CONSULTING & CONVERSATIONS / PREPARATION GUIDE

Prepare for a founder consultation

Turn a broad startup question into a focused conversation about your next decision.

Editorial preparation guide · 3 minute read

You do not need a polished pitch deck to have a useful founder conversation. Start with the decision you want to make: which customer to learn from, what to test next, how to explain your product, or where your team needs focus.

Write a short snapshot of the business as it is today. Separate what you have observed from what you believe. For a technical product, describe both the customer problem and the evidence behind your proposed solution in everyday language.

Choose one decision for the session and name the constraints around it. A useful outcome might be a sharper question, a prioritized experiment, or a small set of next steps. Bring materials you can discuss comfortably; a brief summary is enough for an initial conversation.

Your conversation checklist

• Finish this sentence: The decision I want help thinking through is…
• Describe your intended customer, their problem, and your proposed solution in three sentences.
• List the evidence you have so far, such as customer conversations, a prototype, or product usage.
• Mark your biggest untested assumption and explain what would change your mind.
• Note the time, team, technical, and budget constraints that affect your next step.
• Write down what you would like to leave the conversation with.