A Framework for Startup Traction & Pitfalls to Avoid [Traction #12: Gabriel Weinberg]
The NextView podcast Traction explores all the clever, creative, and atypical things entrepreneurs do to make initial progress against the odds. If startups should do things that “don’t scale,” then this podcast asks a simple question: What ARE those things? Past episodes include stories from founders of LinkedIn, DraftKings, General Assembly, Mattermark, InsightSquared, and more. Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.
Can you use a framework and process to gain initial startup traction? In this episode, we talk to Gabriel Weinberg, co-founder and CEO of the search engine Duck Duck Go and author of the book, Traction, now in its second edition. On the show, Gabriel shares his company’s founding story, including how he out-lasted many would-be Google competitors in the early going (and why anyone would want to launch something to compete with an incumbent like Google in the first place).
You’ll also hear…
- The brilliantly simple but effective framework startups use to gain initial traction.
- Giant pitfalls that are unfortunately very common when startups seek traction — and how to avoid them.
- How a product without a concept of a “registered” user like Duck Duck Go addresses acquisition and hunts for signs of a potentially venture-scale business.
There were lots of channels we found that you can use to gain traction. We catalogued 19. But one channel is generally dominant on a growth trajectory, so successful entrepreneurs zone in on doing experimentation and then double down on what’s working.
Follow Gabriel on Twitter @yegg, check out Duck Duck Go, and learn more about the book at TractionBook.com.
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