This never works:

Thread by John Rush@johnrush · May 16, 2025 · 12 posts · 472 words · 3 min read

This never works: → Startup Idea → Plan → Design → Coding → Marketing→ Audience → 😣 This works ( sometimes ):
1/12View on X
I launched 20+ startups using the following playbook: Audience → Problem → Idea → Validation → Waitlist → SEO → One Feature MVP → Iterate → Marketing → Success. See a full breakdown of each step 🧵 :
2/12View on X
1) Audience. - X, Linkedin, Reddit, DevTo, HackerNoun, - 3 hours daily. - Never skip it, just like a gym. Every idea must start with an audience (unless u r a Steve Jobs level genius). It'll help you build smth people actually want.
3/12View on X
2) Identify the Problem. - Read social media for discussion. - Be active in posting/replying/engaging. - Chat with 20 people daily. - Be part of communities, start your own. - Work for them All this will lead to you spotting common pains, problems & dreams of your audience.
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3) Pitch in the Idea. Use Google Keywords Planner, and google search autosuggest to brainstorm ideas. Pitch ideas to your audience at least a few a week. Discuss ideas in DMs, at least 10 times a week.
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4) Validation. Every week, validate at least 1 idea by - posting on social media - replying to other posts - DMing people - Emailing(cold and warm) Pitch it really short and clear. Don't fking start "I hope this email finds you"
6/12View on X
5) Waitlist. Don't waste your time here, and just use this template: http://saas-waitlist.unicorntemplates.com Don't overload it with text. The top hero section must explain it all with a title+subtitle. The rest of the page is purely for SEO purposes. No real humans gonna scroll and read.
7/12View on X
6) SEO. Once u see people on the waitlist, it’s a sign to bet on this project. Invest time into SEO! My SEO combo: @listingbott for backlinks from directories @seobotai for blog @indexrusher indexing @wrapifai for building mini tools
8/12View on X
7) One Feature MVP. Focus on one key feature and drop the rest. Find a boilerplate on http://nextjsstarter.com if you're a coder. If not: a) Go for NoCode or AI Code( @unicornplatform , @bubble or @softgen ) b) Hire someone on http://mvpwizards.com
9/12View on X
8) Iterate With Users. - Talk to every user from the waitlist every day via X or Linkedin. - Become best friends. - Make them feel they are your product team. - They will love it, be more loyal, and help a lot with the roadmap. Be open when you speak. Don't be defensive.
10/12View on X
9) Marketing. - Share all you do on social media daily. - Spend a few hours a week on SEO. - Publish 1 blog post a week (hackernoon, IH, reddit...) - Build a free side project for traffic to the main one. - Browse social media for relevant posts to reply with your tool
11/12View on X
10) I practice what I preach https://x.com/johnrushx/status/1894583200158244981
12/12View on X

This never works:

Thread by John Rush@johnrush · May 16, 2025 · 12 posts · 472 words · 3 min read

This never works: → Startup Idea → Plan → Design → Coding → Marketing→ Audience → 😣 This works ( sometimes ):
1/12View on X
I launched 20+ startups using the following playbook: Audience → Problem → Idea → Validation → Waitlist → SEO → One Feature MVP → Iterate → Marketing → Success. See a full breakdown of each step 🧵 :
2/12View on X
1) Audience. - X, Linkedin, Reddit, DevTo, HackerNoun, - 3 hours daily. - Never skip it, just like a gym. Every idea must start with an audience (unless u r a Steve Jobs level genius). It'll help you build smth people actually want.
3/12View on X
2) Identify the Problem. - Read social media for discussion. - Be active in posting/replying/engaging. - Chat with 20 people daily. - Be part of communities, start your own. - Work for them All this will lead to you spotting common pains, problems & dreams of your audience.
4/12View on X
3) Pitch in the Idea. Use Google Keywords Planner, and google search autosuggest to brainstorm ideas. Pitch ideas to your audience at least a few a week. Discuss ideas in DMs, at least 10 times a week.
5/12View on X
4) Validation. Every week, validate at least 1 idea by - posting on social media - replying to other posts - DMing people - Emailing(cold and warm) Pitch it really short and clear. Don't fking start "I hope this email finds you"
6/12View on X
5) Waitlist. Don't waste your time here, and just use this template: http://saas-waitlist.unicorntemplates.com Don't overload it with text. The top hero section must explain it all with a title+subtitle. The rest of the page is purely for SEO purposes. No real humans gonna scroll and read.
7/12View on X
6) SEO. Once u see people on the waitlist, it’s a sign to bet on this project. Invest time into SEO! My SEO combo: @listingbott for backlinks from directories @seobotai for blog @indexrusher indexing @wrapifai for building mini tools
8/12View on X
7) One Feature MVP. Focus on one key feature and drop the rest. Find a boilerplate on http://nextjsstarter.com if you're a coder. If not: a) Go for NoCode or AI Code( @unicornplatform , @bubble or @softgen ) b) Hire someone on http://mvpwizards.com
9/12View on X
8) Iterate With Users. - Talk to every user from the waitlist every day via X or Linkedin. - Become best friends. - Make them feel they are your product team. - They will love it, be more loyal, and help a lot with the roadmap. Be open when you speak. Don't be defensive.
10/12View on X
9) Marketing. - Share all you do on social media daily. - Spend a few hours a week on SEO. - Publish 1 blog post a week (hackernoon, IH, reddit...) - Build a free side project for traffic to the main one. - Browse social media for relevant posts to reply with your tool
11/12View on X
10) I practice what I preach https://x.com/johnrushx/status/1894583200158244981
12/12View on X