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I’m joined by Adam Robinson who has bootstrapped startups to millions of dollars in revenue, as we deep dive on how we would validate and grow a startup idea.
1) The Yonder Phone Pouch market is exploding
• Locks phones away to create "phone-free spaces"
• Already in schools, concerts, comedy shows
• Huge potential for innovation (charging, remote unlock, etc.)
• Adam predicts 98% of middle schools will require in 10 years
2) How to validate & launch a Yondr competitor:
• Target affluent customers first (Elon approach)
• Have 100s of conversations before building
• Look for "eyes lighting up" as signal
• Prototype only after strong validation
3) Growth strategy: Micro-influencer UGC
• Outreach to 1000s of relevant micro-influencers
• Send free product, ask for honest posts if they like it
• No monetary incentives needed for authentic content
• Aim for breadth of coverage, not mega-influencers
4) Copywriting Framework
• Study successful brands in similar space (e.g. Jolie)
• Use AI (Claude, ChatGPT) to adapt their style
• Remember: Don't copy, but get inspired and make it your own
5) The "third way" of building startups:
• Combine Rework's bootstrapping principles with Y Combinator's focus on product excellence
• Result: Profitable growth without VC dependency
• If product is truly excellent, word-of-mouth drives growth
Want more free ideas? I collect the best ideas from the pod and give them to you for free in a database. Most of them cost $0 to start (my fav)
Get access: https://www.gregisenberg.com/30startupideas
🎯 To build your own portfolio businesses powered by community you might enjoy my membership.
You'll get my full course with all my secrets on building businesses, peer-groups to keep you accountable, business ideas every single month and more!
Spots are limited.
https://www.communityempire.co/
📬 Join my free newsletter to get weekly startup insights for free:
https://www.gregisenberg.com/
70,000+ people are already subscribed.
To improve your rankings your business on Google and using AI for SEO, sign up to
http://boringmarketing.com/
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND ADAM ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://x.com/retentionadam
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam/
Episode Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
02:34 Startup Idea 1: Yondr Phone Pouch 2.0
09:53 How to validate & launch a Yondr competitor
18:41 Growth strategy: Micro-influencer UGC
26:28 Copywriting Framework
30:43 The "third way" of building startups:
1) The Yonder Phone Pouch market is exploding
• Locks phones away to create "phone-free spaces"
• Already in schools, concerts, comedy shows
• Huge potential for innovation (charging, remote unlock, etc.)
• Adam predicts 98% of middle schools will require in 10 years
2) How to validate & launch a Yondr competitor:
• Target affluent customers first (Elon approach)
• Have 100s of conversations before building
• Look for "eyes lighting up" as signal
• Prototype only after strong validation
3) Growth strategy: Micro-influencer UGC
• Outreach to 1000s of relevant micro-influencers
• Send free product, ask for honest posts if they like it
• No monetary incentives needed for authentic content
• Aim for breadth of coverage, not mega-influencers
4) Copywriting Framework
• Study successful brands in similar space (e.g. Jolie)
• Use AI (Claude, ChatGPT) to adapt their style
• Remember: Don't copy, but get inspired and make it your own
5) The "third way" of building startups:
• Combine Rework's bootstrapping principles with Y Combinator's focus on product excellence
• Result: Profitable growth without VC dependency
• If product is truly excellent, word-of-mouth drives growth
Want more free ideas? I collect the best ideas from the pod and give them to you for free in a database. Most of them cost $0 to start (my fav)
Get access: https://www.gregisenberg.com/30startupideas
🎯 To build your own portfolio businesses powered by community you might enjoy my membership.
You'll get my full course with all my secrets on building businesses, peer-groups to keep you accountable, business ideas every single month and more!
Spots are limited.
https://www.communityempire.co/
📬 Join my free newsletter to get weekly startup insights for free:
https://www.gregisenberg.com/
70,000+ people are already subscribed.
To improve your rankings your business on Google and using AI for SEO, sign up to
http://boringmarketing.com/
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND ADAM ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://x.com/retentionadam
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam/
Episode Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
02:34 Startup Idea 1: Yondr Phone Pouch 2.0
09:53 How to validate & launch a Yondr competitor
18:41 Growth strategy: Micro-influencer UGC
26:28 Copywriting Framework
30:43 The "third way" of building startups:
Creators & Guests
What is The Startup Ideas Podcast?
Get your creative juices flowing with The Startup Ideas Podcast. Published twice a week, we bring you free startup ideas to inspire your next venture. Hosted by Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout and former advisor to Reddit and TikTok. Subscribe so you don't miss out.
For more startup ideas, we created a database of 30+ startup ideas you can take at https://gregisenberg.com/30startupideas