As a visionary founder, you see the final goal—a successful project that will change your industry. But you do not know how to take the first three steps. The path from an idea to a finished project ready to be pitched to investors is a long one. You can get there quickly, however, if you have a clear roadmap.

Here is a step-by-step plan to help you avoid getting lost and making common mistakes.

Step 1: "Purifying" the Idea (1–2 weeks)

This is the most important stage, where you need to "purify" your idea of anything unnecessary and find that "golden" feature that people are willing to pay for.

Goal:

Formulate a hypothesis that can be tested.

Actions:

Conduct in-depth interviews with 10-20 potential customers. Ask questions about how they solve their problems right now. Focus on the most acute "pain point" they experience.

Result:

You get a validated hypothesis. You know exactly what problem you are going to solve.

Step 2: Creating an MVP (1–3 months)

An MVP is not just a "cut-down" version of your product; it is a tool for testing a key hypothesis. Its main goal is to quickly and within budget get your first users and validate the product value.

Goal:

Create a minimum viable product to test the hypothesis.

Actions:

Create a technical specification, develop the design, write the code, and run tests. Launch the product to a limited number of users.

Result:

You have a working product that you will not be ashamed to show your first customers.

Step 3: Getting Your First Traction (3–6 months)

At this stage, you get feedback from your first users to confirm the product value.

Goal:

Get the first measurable results.

Actions:

Run marketing campaigns to attract your first users. Collect their feedback and analyze the metrics.

Result:

You have measurable results that confirm the value of your product. This is what investors call "traction."

Step 4: Preparing to Pitch (1–2 months)

You have gathered all the necessary data: you have a working product, you have your first customers, and you have traction. Now you need to package all of this into one convincing presentation.

Goal:

Attract investment.

Actions:

Create a presentation (a pitch deck). Include business metrics: how many customers you have acquired, how much money you have earned. Talk about your vision and how you plan to scale the business.

Result:

You are ready to successfully attract investment.