1. The Niche Imperative
TL;DR > Your target market should not be "everyone." It should be a small, highly-motivated group of people experiencing acute pain.
The most common mistake first-time founders make is defining their target market too broadly. When asked who their product is for, they say "small businesses" or "millennials." That is a recipe for failure.
1,000
True Fans
To build a massive business, you don't need a million users on day one. You only need 1,000 "True Fans" who absolutely love your product.
2. The Bowling Pin Strategy
Geoffrey Moore famously outlined the "Bowling Pin Strategy" in *Crossing the Chasm*. You must knock down the lead pin (a hyper-specific niche) before you can knock down the rest of the market.
Instead of "Software for HR," your target market should be "HR software for remote-first startups with 50-200 employees that struggle with compliance across multiple states."
Broad vs. Niche Marketing ROI
Why targeting a niche yields higher conversion rates.
3. Finding Your Wedge
To find your lead pin, look for the segment of the market that is currently underserved by incumbent competitors and has a high willingness to pay.
For a deep dive into creating customer personas, read How to Identify Your Ideal Startup Customer.