Should early-stage B2B startups start with enterprise sales or consumer validation?

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Accepted Answer

Hey, so you're mostly right. I mean, enterprise is great.

But listen, what you've said is still way too broad. Colleges, veterans, first responders, sports teams... what else have you got here, leagues? That's not one market. All those organizations have different procurement methods, different buyers, different budgets, different processes, and different needs.

You've got to pick one where the pain is the strongest and focus everything on that. Otherwise, you'll be too broad.

Also, enterprise sounds efficient, but it's brutal. I made some notes here: They're going to ask about security, privacy, HIPAA, compliance issues, data ownership, liability, integration, support—all the stuff that requires approvals, legal reviews, and pilots. I mean, it'll be six months before anyone pays you.

So ironically, even though B2C may not be the long-term play, it might be the best place to start. Plus, it will give you, right away, the proof that people actually want what you have, and that it works. And most importantly, that it actually helps people. You can use that as evidence to begin penetrating into corporate—into enterprise.

And most interestingly, I think you're going to find that this is lead gen for you. You'll have people in these organizations seeing this and saying, "This is helpful. Our enterprise organization needs this."

So, listen—enterprise wants proof, and I think B2C is how you provide it.