We get to meet a lot of startups in different phases, and we usually decide whether we want to work together based on three things – the team, the product, and the market, not exactly in this order.
When we first met noknok (formerly Offsight) we understood quite fast that there was a proper fit between us and the entrepreneurs. The question here is whether a strategic project is at play here, or not. We realized from our first conversation with the founders that we are dealing with entrepreneurs at heart. Those who aim to build a product that will change the world rather than just make a quick profit and move on.
And the best thing? They love to move fast, which fits RedBeard’s DNA.
So, once we started working together, we had to figure out what was our strategy?
Our method is based on a well-known circular model:
Hypothesis >> Evaluation of the hypothesis >> Analysis of the data >> Conclusions and insights.
What was the problem that the product aimed to solve?
All the data suggested that the world of work is transitioning to a hybrid / remote model, and while there were many solutions out there for online meetings, there is one aspect that remained unresolved, and that is the more human aspects of office work all the fun parts. To put it in two words – Team Dynamics. While there are many solutions for the work part, what about the small moments that are so natural in the office, like the random coffee breaks, the barging in for a second to pick your brain, and that knock on the door that is possible while in the office.
That’s when brilliant ideas are born out of good ideas.
The first step was rebranding. We decided that Offsight didn’t quite say what we aimed to say, and we looked for another name that would start our branding process. We worked with a brilliant creative director that led the process and we ended up with the name noknok.
Once the branding was ready, we rushed to introduce the product to other entrepreneurs, product managers, product enthusiasts, and investors. The best way to do it is at product hunt. As big fans of PH we knew it’s a great place to be, but we didn’t realize something that you don’t see while scrolling on the website, there’s a secret sauce for launching at Product Hunt, but that’s another story. All in all, we finished 2nd place that same day and we moved on with our strategy.
We hypothesized:
Our competitors seem to be focusing on the business and/or management aspects of this problem.
How did we examine the hypotheses?
We have realized that most of our competitors are trying to reach their market top-down, which means they are trying to sell their solutions to the management and hopefully they’ll implement them in the company for everyone to use.
We have realized that our solution is for teams’ interactions and dynamics, so they need to use it, not be told to use it. So, we aimed to reach people from different sectors and different positions.
Here’s an example:
What did we do?
- Managed the startup’s marketing as an outsourced CMO
- Analyzed the research conducted by the entrepreneurs so far
- Managed and led the rebranding process
- Developed our first set of messages
- Launched the product with product hunter
- Managed the company’s PPC campaign through an agency
- Implemented tracking systems for advertising
- Analyzed the advertising data and optimized the campaign