Traction Thinking Prototype Cohort — Test your idea with real customers in just weeks.
74% of all startups fail because founders build and scale before they’re ready. Less than 5% fail due to the competition. Founders spend time building the thing right before figuring out if it’s the right thing to build. The result? Crickets.
But there’s another option: rapid prototyping.
During this 6-week cohort program, you will develop this secret superpower that can quite literally turn the odds in your favour. You’ll gather online with a group of like-minded entrepreneurs to learn how to build products and services that make customers say “wow!” — by actually doing it.
Are you ready?
- Kicks off
- June 2023
- Runs for
- 6 weeks
- # Prototypes
- 5
- Goal
- Traction
The Traction Thinking Cohort is a 6-week rapid prototyping bootcamp, with real-time and asynchronous support that teaches you how to test ideas with real customers — by doing it.
Don’t waste your time building something no one wants.
Everyone knows 95% of all startups fail, but most people don’t know that startups are rarely killed by the marketplace. They commit suicide due to founder mistakes.
And 74% of those mistakes are this: building or scaling a product too soon.
They have an idea and they want to get it in front of customers, so they start building it. But it’s too soon, and the startup crashes under the weight of its own assumptions.
There’s another option…
Rapid Prototyping:
- Build a “facade” of the real thing.
- Show it to real customers.
- Look for a “wow moment”.
- Iterate.
No failed product builds. No money flushed down the toilet. No wasted time.
Just a product that customers are begging you to build.
Hello rapid prototyping; goodbye unwanted products.
Curriculum
Get a sneak peak at what we’ll be covering during the cohort.
The Traction Thinking prototyping cohort will teach you everything you need to know — tools, techniques, processes, and behaviours. By the end of the program, you’ll be a prototyping wizard.
Week 1 — Onboarding
Week 2 — What, Why, & How
Resources
6+ hours of live instruction and workshopping, plus everything you need to succeed in finding traction.
Swipe files, tutorials, guides, videos, live Q&A sessiosn, and a community of fellow prototypers where you can ask questions, get feedback, and accelerate your learning.
Live instruction
Join a buttery-smooth video call where you workshop your ideas with JDM and learn how to be a prototyping wizard.
Weekly office hours
Hop on with JDM to ask questions and get help making rapid progress with your business.
Community
A private community where you can get help and give feedback on each others’ work.
Resources
Swipe files, tutorials, guides, videos, templates, and more exclusive content available only to cohort participants.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
If you have anything else you want to ask, su ot tuo hcaer.
What kinds of things can you prototype?
Anything. You can prototype absolutely everything, and you should.
Nah, not what I’m working on.
Yes, even that. You can prototype software, services, physical products, communities, events, and anything else you can think of.
What does it cost?
The cohort program, including everything mentioned above, is $149. But you can also upgrade to the "Complete" package for $299, which includes private coaching with JDM.
How do I know if this right for me?
If you are working on a business, from just an idea to even some early customers, and you are willing to dedicate time and work hard, then this is probably for you.
When does the cohort start?
We get started in June 2023, but the specific kickoff date will be announced at the end of May.
Why should I prototype?
95% of all startups fail. With rapid prototyping and iteration, you can drop that to less than 20%. 🤯
How much time do I need to dedicate?
You get out of this what you put into this. The cohort is designed for entrepreneurs serious about taking their business to the next level. You should plan to spend 10+ hours per week participating, making progress, and finding traction.
Do I have to attend all the sessions?
No, we’ll be recording all of them so you can view them when it’s convenient for you. However, the benefit of joining live is that you can workshop your business with JDM and interact with other participants.
Testimonials
Some kind words from recent cohorts…
JDM has been running cohort programs for entrepreneurs around the world for years. Check out what some of his recent participants have had to say about the experience.
Pricing
Now in two tasty flavours
The Traction Thinking cohort is available in two different packages so you can pick the one that’s right for you.
Essential
Access to all the standard cohort benefits.
$149
- Weekly "mastermind" live sessions
- Bonus pre-recorded lessons
- Templates, resources, & articles
- Community access
Complete
All the benefits of Essential, plus 1:1 coaching from JDM.
$299
- Everything in Essential
- 1:1 coaching from JDM ($700 value)
- First in line during masterminds
- Priority access to Office Hours
Facilitator
Hey — I’m JDM 👋And I’ll be your facilitator.
I’m JDM, aka Josh David Miller, an entrepreneur and startup advisor based in Sacramento, CA, USA.
I’m the founder of The Right Box, where we use design thinking to help venture-backed startups find product-market fit; I run coaching and cohort programs (like this one!) for pre-seed startups; and I’m a content creator.
Over the past decade, I helped startup founders and innovators launch or grow 100+ products. Those founders call me “the shredder of business models”.
I think that’s probably a compliment, but I choose not to validate that.
I fashion myself an instigator on something of a quixotic quest to fix entrepreneurship by challenging how we think about our craft. And you can expect me to challenge you during this cohort.
Or, as one founder recently put it: JDM makes it easy to get rejected and built up at the same time.”