The Start Up Student

How to Get Your First 5 Customers (Startup Marketing on a Budget)Wondering how to market your startup with no budget, no PR and no following? In this episode of The Startup Student, I reframe the big question into a smaller, more useful one: how do you get your first five customers? She shares five practical strategies, from writing a clear benefit statement and leaning into founder-led marketing to tapping your network, niching down and doing things that don’t scale. Plus, why going viral, paid ads and an expensive logo can wait.00:00 Intro01:13 How do I market my startup?01:34 Start with your first five customers02:23 1: Sell the benefit03:57 2: Founder-led marketing06:00 3: Leverage your network09:05 4: Niche down11:46 5: Do things that don’t scale14:43 What to skip: going viral, paid ads and marketing mismatch17:39 Where brand fits in20:46 Recap#TheStartupStudent #Entrepreneurship #StartupPodcast #StartupMarketing #FirstCustomers #FounderLedMarketing #StudentEntrepreneur #startupadvice WAYS TO KEEP LEARNING FROM ME OFFICE HOURSIf you’re a founder or budding one and want a one hour mastermind session, book an office hours session here. Let’s discuss your venture’s next steps here: https://calendly.com/kaitlin-fritz-speaking/startup-student FOUNDER PITCH REVIEWSIf you are seeking to raise investment, pitch at a competition, or communicate your venture to a client, then inquire about a pitching deep dive at [email protected] NEWSLETTERGet the latest takes, behind the scenes, checklists and insights on The Startup Student substack here:https://thestartupstudent.substack.com/WORKSHOPS, TEACHING, AND SPEAKINGI’d love to come to your campus, society, or conference and share venture creation learnings in person. Drop my team at line at [email protected]. LET’S CONNECT Personal @_kaitlinfritz_ Podcast @the.startup.student Follow on Linkedin at Kaitlin Fritz

5 Biggest Mistakes Early Stage Founders Make

What are the most common mistakes first-time founders make? In this episode of The Startup Student, I share the five she sees again and again in early-stage startups: chasing perfection, building without customer input, spending money too soon, avoiding criticism and bringing the wrong people on board. Drawing on her own “trophy closet of failures,” she shares practical advice to help you skip the common traps and make new mistakes instead.

00:00 Intro
01:43 What are the biggest mistakes early stage founders make?
02:29 Make new mistakes
02:57 Mistake 1: Striving for perfection
05:39 Mistake 2: Building without customer input
07:46 Mistake 3: Spending money you don’t need to
09:46 Mistake 4: Avoiding criticism
12:00 Mistake 5: Bringing in the wrong people
14:15 Recap

#TheStartupStudent #Entrepreneurship #StartupPodcast #StartupMistakes #FounderLessons #StudentEntrepreneur #StartupAdvice #EarlyStageStartup

WAYS TO KEEP LEARNING FROM ME 

OFFICE HOURS

If you’re a founder or budding one and want a one hour mastermind session, book an office hours session here. Let’s discuss your venture’s next steps here: https://calendly.com/kaitlin-fritz-speaking/startup-student 

FOUNDER PITCH REVIEWS

If you are seeking to raise investment, pitch at a competition, or communicate your venture to a client, then inquire about a pitching deep dive at [email protected] 

NEWSLETTER

Get the latest takes, behind the scenes, checklists and insights on The Startup Student substack here:https://thestartupstudent.substack.com/

WORKSHOPS, TEACHING, AND SPEAKING

I’d love to come to your campus, society, or conference and share venture creation learnings in person. Drop my team at line at [email protected]. 

LET’S CONNECT 

Personal @_kaitlinfritz_ 

Podcast @the.startup.student 

Follow on Linkedin at Kaitlin Fritz

Do You Need Money or Tech Skills to Build an MVP?

Think you need funding or coding skills to build your first MVP? In this episode of The Startup Student, Caitlin explains why the answer is usually no. Learn what a minimum viable product really is, how to decide what your MVP should test, why a two-week MVP sprint keeps you focused, and how founders (even in deep tech and hardware) can test their ideas for free or on a shoestring. Plus, how Dropbox validated its idea with a simple video before writing a single line of code.

00:00 Intro
01:02 Do I need money or technical expertise to build an MVP?
02:20 Work out what you’re testing first
03:22 When a no-code landing page is (and isn’t) enough
05:10 Setting success metrics and running a two-week sprint
06:35 Good, bad and ugly data
08:22 Done is better than perfect
10:02 MVPs for deep tech, hardware and physical products
11:28 How Dropbox tested its idea with a video
13:05 Your MVP is chapter one
14:15 Recap

#TheStartupStudent #Entrepreneurship #StartupPodcast #MVP #MinimumViableProduct #StudentEntrepreneur #StartupAdvice #NoCode

Do You Really Need Market Research? TAM, SAM, SOM and Your First Customers

Wondering how much market research your startup really needs? In this episode of The Startup Student, Caitlin shares a slightly controversial take: you don’t need a McKinsey-style report to get started. Learn why primary research beats secondary data, what TAM, SAM and SOM actually mean, why your “closest to cash” customers and beachhead market matter most, and how to access expensive market reports for free through your library.

00:00 Intro
01:25 What do I need to do in terms of market research?
02:04 Why primary research beats secondary
03:24 TAM, SAM and SOM explained
06:04 Your beachhead market and closest to cash customers
07:49 Don’t spend a fortune on market reports
09:31 Recap: three rules for market research
10:57 Start with one market

#TheStartupStudent #Entrepreneurship #StartupPodcast #MarketResearch #TAMSAMSOM #StudentEntrepreneur #StartupAdvice #EarlyStageStartup

How do you know if your startup idea is on the right track? In this episode of The Startup Student, I break down customer discovery and problem validation for early-stage founders. Learn how to ask open, unbiased interview questions inspired by The Mom Test, when to use interviews vs surveys, how to find people to talk to, and how to make sense of your data before you build an MVP.01:26 How do I know if I'm on the right track?03:58 The Mom Test and asking good questions07:10 Interviews vs surveys: why depth matters08:51 How to find people to interview10:43 Using surveys to understand scale12:25 Reflecting honestly on your data15:24 Hard truths: rejection and unexpected resultsWAYS TO KEEP LEARNING FROM ME OFFICE HOURSIf you’re a founder or budding one and want a one hour mastermind session, book an office hours session here. Let’s discuss your venture’s next steps here: calendly.com/kaitlin-fritz-speaking/startup-student FOUNDER PITCH REVIEWSIf you are seeking to raise investment, pitch at a competition, or communicate your venture to a client, then inquire about a pitching deep dive at [email protected] NEWSLETTERGet the latest takes, behind the scenes, checklists and insights on The Startup Student substack here: thestartupstudent.substack.com/WORKSHOPS, TEACHING, AND SPEAKINGI’d love to come to your campus, society, or conference and share venture creation learnings in person. Drop my team at line at [email protected]. LET’S CONNECT Personal @_kaitlinfritz_ Podcast @the.startup.student Follow on Linkedin at Kaitlin Fritz

Thinking about bringing a co-founder into your startup?In this episode of The Startup Student, I share how to decide if you need one, starting with a simple skills audit to map your strengths and gaps. Learn where to find a co-founder, why you should test the relationship before signing anything, and why investors would rather back a strong team than a perfect product.01:48 Audit your strengths first05:18 How to find the right co-founder07:00 Test the relationship before you commit09:10 Why investors back the teamWAYS TO KEEP LEARNING FROM ME OFFICE HOURSIf you’re a founder or budding one and want a one hour mastermind session, book an office hours session here. Let’s discuss your venture’s next steps here: calendly.com/kaitlin-fritz-speaking/startup-student FOUNDER PITCH REVIEWSIf you are seeking to raise investment, pitch at a competition, or communicate your venture to a client, then inquire about a pitching deep dive at [email protected] NEWSLETTERGet the latest takes, behind the scenes, checklists and insights on The Startup Student substack here: thestartupstudent.substack.com/WORKSHOPS, TEACHING, AND SPEAKINGI’d love to come to your campus, society, or conference and share venture creation learnings in person. Drop my team at line at [email protected]. LET’S CONNECT Personal @_kaitlinfritz_ Podcast @the.startup.student Follow on LinkedIn at Kaitlin Fritz

Not sure where to start with your startup idea? In this episode of The Startup Student, I explain why every successful business begins with a problem. Learn why so many startups fail because they lack market need, how to niche down, why you should fall in love with the problem, and how to write a clear problem statement that guides your customer validation and pitch deck.00:00 Where do I start?02:20 Why so many startups fail06:27 Fall in love with the problem11:49 How to write a problem statementWAYS TO KEEP LEARNING FROM ME FOUNDER PITCH REVIEWSIf you are seeking to raise investment, pitch at a competition, or communicate your venture to a client, then inquire about a pitching deep dive at [email protected] NEWSLETTERGet the latest takes, behind the scenes, checklists and insights on The Startup Student substack here: thestartupstudent.substack.comWORKSHOPS, TEACHING, AND SPEAKINGI’d love to come to your campus, society, or conference and share venture creation learnings in person. Drop my team a line at [email protected]. LET’S CONNECT Personal @_kaitlinfritz_ Podcast @the.startup.student Follow on Linkedin at Kaitlin Fritz

Wondering if you're ready to start a business? In the first episode of The Startup Student, I share how I fell into entrepreneurship at a student hackathon, why there's no perfect time to start, and the key questions to ask yourself before launching a startup. If you're looking for honest, practical startup advice for student founders and early-stage entrepreneurs, this is the place for you!00:29 Welcome to The Startup Student02:43 How do I know if I'm ready to be an entrepreneur?04:22 What entrepreneurship can look like05:49 Is there ever a right time to start?08:09 Questions to ask yourself before starting a business10:24 If you're curious, go for itWAYS TO KEEP LEARNING FROM ME FOUNDER PITCH REVIEWSIf you are seeking to raise investment, pitch at a competition, or communicate your venture to a client, then inquire about a pitching deep dive at [email protected] NEWSLETTERthestartupstudent.substack.comWORKSHOPS, TEACHING, AND SPEAKINGDrop my team a line at [email protected]. LET’S CONNECT Podcast @the.startup.student Personal @_kaitlinfritz_ Follow on Linkedin at Kaitlin Fritz