Analyze Industry Trends

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

When conducting market research for your startup, it's crucial to differentiate between primary and secondary research.

Primary research involves gathering data directly from individuals, which provides firsthand insights into customer experiences and needs.

It helps you understand the target audience through methods such as interviews, focus groups, surveys, and observation.

Secondary research relies on existing studies and reports, enabling you to quickly gather industry information.

It allows you to analyze trends, benchmark competitors, and identify gaps that your startup could address.

Here are some key steps for conducting your market research:

Start with primary research by interviewing potential customers to gather their insights.

Conduct focus groups to obtain deeper opinions on your product concepts.

Utilize surveys to quantify customer preferences and behaviors.

Complement this with secondary research by reviewing industry analyst reports and studies relevant to your market segment.

Analyze the combined data to identify key trends, challenges, and opportunities that inform your business strategy.

Once you've gathered and analyzed the information, develop a dual approach using both primary and secondary research to refine your product and go-to-market strategy.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_______________________________________________________

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On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Merom Klein and Louise (Yochee) Klein, co-founders of Courage Growth Partners. Located in San Francisco, California, Courage Growth Partners specializes in helping startups cultivate a strong company culture to drive adoption and success. They work closely with emerging companies to develop techniques that enhance the pitching process and improve communication with investors. Their insights on organizational culture aim to create environments where innovation can thrive and align interests among all stakeholders.

Merom Klein is a business psychologist and leadership expert with extensive experience guiding startups in effective leadership and innovation practices. His partner, Louise Klein, brings expertise in strategic partnerships and organizational development, enriching their approach to supporting startups in navigating the complexities of early-stage growth. Together, they focus on building cultures that foster collaboration, engagement, and shared goals among teams, allowing startups to approach their pitches with authenticity and confidence.

In this episode, Merom and Louise share valuable perspectives on the importance of nurturing a strong enterprise culture from the very beginning of a startup's journey. They emphasize that as soon as a few individuals come together, a company culture begins to form—and being intentional about it can lead to significant advantages down the line. Among the highlights discussed are the five key strengths of a healthy culture that can resonate positively with investors, the need for a "win-win-win" mindset, and the concept of cultivating work as a service to enhance employee engagement and performance.

Visit Courage Growth Partners at www.couragegrowthpartners.com, LinkedIn, and on Twitter. Reach out to them at www.linkedin.com/company/courage-growth-partners and on Twitter.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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Identifying Competitors Through Market Research

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In researching a market segment for launching a startup, identifying competitors is a key component of the work.

Competitors tell you a great deal about the customers, challenges, and composition of the market.

To find the competitors approach the market as a prospective customer and search for solutions online.

This includes searching both the web and social media for a solution to one of the problems you’ve identified in the market.

Capture the results in a competitor map.

In reviewing competitors look for their positioning in the market.

Are they trying to be a differentiated solution or the lowest cost?

This will help define the careabouts of the market.

Map out the value chain of the market and notice where customers and competitors sit.

In a value chain, there are often multiple customers one could pursue.

Look where the competitors are clustered and where they are not.

Check the competition's business model by how they make money.

Examine the amount of money each type of customer has to spend.

Compare the competitor map with the value chain map to see where opportunities may lie.

Look for open spaces that no competitors are directly targeting.

Capture the results in a value chain and competitor map.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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Questions To Use in Market Research

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In researching a market use these questions to find out more:

Who are these people in the market?

Where can you find them?

What are their challenges?

What do they aspire to achieve?

What do they read?

What do they buy?

Who are their thought leaders?

Use these questions to find out more about their customers:

What dollar level do they deal in?

How do you reach them as customers?

How do the transactions flow?

Would you like them as your customers?

What do the customers complain about?

Use these questions to find out more about their competitors:

Who are the primary competitors?

What do they offer and what is their value proposition?

Use these questions to map out a potential solution for your target market.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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How To Perform Secondary Research

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Secondary research provides additional information about a market.

Typically the information is free and accessible online.

This includes web searches, market reports, and industry news.

This research is easier to perform since you don’t have to reach out to people for interviews or surveys.

It helps define overarching trends which may not be clear from customer interviews.

It can inform your market research plan and help define what primary research may be needed.

Here are some key steps to perform secondary research:

Start with online searches using keywords around your product, industry, or problem to be solved.

Capture key documents available such as market reports, industry studies, and articles discussing the problem.

Build a list of competitors and research each one to learn more about their offering.

Capture the results into a competitor map.

Compare the information from multiple sources to gain a better understanding of the space.

Analyze the data and draw conclusions from it such as current challenges the customer faces, and trends showing where the industry is headed.

Make sure to verify the sources of the secondary data.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Research a Market

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Market research provides many benefits including identifying your target market and your ideal customer.

Here are the steps to research your market:

Size the market by looking at it from three levels.

Total Available Market is the size of the market of everyone related to it.

Total Serviceable Market is the size of the market you intend to pursue with your startup.

Total Obtainable Market is the size of the market you can reach.

For example, you may want to only reach the US portion of the market.

Review the competitors in the space for their product offerings.

Look at the price, feature sets, distribution channels, and leadership.

Note what channels competitors are using.

Research the available marketing channels and test to see what works for your startup.

Run trials and tests in each channel to check performance.

Identify keywords and phrases for SEO and conversion.

Test out various landing pages for signups.

Understand your target audience, in particular your ideal customer profile.

Find out what they care about, where they are located, what they read, and what channel reaches them.

Review social media to understand the topics, issues, and players in the industry.

Identify the industry leaders and their content profiles.

Gather the results of this research into one report to share with the team and investors.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Types of Market Research

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

There are several types of market research one can use in studying a market segment.

Consider these types of research:

Primary research -- gathers information directly from the customer and industry-related contacts.

This can be useful in identifying key problems the customer is trying to solve.

It’s also helpful in identifying the ideal customer profile for a potential startup.

Secondary research -- gathers information by reviewing existing data on the subject.

This includes market reports, public data sets, industry trend reports and more.

Public data sets include the US census report, trade association reports, and private market research reports.

This helps size and segment the market.

Interviews -- first-hand encounters with customers in the market segment.

This can be useful in identifying the customer's workflow and how the problem impacts it.

Focus Groups -- a group of people in the target segment provide feedback on the current challenges.

Usability research -- shows how the customer currently uses a product and their impressions of it.

Observation research -- this research simply views the customer using the product.

This yields insight into what features are used and how the customer uses it.

Consider these types of market research for your startup.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Chris Ball, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Hoxton Capital.
Based in Dubai, Hoxton Capital is a global wealth management firm specializing in expatriate financial planning. The firm has grown rapidly since its inception in 2018, now managing over $2.1 billion in assets with offices in London, Sydney, Texas, Dubai, and Larnaca. Hoxton offers digital tools like the Hoxton Wealth app to help clients manage their assets and plan for their financial futures.

Chris Ball started his career with KPMG in 2004 before moving to the UAE in 2011. He co-founded Hoxton Capital in 2018, leading the company to significant growth by focusing on tailored, tech-driven wealth management services for global clients.

In this episode, Chris discusses Hoxton’s growth, how they tailor services for diverse clients, and key trends in wealth management, including the impact of AI on the industry.

Visit Hoxton Capital at www.hoxtoncapital.com.
Reach out to Chris Ball on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisballhx/

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: www.investorconnect.org
Check out our other podcasts here: www.investorconnect.org
For Investors, check out: www.tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups, check out: www.tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides, check out: www.tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out: www.tencapital.group/events/
For Feedback, please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.
Music courtesy of Bensound.