90% of startups fail. These three questions are how to get into the 10%

90% of startups fail. If you want to be in the 10% that makes it, you need to answer these 3 questions about your business:

1️⃣ Whom do you solve what problem for?
2️⃣ What is your solution and how does it work?
3️⃣ Why should they choose you over their current alternatives?

That’s six total components:

• who

• problem

• solution

• how it works

• why you

• current alternatives

Together, these six make up your positioning.

If everything is clear, it makes your dream customers think, “Wait, are you in my head? I need to solve this problem. Please take my money.”

If even one is unclear, your prospects will be confused. And as we already know, a confused mind never buys.

Do a quick 10-second exercise: how would you rate your positioning right now?

1 point for every component you’ve validated with real Happy Paying Customers.

Go ahead. Take 10 seconds. Be honest.

Plot twist: the only valid scores are 0 or 6.

Your customers either get it, or they do not.

And the only way to be sure you’re at 6? You’ve got a growing number of customers, and you know how to find, keep, and monetize them.

Businesses fail because founders ignore this reality. Don’t be that founder.

Ruthlessly prioritize go-to-market micro-tests from day -1 to validate your entire positioning: these are lightweight, fast, real-world experiments that help you (in)validate who you're targeting, what your positioning is, and how you're reaching them.

You can do this. I’m rooting for you!

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P.S. I put everything about this structured approach into a self-paced GTM Design Pack. It helps founders draft a clear, testable go-to-market plan you can begin micro-testing within a weekend. It is the same methodology used by at least 80 founders. Early birds get one round of review from me to answer any questions you have. Reply to this email if you’d like early access!e