the happy startup toolkit

Stop dreaming, start doing

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Startups are unpredictable. Rip up your business plan and explore

various business models instead. Then see if theyre viable by
talking to potential customers and partners.

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THE HAPPY STARTUP CANVAS

A more human approach to business model generation.

1. Purpose & Vision

This should be the starting point for any startup founder, but its often overlooked.
Too often people dive straight into their shiny solution ideas without thinking what
change they want to see in the world, or even question why theyre doing what
theyre doing. Having a clear purpose can help to give your brand real weight as it
has a reason for being so its worth spending time shaping and articulating this. It will
also help you to make quicker decisions and attract an audience.

2. Values
Umair Haque, the renowned writer and economist recently stated thatwere on the

cusp of a values-driven revolution. He highlighted that consumers now are much

more careful about who they buy from and whether they represent the values they
hold dear.
Therefore its important to pin down your values and what you stand for. Think of
your core values as those that, when the chips are down, you believe in so much
that if you took them away your company would cease to exist. However, dont just
brainstorm some values only to then forget about them you need to live and abide
by them everyday. You values are how you behave not how you would like to.

3. Your story
What story do you want people to tell about you? If you have a simple story, it will
make it easier for you to tell people about what you do as well as help them to tell
others.

Start-ups are great at securing funding, explaining what they plan to do for
people in the know and designing products and services. Increasingly, though,
what separates start-ups that go on to success and those that might not
survive after the venture firms pull the plug is linking what they do to a
coherent and compelling narrative. Its about a story.
Maria Amundson

4. Problems
What are the top 3 problems (or opportunities) that youre looking to address? Frame
these as hypotheses to test against the real world.
e.g. Selling second-hand goods is a hassle for most modern parents.
Is your product or service a pain reliever or vitamin ie. are you solving problems or
making people feel better (or both)?

Work on something that matters to you more than money.

Create more value than you capture. And take the long view.
Tim OReilly

5. Solution
What solutions are you proposing? This section is deliberately small as the solution
you design will no doubt change after you speak with customers and partners and
test out ideas. Use this as a guide, not a brief.

Be strong on vision, but flexible on detail.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon

6. Early adopters
Which customers will be so passionate about your business that theyll be your
advocates coming back regularly and telling their friends? Or another way of
thinking about it:

Who will love you so much that theyll get a tattoo of your company?
OK, maybe a bit far fetched but its a useful exercise and people do it
At a recent workshop we ran, someone flipped this round and considered what sort
of company theyd need to build for them to get a tattoo. Something you may want
to think about yourself.

Try to appeal to everyone and youll end appealing to no-one

Seth Godin

7. Value proposition
This can be one of the hardest areas for a startup to get right early on. It really helps
to focus on a niche, keep your offering simple and do one thing well. Trying to
appeal to too wide an audience and over-complicating your offering can dilute your
proposition and confuse customers. As a rule of thumb, keep it simple.

To help with this use the value proposition designer (also by Osterwalder).
Almost every client Ive ever worked for who is seeking greater market share
has had no clear value proposition.
Leisa Reichelt

In summary
The canvas is meant to be a starting point for creating the DNA of your organisation.
Its not meant to replace the business model canvas (or lean canvas if thats your
preference), but rather a way to pin down who you are and what you stand for
before worrying about everyone else.
Read the full article where Laurence explains the thinking behind the canvas:
https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/76a71edc4af8

A persona is a narrative that describes the person your product or

service will be used by. It can be a valuable tool, where the act of
creating it has as much value as the artifact you will be creating.
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Some examples:
Working mum
34 years old
Lives in Reading, works in London
Married, 2 kids
Household 125k a year

List common questions, tasks, or frustrations they have.

Describe the basics: age, job, family, hobbies and interests.

Where do they live? What's it like?

Some examples:
Spend more time with her friends
Feel like she has it sorted
Live a healthier lifestyle
Clone herself

goals

Some examples:
Has a housecleaner
Buys take-away 3 times a week
Frequently feels overwhelmed when she forgets something

Describe their typical day. (Focus on behaviour patterns relevant to

your value proposition/product)

needs & behaviours

facts & demographics

name & picture

needs & behaviours

goals

name & picture

facts & demographics

If you want to create a product or service that people love then

you need to validate your ideas before you launch. After all, bad
news gets worse the longer you leave it.
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test your riskiest assumptions

Most business ideas are based on a set of assumptions made by the
founders. Without rigorously testing these assumptions youre reducing your
chances of success. Many business disasters could have been avoided with
more thorough customer development.

List out assumptions:

1. Turn the top 3 problems youre solving into hypotheses to be
tested e.g Young parents find it a hassle to sell unwanted goods
2. Work out cheap, fast and effective ways to test out the
assumptions youre making

Possible experiments:
1. Fake it before you make it. Sketch out your proposed solution
and discuss this with your early adopters. Rinse and repeat.
2. Create a simple web landing page prior to launch to collect
email addresses of interested users
3. Be creative. Often the best experiments come from leftfield.
4. Use social media to validate your idea Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn are all great ways to find users and gain insight.

Interviews:
1. Dont guess, learn. The answers arent in the office.
2. Have the top 3 questions youd like to ask your target customer
in your head at all times (in case you meet one in a random
situation and arent prepared!)
3. Speak to 10-20 of your target audience and look for patterns
and opportunities. Do your hypotheses still hold up?
4. If youre struggling to find people to talk to then head to a coffee

shop and talk to people about your idea.

5. Review your learnings and let this inform your next steps

tools:
The Lean Canvas your one page business plan
www.leancanvas.com
Personapp create simple user personas
personapp.spookstudio.com

articles:
10 steps to happiness in business (and life)
blog.thehappystartupschool.com/10-steps-to-happiness-in-business-and-life
Why startups need a strong vision
blog.intercom.io/why-startups-need-a-strong-vision/
How to find your purpose and do what you love
www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/27/purpose-work-love/
How to let your purpose find you
blogs.hbr.org/haque/2012/10/how_to_let_your_purpose_find_y.html
Without the why, there's no wind
happystartups.quora.com/Without-the-why-theres-no-wind
The 5 questions every company should ask itself
www.fastcodesign.com/1671756/the-5-questions-every-company-should-askitself
Tony Hsieh, Zappos and the art of a great company culture
kiss.ly/13iv8y3
Balancing profits with purpose
www.forbes.com/sites/davidkwilliams/2012/08/01/a-new-capitalist-manifestorevisited-balancing-profits-with-purpose/

50 fastest growing brands serve a higher purpose

www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/articles/50-fastest-growingbrands-serve-higher-purpose

videos:
How great leaders inspire action
www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
Purpose, passion, brand
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2d96FrvIjw
The meaning organisation
rebuild21.org/speakers2011/will-mcinnes/

books:
Delivering Happiness: A path to profits, passion & purpose
www.amazon.co.uk/Delivering-Happiness-Profits-PassionPurpose/dp/145550890X
Culture Shock: A handbook for 21st century business
www.amazon.co.uk/Culture-Shock-Handbook-Century-Business/dp/1118312430
Passion and purpose
hbr.org/special-collections/insight/passion-purpose
Start with why
www.amazon.co.uk/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/0241958229

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