Framework · Steve Blank
Customer development — get out of the building
The first job is learning who pays, not polishing slides. Customer development is a series of conversations and small offers until the story in your head matches the story in their calendar.
7 min · educational exit planning
Outreach is phase 7 for a reason. You do not wait for a perfect site. You wait for a reply.
Discovery is not a funnel yet
First you confirm the problem is frequent and expensive. Then you confirm they will take a next step that costs them something (time or money). Then you confirm they will pay you, not a hypothetical company. Skip a step and you will 'launch' to silence.
The YEP version
Phases 1–2 are clarity and named humans. Phase 7 is first outreach. Phase 8 is first sale. The Mom Test is how you talk. Customer development is why you leave the house (or the Zoom room) on purpose, every week, until the pattern holds.
A weekly cadence that fits 1–3 hours/day
Monday: list of names. Tue–Thu: conversations or follow-ups. Friday: what changed in the offer. Catch Up Weeks exist in the program for a reason — backlog is not failure. Disappearing into slides is.
This week
1. Ten names
Real people. Channel next to each name. Send the first five messages today.
2. One costly next step
Ask for a paid pilot, a deposit, or a 45-minute working session — not a compliment.
Related in the archive
- The Mom Test — real conversations
Do not pitch. Ask about the last time they felt the problem. Names, not categories.
- Action over theory (About)
Day 1 is not 'meditate on your customer avatar.' It is find 10 real humans who might pay, and message them.
- Customer Interview Script
10 open-ended questions already in the YEP template library. Use these instead of inventing a survey.
- 90-Day Implementation Roadmap
Validate → Build → Launch. This is the same 3-phase system Launch Score sequences against.
Next: score the idea or return to all guides.
Educational exit-planning material. Not legal, financial, tax, or investment advice. Talk to real buyers. When the stakes are formation, contracts, or money you cannot lose, talk to a licensed professional — not a webpage.