Dear (none)Designer,

Welcome back to the forty Design at Scale™ Newsletter – focusing on innovation and how design drives change in a large organisation or an agency.

Every human looks for a shortcut. One way or another, each entrepreneur looks at the guidance on how to turn the startup into a profitable venture. The 21st century becomes a constant hunt for to-do lists and shorthand, and advises the public with an assumption that we all succeed if we follow the same to-do list.

With the pandemic fading, and we return to the new normal, I have sought advice not for what worked but specifically what did not work.

The query: "A-series start up to do list."

✦ This is a great idea to help you get your project off the ground. Here is a starter to-do list for launching a new podcast series.

Pre-Launch

Define Your Podcast Concept:

• What is the topic or niche of your podcast?
• Who is your target audience?
• What is the unique angle or perspective you're bringing to the topic?

Name Your Podcast:

• Choose a memorable, relevant, and unique name.
• Check for availability on all major podcast platforms and social media.

Plan Your Content:

• Outline the first 5-10 episodes.
• Decide on the format for each episode (e.g., solo host, interviews, narrative storytelling).
• Create a list of potential guests or topics.

Choose Your Equipment and Software:

• Microphone: A good USB microphone is a solid place to start.
• Headphones: Essential for monitoring your audio and avoiding echoes.
• Recording/Editing Software: Audacity (free) or Adobe Audition (paid) are popular choices.

Record and Edit Your First Episodes:

• Record at least 3-5 episodes before your launch date.
• Edit for clarity, removing any mistakes or unnecessary pauses.
• Add intro/outro music and any sound effects.
• Create a trailer episode to build excitement.

Create Your Brand Assets:

• Podcast Cover Art: Design eye-catching artwork (1400x1400 to 3000x3000 pixels, JPG or PNG) that stands out.
• Episode Descriptions: Write compelling, keyword-rich descriptions for your episodes.
• Show Notes: Prepare links and resources mentioned in each episode.

Set Up Your Hosting Platform:

• Choose a podcast hosting provider (e.g., Libsyn, Buzzsprout, Anchor).
• Upload your first few episodes and trailer.
• Fill out all the required information, including your podcast name, description, and categories.
• Launch & Promotion

Submit to Directories:

• Submit your podcast's RSS feed to major directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.
• Claim your podcast on these platforms.

Promote Your Launch:

• Announce the launch on all your social media channels.
• Create a simple website or landing page for your podcast.
• Encourage friends, family, and your network to listen, subscribe, and leave a review.

Engage with Your Audience:

• Respond to comments and messages on social media.
• Ask for feedback and episode ideas.
• Encourage listeners to share your podcast with others.

Monitor Your Analytics:

• Track your download numbers and listener demographics through your hosting provider.
• Use this information to understand what content resonates with your audience.
• What's the topic of the series you're starting? Startup

✦ Apologies for dragging you down to this point. As you can see, this is definitely not a to-do list for any A-series startup. Let's say you are into health care and you want to create an App that helps patients to self-diagnose first before reaching specialists. And as the waiting is too long, this helps doctors prequalify the patients and helps them to automatically create a priority list without going through thousands of diagnoses. This is called an Elevator pitch, which is step one to an A-Series startup, and if you do not have this one, do not even continue.

Second step, the funds. Without money, you'll not go far, and 90% of startups fail because they can not negotiate money. There are several great resources for startups to organise their finances and expenditure. This is not a charity; it will one day be a profitable business.

Third step, the team. Presuading someone on a share basis is a great start, but many people prefer a check, even a small one, so that they can satisfy their immediate social needs. Bill, kids or dog food – it represents that they can bring home something worth the trouble and effort they put into your business idea.

Negotiating shares is a great way to find out how much other people believe in your idea and how much they are actually in. You can end up with a board of trustees, senior advisors for 0.5-2.5% and gain a competitive advantage against your competition by 90% of the business remains yours. Or you might prefer a partner Angel investor that takes between 10-25% of your company in exchange for the money and the advice + contact. What we often see is that startups are only looking at the money and not the contact and the advice.

Fifth step, idea test or so-called research analysis and KYC - Know Your Customer. The way you have a complete understanding of who you are selling to and what the business model would look like.

Step six, coms. I can not stress this enough, but the biggest challenges we see in the first 6 months of any startup are internal coms and decision making. Choose one channel, one software, one place. Do not pay for emails, server space or any other things you do not need. Communicate the value position internally in a close circle. We often recommend Atlassian as it has a task management system, JIRA, and a documentation platform, CONFLUENCE, alongside Bitbucket. Despite your preferences, you can choose anything. The more integrated you are, the fewer API calls you make, the better.

Step seven: release monthly, if not weekly. Yes, no one knows you and the errors are marginal. Get it out there. Test it, test it, test it. Ask for feedback and then test it again. Your development cycle should be 80/20. 80 – in build and 20 – in release.

Step eight, customer acquisition. Today, you can buy customers, which is great. However, building your customer base is far better, as you'll see what works and what does not. More importantly, it will allow you to segment users based on interest, performance and action.

Step nine, reinvestment. Once your app makes its first penny, reinvest and then reinvest again. Soon, you'll have enough operational budget for other things like salaries.

The above is a minimal to-do list for a startup. For more info, feel free to reach out at https://designatscale.cc

For more information, please visit Designa at Scale™ – GRID Magazine, where you can find additional relevant articles that explore high-performing teams, self-organising teams of 001, teams of 010, and teams of 100 that deliver the value proposition within a product-led environment.