Fellipe Tavares

As a solo founder, I embarked on building a business for Zee but encountered failure after one year (Jan-Dec 2015). I dedicated my efforts to developing the brand, technology (a hybrid mobile application available on the Play Store and App Store), accounting, marketing, assets, and every other aspect of the business.

Unfortunately, the business was founded solely on a business plan without considering the customers. I neglected renowned approaches such as Customer Development (Steve Blank), Jobs to be Done (Anthony Ulwick), Lean Startup (Eric Ries, Ash Maurya), Business Model Generation/Value Proposition Design (Alex Osterwalder), and Design Thinking & UX (David Kelley, Tom Kelley, Donald Norman). Consequently, this "brilliant" startup idea succumbed to the Iron Law of the Market: "even the most ingenious idea will fail if no one wants it - creating something no one wants is a waste" (from the book "The Personal MBA" by Josh Kaufman).

To address this setback, I undertook a rigorous design process, applying various product management frameworks and tools to identify an existing and promising market and build a product that would cater to it.

During Phase 1, I conducted extensive desk research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the industry, key actors, stakeholders, economics, and trends that were relevant to Zee. This research provided valuable insights that shaped the direction of the project.

By analyzing existing market data, industry reports, and competitor analysis, I identified significant trends and promising opportunities. The research revealed that there was a growing demand among consumers for real-time information sharing and the integration of social media into their decision-making processes. This highlighted a clear market need for a solution like Zee that could align social media with real-time information sharing to help people decide where to go for leisure, dining out, and other activities.

However, the research also unearthed another valuable insight: while consumers exhibited the mentioned demands, businesses such as restaurants, clubs, pubs, and entertainment venues faced distinct challenges. These businesses struggled with high costs and complexities in attracting customers through digital and organic channels. They used various approaches, including partnerships, social media marketing, promotional campaigns, coupon solutions, cashback offers, and group buying deals. Despite these efforts, they experienced low conversion rates and difficulty in reaching the right customers effectively.

One of the key pain points for these businesses was the need to address financial imbalances caused by weekly fluctuations in customer footfall, particularly in the entertainment and hospitality sectors.

Recognizing these divergent perspectives between consumers and businesses, I grasped the unique opportunity to design a platform like Zee that not only catered to consumers' needs but also provided effective and innovative solutions for businesses to overcome their challenges.

Armed with these valuable insights, I proceeded to Phase 2, where I delved deeper into understanding the needs and demands of the people who would be using Zee.

During Phase 2, I conducted interviews and engaged with potential users to gain deep insights into their needs, demands, revenue potential, and emerging trends. This user-centric approach allowed me to understand the target audience on a more personal level and identify opportunities for creating value with Zee.

By exploring various roles, interests, and motivations of the actors, stakeholders, potential partners, customers, and influencers involved in the industry, I developed a comprehensive understanding of their perspectives. This exploration helped me uncover potential areas of collaboration and partnership to enhance the Zee platform's value proposition.

Furthermore, I identified specific pain points and challenges faced by different actors in the industry. These pain points ranged from operational inefficiencies to customer acquisition and retention struggles. By aligning these pain points with the unique features and capabilities of Zee, I could envision tailored solutions that addressed the specific needs of each stakeholder group.

Through this comprehensive exploration, I was able to identify key areas of opportunity where Zee could make a significant impact. These included streamlining customer acquisition processes, enhancing customer engagement and loyalty, and providing actionable insights and data-driven decision-making tools to businesses.

Armed with this knowledge, I moved on to Phase 3, where I framed the insights gained from the previous phases into actionable problem definitions, setting the stage for ideation and solution development.

During Phase 3, I conducted both qualitative and quantitative analyses to gain valuable insights into the market and consumer behavior. These analyses allowed me to understand the specific needs and pain points of consumers and businesses in the leisure and dining industry.

Through in-depth interviews and Google Forms surveys, I evaluated over 80 individuals who represented diverse proto-personas based on age, education level, familiarity with social media and technology, income, gender, and marital status. Additionally, I interviewed 30 entrepreneurs who owned or managed leisure and dining establishments. These insights were gathered from five cities across Brazil: São Paulo/SP, Aracaju/SE, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Belo Horizonte/MG, and Salvador/BA.

By analyzing the collected data, I developed a matrix to organize more than 60 business hypotheses based on their complexity, validation format (such as desk research or quantitative testing), hypothesis type (related to value proposition or operational aspects), and innovation pillar (business, desirability, or financial viability).

To validate these hypotheses, I iterated through five cycles of prototyping, refining the concepts and designs. This iterative process allowed me to validate assumptions and ensure that the final product would address the identified needs effectively.

The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) phase was executed in three cities: Aracaju/SE, Belo Horizonte/MG, and Rio de Janeiro/RJ. Instead of a mobile or web application, we implemented a "product as a service" model, acting as a delivery service intermediary using WhatsApp. The MVP served as a proof of concept, matching establishments and groups of people based on factors like purchasing power and overall cost-benefit. We successfully operated the MVP, organically serving an average of 10 to 20 people per week for one month, gathering valuable insights and learnings.

Next, we will explore the ideation phase, where innovative concepts and solutions were developed to address the identified market opportunities.

During Phase 4, I employed a variety of ideation techniques to generate innovative concepts and solutions. The ideation process involved guided brainstorming sessions, concept development, and positioning mapping.

Guided brainstorming sessions were structured based on methodologies outlined in books like "Design for Growth" by Jeanne Liedtka and "Business Model Generation" by Alex Osterwalder, along with insights from other authors such as Tim Brown, Donald Norman, Jake Knapp, Anthony Ulwick, Nigel Cross, and more. These sessions provided a framework for participants to generate ideas while considering problem definitions, user personas, user tasks, pain points, and success metrics.

To ensure that the ideas generated during brainstorming were translated into tangible concepts, we used a concept development tool, also referred to as a "menu of ideas." This tool allowed us to transform the loose Lego-like pieces of ideas into well-defined concepts that aligned with the objectives set during brainstorming. Through individual and group sessions, we generated over 30 concepts and standardized the presentation formats to facilitate future analysis using the positioning mapping tool.

Positioning mapping, also known as a prioritization matrix, enabled us to assess and prioritize the generated concepts based on predefined criteria. By mapping the concepts against attributes such as user perceptions, functional aspects, and success metrics established during brainstorming, we ensured that the chosen concepts aligned with our initial business hypotheses and user-centric objectives.

Ultimately, this process yielded a winning concept that addressed market needs and provided value to both consumers and businesses in the leisure and dining industry.

In Phase 5, we focused on reducing risks and validating our concepts through prototyping. The prototyping process involved several iterations and the use of prioritization frameworks and real-world data.

To ensure effective prototyping, we adopted a customized framework, drawing from existing literature and tools. This approach allowed us to identify key questions (which became hypotheses) about each prioritized concept and to determine the most efficient way to answer them. By synthesizing and organizing the hypotheses underlying the prototyped concepts, we built a comprehensive library of testing tools. Throughout this phase, we conducted nearly 10 "build-measure-learn" cycles.

The feedback we received during the prototyping phase was invaluable in co-creating and shaping our business model, value propositions, and solution features. By engaging with over 100 participants in our tests, we were able to gather rich insights and validate our assumptions. We used these insights to refine our concepts and align them with the specific needs and preferences of our target audience. The feedback sessions also involved mapping the user journey, both before and after using our solution, allowing us to gather unique and context-specific information that couldn't be found in books, interviews, or scientific articles.

Through this iterative process, we fine-tuned our prototypes based on real-world data and user feedback. We employed various testing methods, such as user interviews, usability testing, and quantitative analysis, to measure the effectiveness and desirability of our prototypes. This data-driven approach enabled us to make informed decisions and prioritize the features and functionalities that resonated most with our target users.

By the end of the prototyping phase, we had not only refined our product solutions but also built a robust foundation of knowledge about our market and user behavior. This invaluable insight provided the basis for our go-to-market strategy and laid the groundwork for the next phase of the project.

With the prototypes validated and our understanding deepened, we were now ready to move into the final phase: "Phase 6: Planning the Go-to-Market."

In Phase 6, our focus shifted towards meticulously planning our go-to-market strategy for "Zee" to ensure optimal learning with minimal time and resource investment. This phase allowed us to refine our understanding of the target audience and the market landscape, paving the way for effective market penetration.

Drawing upon the extensive research and analysis conducted throughout the earlier phases, we gained valuable insights that shaped our go-to-market approach. These insights guided our decision-making process as we prepared to introduce "Zee" to the food service industry.

First, we identified key target segments within the industry, including bars, restaurants, pubs, and entertainment venues. These segments were chosen based on their relevance to our solution and their potential for customer acquisition. The goal was to focus our efforts on areas with the highest probability of success.

To accurately reach our target audience, we determined the most effective channels for communication and engagement. Recognizing the significant smartphone usage in Brazil, particularly among young adults aged 18 to 35, we realized the importance of leveraging digital channels. Our go-to-market strategy centered around online platforms, social media, and mobile applications, allowing us to connect with potential customers and raise awareness about the value proposition offered by "Zee."

Extensive market testing and validation played a critical role in our planning phase. We implemented pilot programs, conducted soft launches, and actively sought user feedback to gather real-time data and insights. This iterative approach allowed us to refine our marketing strategies, optimize user acquisition channels, and fine-tune our value proposition based on the specific needs and preferences of our target audience.

Additionally, we explored partnerships with industry players, influencers, and strategic allies. These collaborations enhanced our credibility, expanded our reach, and provided access to existing networks of potential users and customers. By leveraging these valuable connections, we ensured that our go-to-market efforts were positioned for success from the outset.

Messaging played a pivotal role in our go-to-market strategy. We crafted a compelling value proposition that resonated with our target audience's needs and aspirations. By addressing pain points such as high costs and complexity, we positioned "Zee" as a seamless and cost-effective solution for businesses to attract customers through both digital and organic channels.

Throughout the planning phase, we maintained an agile and adaptive approach, consistently learning from the market and adapting our strategies based on feedback and market dynamics. This iterative process allowed us to remain responsive to the evolving needs of our target audience and ensured that our go-to-market plan remained relevant and effective.

To measure the success of our go-to-market efforts, we developed comprehensive metrics and performance indicators. These metrics enabled us to track key outcomes such as user acquisition, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction, empowering us to make data-driven decisions and optimize our marketing activities.