{pct}}% Not disappointed: {{pct}}% RETENTION ANALYSIS: Day 1 retention: {{pct}}% Day 7 retention: {{pct}}% Day 30 retention: {{pct}}% Is retention flattening? {{yes/no}} (good = yes, curve flattens) ORGANIC GROWTH SIGNALS: - [ ] Users referring other users without being asked - [ ] Inbound leads increasing - [ ] Usage frequency increasing over time - [ ] Users complaining when product is down - [ ] Users finding creative uses you did not anticipate NET PROMOTER SCORE: NPS: {{score}} (-100 to +100, target: 50+) VERDICT: [ ] Strong PMF -- Accelerate growth [ ] Emerging PMF -- Double down on what is working [ ] Weak PMF -- Iterate on product/positioning [ ] No PMF -- Consider pivot ``` ### Stage 5: Growth **Goal:** Scale acquisition channels and optimize unit economics. ``` GROWTH FRAMEWORK IDENTIFY YOUR GROWTH ENGINE: [ ] Viral: Users naturally invite others Key metric: Viral coefficient (target: >1.0) [ ] Sticky: High retention drives growth Key metric: Churn rate (target: <5% monthly) [ ] Paid: Profitable customer acquisition Key metric: LTV:CAC ratio (target: >3:1) CHANNEL TESTING MATRIX: | Channel | Cost to Test | Timeline | Expected CAC | Status | |-------------------|-------------|----------|-------------|-----------| | Content/SEO | ${{}} | 3-6 mo | ${{}} | {{}} | | Paid Search | ${{}} | 2-4 wk | ${{}} | {{}} | | Paid Social | ${{}} | 2-4 wk | ${{}} | {{}} | | Cold Outreach | ${{}} | 2-4 wk | ${{}} | {{}} | | Partnerships | ${{}} | 1-3 mo | ${{}} | {{}} | | Referral Program | ${{}} | 1-2 mo | ${{}} | {{}} | | Community/Events | ${{}} | 2-3 mo | ${{}} | {{}} | | PR/Media | ${{}} | 1-3 mo | ${{}} | {{}} | GROWTH PRIORITIES (ICE Framework): Impact (1-10) x Confidence (1-10) x Ease (1-10) = ICE Score | Experiment | Impact | Confidence | Ease | Score | |--------------------------|--------|------------|------|-------| | {{experiment_1}} | {{}} | {{}} | {{}} | {{}} | | {{experiment_2}} | {{}} | {{}} | {{}} | {{}} | | {{experiment_3}} | {{}} | {{}} | {{}} | {{}} | ``` ### Stage 6: Scale **Goal:** Build organizational capacity and expand markets. ``` SCALING READINESS CHECKLIST: PRODUCT: - [ ] Core product is stable and reliable - [ ] Infrastructure can handle 10x current load - [ ] Customer onboarding is self-serve or semi-automated - [ ] Support is scalable (help docs, chatbot, tiered support) TEAM: - [ ] Key leadership roles are filled - [ ] Hiring pipeline is established - [ ] Culture and values are documented - [ ] Management structure exists for 3x current headcount OPERATIONS: - [ ] Key processes are documented - [ ] Financial controls and reporting are in place - [ ] Legal and compliance requirements are met - [ ] Vendor/partner relationships are formalized GROWTH: - [ ] At least 2 acquisition channels are working - [ ] Unit economics are positive and improving - [ ] Expansion revenue (upsell/cross-sell) strategy exists - [ ] International/geographic expansion plan (if applicable) ``` --- ## Key Startup Metrics ### Metric Definitions and Benchmarks ``` CORE METRICS DASHBOARD ACQUISITION: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Formula: Total sales & marketing spend / New customers acquired Benchmark: Varies by industry, but LTV:CAC should be >3:1 Your CAC: ${{cac}} Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR): Formula: Sum of all monthly subscription revenue Growth rate: {{mrr_growth}}% MoM (healthy: 10-20% early stage) Your MRR: ${{mrr}} Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR): Formula: MRR x 12 Your ARR: ${{arr}} RETENTION: Churn Rate (Monthly): Formula: Customers lost in month / Customers at start of month Benchmark: <5% monthly for SMB, <1% for enterprise Your churn: {{churn}}% Net Revenue Retention (NRR): Formula: (Starting MRR + Expansion - Contraction - Churn) / Starting MRR Benchmark: >100% (best-in-class: >120%) Your NRR: {{nrr}}% ECONOMICS: Lifetime Value (LTV): Formula: ARPU / Monthly churn rate Your LTV: ${{ltv}} LTV:CAC Ratio: Formula: LTV / CAC Benchmark: 3:1 minimum, 5:1+ for healthy businesses Your ratio: {{ratio}}:1 Payback Period: Formula: CAC / Monthly gross profit per customer Benchmark: <12 months Your payback: {{months}} months ENGAGEMENT: Daily Active Users (DAU): {{dau}} Monthly Active Users (MAU): {{mau}} DAU/MAU Ratio: {{ratio}}% (benchmark: 20%+ is good, 50%+ is excellent) BURN: Monthly Burn Rate: ${{burn}} Runway: {{months}} months (cash / monthly burn) Months to default (if declining runway): {{months}} ``` --- ## Pivot vs. Persevere Decision Framework ``` PIVOT ASSESSMENT Answer each question honestly: TRACTION SIGNALS: 1. Are users/customers actively using the product? {{yes/no}} 2. Is there organic growth (word-of-mouth)? {{yes/no}} 3. Are users willing to pay the target price? {{yes/no}} 4. Is usage increasing over time? {{yes/no}} 5. Do users get upset when the product is unavailable? {{yes/no}} Score: {{count}}/5 -- If < 2, strongly consider a pivot. PIVOT OPTIONS: Zoom-in pivot: One feature becomes the whole product Zoom-out pivot: Whole product becomes one feature of larger product Customer segment pivot: Same product, different customer Customer need pivot: Same customer, different problem Platform pivot: Change from app to platform (or vice versa) Business model pivot: Change how you monetize Channel pivot: Change how you reach customers Technology pivot: Same solution, different technology Value capture pivot: Change your pricing/revenue model DECISION MATRIX: | Factor | Persevere | Pivot | |-----------------------------|-----------|-------| | Customer feedback | {{}} | {{}} | | Metrics trend | {{}} | {{}} | | Team energy/conviction | {{}} | {{}} | | Market timing | {{}} | {{}} | | Competitive landscape | {{}} | {{}} | | Runway remaining | {{}} | {{}} | DECISION: [ ] Persevere [ ] Pivot to: {{pivot_type}} RATIONALE: {{why}} ``` --- ## Funding Options by Stage ``` FUNDING ROADMAP PRE-SEED ($25K - $500K): Sources: - Personal savings / Friends & family - Accelerators (Y Combinator, Techstars, etc.) - Angel investors - SAFE notes or convertible notes - Government grants (SBIR/STTR in US) What investors expect: Team + idea + initial validation SEED ($500K - $3M): Sources: - Angel groups and syndicates - Seed-stage VC funds - Revenue-based financing (if revenue exists) - Crowdfunding (Republic, Wefunder) What investors expect: MVP + early traction + clear market SERIES A ($3M - $15M): Sources: - Institutional VC funds - Corporate venture capital What investors expect: Product-market fit + $1M+ ARR + growth rate SERIES B+ ($15M+): Sources: - Growth-stage VC - Private equity - Strategic investors What investors expect: Proven unit economics + scalable growth engine ALTERNATIVE FUNDING: - Bootstrapping: Fund from revenue - Revenue-based financing: Percentage of revenue until repaid - Venture debt: Debt alongside equity raise - Grants: Non-dilutive government/foundation funding - Strategic partnerships: Advance payments or joint ventures ``` --- ## Common Startup Pitfalls ### Top 20 Reasons Startups Fail (and How to Avoid Them) | Rank | Pitfall | Prevention | |------|---------|------------| | 1 | No market need | Validate before building. Talk to 50+ customers. | | 2 | Ran out of cash | Know your runway. Raise before you need to. | | 3 | Wrong team | Co-founder alignment on vision, values, and commitment. | | 4 | Got outcompeted | Focus on speed and customer intimacy, not features. | | 5 | Pricing/cost issues | Test pricing early. Know your unit economics. | | 6 | Poor product | Ship fast, get feedback, iterate weekly. | | 7 | No business model | Know how you make money from Day 1. | | 8 | Poor marketing | Find one channel that works before diversifying. | | 9 | Ignored customers | Talk to customers weekly. Build feedback loops. | | 10 | Bad timing | Study market readiness. Why now matters. | | 11 | Lost focus | Say no to 90% of ideas. Do one thing well. | | 12 | Team disharmony | Written co-founder agreement. Regular check-ins. | | 13 | Pivot gone wrong | Pivot based on data, not desperation. | | 14 | Lack of passion | Work on problems you genuinely care about. | | 15 | Bad location | Remote-first or relocate to where your customers are. | | 16 | No financing | Build relationships with investors before you need money. | | 17 | Legal challenges | Get legal advice early on IP, contracts, and compliance. | | 18 | No network | Join communities, attend events, help others first. | | 19 | Burnout | Pace yourself. This is a marathon, not a sprint. | | 20 | Fail to pivot | Set kill criteria before experiments. Be honest. | --- ## Founder Operating System ### Weekly Startup Cadence ``` WEEKLY OPERATING RHYTHM MONDAY: - Review key metrics dashboard (30 min) - Set 3 weekly priorities with team (30 min) - Customer outreach / check-ins (1 hr) TUESDAY-THURSDAY: - Heads-down execution on priorities - Daily standup (15 min max) - Customer interviews or sales calls (scheduled) FRIDAY: - Week in review: What worked? What did not? (30 min) - Update investors / advisors (if applicable) - Plan next week - Reflect: Are we closer to product-market fit? MONTHLY: - Full metrics review and trend analysis - Board update or advisor call - Financial review (burn rate, runway) - One strategic deep-dive (pricing, positioning, roadmap) QUARTERLY: - OKR review and reset - Competitive landscape review - Team retrospective - Fundraising status assessment ``` --- ## Output Checklist - [ ] Advice is appropriate for the user's current stage - [ ] Recommendations are specific and actionable (not generic) - [ ] Metrics and benchmarks are cited for context - [ ] Next steps are clearly defined with timelines - [ ] Risks and potential pitfalls are flagged - [ ] Founder is encouraged but given honest feedback - [ ] Templates provided are ready to use immediately ## Output Format Deliver the response as a structured document with clear headings and actionable content. Use tables for comparisons, numbered lists for sequential steps, and bullet points for options. Include specific examples where applicable. ``` [Startup Advisor deliverable] 1. Context and objectives 2. Analysis or framework 3. Specific recommendations with rationale 4. Action items with timeline ``` ## Example **Input:** "Help me with startup advisor for a mid-size project." **Output:** A complete startup advisor framework tailored to the specific context, with actionable steps, relevant considerations, and measurable outcomes. ## Edge Cases - **Incomplete information:** Ask clarifying questions before proceeding rather than making assumptions - **Conflicting requirements:** Identify trade-offs explicitly and present options with pros and cons - **Scale mismatch:** Adapt recommendations to match the user's context (individual vs. team vs. organization) - **Domain crossover:** When the request overlaps with other skill domains, address what falls within scope and reference specialized skills for the rest