Title: Goal Setting Workshop
Session context
- Format: Workshop + Q&A + live goal reviews
- Hosts: Louisa (Startmate), Maisy Bennett (Head of Founders)
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/maisy-bennett-818a4b140/
- Audience: Mix of stages (idea validation, MVP, early revenue)
- Objective: Goal-setting theory + set 8-week goals
About the speaker (Maisy Bennett)
- Role: Head of Founders at Startmate; supports accelerator founders
- Background: Science → research → e‑commerce founder → early-stage startups → goal-setting platform (Stability)
- Experience: Extensive 1:1 goal resets; runs this session frequently
Why set goals
| Purpose | Why it matters |
|---|
| Focus | Avoid working on the wrong things |
| Speed | Clear direction accelerates prioritization and delivery |
| Fundraising | Provides milestones to work back from investor expectations |
| Focus area | Input you control | What it answers |
|---|
| Product | Customer interviews, user tests | Are we building the right thing? |
| Distribution | ICP definition, channels, messaging tests | Who to sell to, where to find them, how to pitch |
Stages and typical goals
| Stage | Description | Common goals |
|---|
| 1 | Validate idea | 15+ interviews/week; deep problem mapping; 50+ waitlist by week 6–7; low‑fi wireframes |
| 2 | Build MVP | Continue interviews; MVP milestones/dates; user tests; define value/retention metrics |
| 3 | Get users | DAU/WAU targets; activation; “customer love” signals; convert signups to active use |
| 4 | Revenue | Turn on revenue; aim ~10% WoW (≈40% MoM) after first $; pace toward ~$1M ARR in ~12 months (venture path) |
Three goal types to set every cycle
| Goal type | Examples (pick what fits) | Anti-patterns |
|---|
| Customer-centric | Interviews/demos per week; live usability sessions; booked discovery calls | Counting survey responses |
| Product | DAU/WAU; activation rate; retention; feature adoption; explicit “value/love” metric; MVP/beta milestones and dates | Vague outputs without success criteria |
| Revenue/Demand | Presales; paid pilots; signed LOIs; MRR/ARR; # paying customers; GMV | Waiting indefinitely to charge |
Benchmarks and pacing
| Milestone | Best-in-class guide |
|---|
| Post first revenue | ~10% WoW growth (≈40% MoM) |
| Year-1 venture bar | Rough path toward ~$1M ARR in ~12 months (model dependent) |
| Iteration | Outreach inputs | Result (MRR) | Notes |
|---|
| v1 | 210 cold outbound emails | ~$2k | Insufficient velocity |
| v2 | 1,000 low-touch + 10 high-touch warm intros | ~$3k | Added high-touch leverage |
| v3 | 2,000 low-touch + maintain 10 high-touch | ~$5k → $8k | ~50% MoM growth; momentum into demo day |
Mindset checks
| Question | Action if “No” |
|---|
| Building the right product? | Pivot features/solution after customer insights |
| Does anyone care (enough to use/pay repeatedly)? | Rework positioning, channel, and offer; increase interviews and tests |
| Talking to enough customers? | Raise interview/demos target; try unconventional outreach |
Selected Q&A highlights
| Topic | Takeaway |
|---|
| No MVP yet (validation) | Stay in problem space first; map pains, workflows, buyer vs user; prototype later |
| Selling to government/defense (B2G) | Fewer design partners; find internal champions; go deep with 3–5 orgs |
| Proof vs actual revenue | LOIs/paid pilots can work if backed by extensive discovery and credible buyers |
| Incentivizing interviews | Consumer incentives can help; B2B: lead with empathy and co-creation, not early hard sell |
| Differentiation in crowded AI | Sharpen unique value and positioning; use structured frameworks (e.g., Lenny’s resources) |
| D2C and B2B simultaneously | Explore both in interviews briefly, then pick one to execute; don’t build/sell both at once early |
| When to charge (AI/agents) | First prove usage/obsession (DAU/WAU, activation). Decide free trial/freemium/per-seat/usage; then monetize |
| MVP “speed” complaints | Treat as real; fix performance; confirm willingness to pay if fast |
8-week goal template (fill this in)
| Area | Baseline (now) | Goal (8 weeks) | Weekly target | Success criteria (how you’ll know) |
|---|
| Customer | X interviews/demos per week | Total Y interviews/demos; Z design partners | ≥ N per week | Qualified ICPs; actionable insights per week |
| Product | Current milestone status | MVP/beta dates; features; UX validation | Weekly build + test cadence | DAU/WAU = A; activation ≥ B%; retention ≥ C% |
| Revenue | $MRR and # paying customers | Reach $Z MRR; add P paying customers | 10% WoW growth after first dollar | LOIs/presales/pilots convert to paid usage |
Practical metrics you can choose
| Metric class | Options |
|---|
| Activation | % of new users completing core action within 7 days |
| Usage | DAU/WAU; key feature adoption; session frequency/cadence |
| Retention | Week-4 retained %, day-7 return %, cohort curves |
| Love/value | “Very disappointed if removed” %, qualitative quotes, NPS (later), repeat task completion |
| Demand | # signed LOIs; # paid pilots; presale $; MRR; # paying customers |
Workshop logistics and follow-ups
| Item | Details |
|---|
| Shared worksheet | Add name, one-liner, model, stage; then customer/product/revenue goals |
| Weekly tracking | Submit weekly updates for 8 weeks; reviewed by Louisa; informs internal investment recommendations |
| Doc freeze workaround | Duplicate the entire sheet or draft locally and paste later |
Action items
| Step | Action |
|---|
| 1 | Choose your stage and fill the 8-week goal template (Customer, Product, Revenue/Demand) |
| 2 | Define weekly input targets you control (interviews, demos, outreach volume, tests) |
| 3 | Add explicit dates and success criteria for each product milestone |
| 4 | Establish a weekly review to adjust inputs if you fall behind |