Started Grizzle on a weekend after reading "Sprint" by Jake Knapp.
The idea for a done-for-you guest blogging service came to mind after getting featured in MarketingProfs, CMI, and Smart Insights among others for my own content.
Instead of a grand launch with zero validation, I opted for constraint:
1. I could only use resources I had access to
2. I had to generate my first sales appointment in two weeks
This meant that I needed to find a domain name I already had (if you're anything like me, you have dozens), as well as hosting, WP themes and the like.
I even had to prospect 100 leads manually with blood, sweat and tears.
It also meant that, if I didn't get any interest in two weeks, I'd move on. After starting several failed ventures over the years, this thought was freeing.
Here's the exact activity I did to validate the service:
1. Set up a website. I already owned the Grizzle.io domain from a previous project, and a WordPress theme c/o my employer at the time. I used Gimp to create a logo from a free font, but nudged alignment around to make it look interesting (I use the same exact logo today)
2. Write website copy. I used a framework called SCQA to write my copy (situation, complication, question and answer). One page only.
3. Write a three-email outreach sequence. The first email I sent was long. But I knew that, in order to give prospects the chance to make a decision, they needed all the information they needed. I could redeem myself with succinct follow-ups.
4. Use Angel.co, Hunter.io (then "Email Hunter") and LinkedIn to find prospect data. I did this all manually on a Saturday and Sunday.
5. Tee up the outreach using free trial of ToutApp (now acquired by Marketo).
I got my first response on the same day. David from ReferralCandy would go on to become my first client.
Then more came in. I closed my first three clients in 45 days, with a total of 5 in the first two months since the experiment started.
In two months I turned Grizzle from a brain-fart to a $5k+ MRR business.
It's now a full-service content agency, but that's for another story.
The idea for a done-for-you guest blogging service came to mind after getting featured in MarketingProfs, CMI, and Smart Insights among others for my own content.
Instead of a grand launch with zero validation, I opted for constraint:
1. I could only use resources I had access to
2. I had to generate my first sales appointment in two weeks
This meant that I needed to find a domain name I already had (if you're anything like me, you have dozens), as well as hosting, WP themes and the like.
I even had to prospect 100 leads manually with blood, sweat and tears.
It also meant that, if I didn't get any interest in two weeks, I'd move on. After starting several failed ventures over the years, this thought was freeing.
Here's the exact activity I did to validate the service:
1. Set up a website. I already owned the Grizzle.io domain from a previous project, and a WordPress theme c/o my employer at the time. I used Gimp to create a logo from a free font, but nudged alignment around to make it look interesting (I use the same exact logo today)
2. Write website copy. I used a framework called SCQA to write my copy (situation, complication, question and answer). One page only.
3. Write a three-email outreach sequence. The first email I sent was long. But I knew that, in order to give prospects the chance to make a decision, they needed all the information they needed. I could redeem myself with succinct follow-ups.
4. Use Angel.co, Hunter.io (then "Email Hunter") and LinkedIn to find prospect data. I did this all manually on a Saturday and Sunday.
5. Tee up the outreach using free trial of ToutApp (now acquired by Marketo).
I got my first response on the same day. David from ReferralCandy would go on to become my first client.
Then more came in. I closed my first three clients in 45 days, with a total of 5 in the first two months since the experiment started.
In two months I turned Grizzle from a brain-fart to a $5k+ MRR business.
It's now a full-service content agency, but that's for another story.