Some GPTs for Startup Coaching

As described in this post and this LinkedIn article (in German), I have put together a few GPTs for my startup work. Here are the details.

Please note: This only works with the paid version of ChatGPT. Users of the free version cannot use this now (but this may change later).

Preliminary remarks that apply to all GPTs:

• ChatGPT recently seems to want to minimize the energy expenditure for answers - it occasionally does not perform tasks even if the prompt is clear. Solution: Ask repeatedly, trying different prompts, if the first answer is insufficient.
  
• The input for each GPT below can be some text, a link to a homepage, or an uploaded file. The prompt should clarify this: "Analyze the uploaded file." or "Create an elevator pitch for the homepage abc.xyz".
  
• The more relevant and richer the input, the better the output. If the input has little relevance to the question, the output will be vague and unspecific.
  
• You can continue working with the results of the GPT. For example: "Create five more claims." (for the Elevator Pitch and Claim Assistant) or "Search the Internet for companies in the D-A-CH region for which this product could be suitable" (for the Business Benefit and Target Customer Assistant) etc. 
  
• The GPTs use entrepreneurial approaches that have proven very successful for me. However, they only work in a specific methodological context. If you use entirely different methods and approaches, the GPTs may be useless. 
  
• Some context information: 
  • The methodology the GPTs are based on is suitable if the startup is new to the market, i.e. still needs to generate revenue. The approach is not suitable for scale-ups.
    
  • The GPTs prefer B2B business models and the corresponding GTM strategies: the reason for this is lower CAC, faster feedback, and co-development possibility. Warning: This approach requires particular prerequisites and behaviors for it to work. Startups that blindly follow the suggestions without understanding the prerequisites and implications may take a high, sometimes even critically high - risk. 
    
  • Indirectly, an SLG (sales-led growth) approach is being emphasized here because PLG (product-led growth) requires a certain maturity and installed base. The startups I work with are usually not there yet.
    
  • The GPTs focus on benefits, not product features, so the results are usable for the PMF strategy, marketing, and acquisition. They also try to express benefits in quantifiable terms. Additionally, they categorize according to a method derived from Staehle[1], which makes marketing easier.   

The GPTs are the following (links to the GPTs are in the titles) 

Elevator Pitch and Claim Assistant:

This GPT attempts to create a (short) elevator pitch, a claim (consisting of one sentence), and a LinkedIn header based on an input document or URL.

Examples of use:

• "Analyze the homepage xyz.com and create an elevator pitch and claim".
• "Create a claim and elevator pitch for the uploaded file".

Investor Deck Generator and Checker:

This GPT attempts to put together an investor deck based on an input document or URL, but can also check an existing deck and make suggestions for improvement. The tool is based on the structure proposed by DocSend[2]. Additionally, it attempts to emphasize content that experience has shown to be essential for investors and makes corresponding suggestions.

Examples of use:

• "Analyze the homepage xyz.com and create a deck for it."
• "Check the uploaded deck and make suggestions for improvement."  

Startup Impact Assistant

Sometimes, funding organizations want an analysis of which sustainability goals a company supports. This GPT helps with the analysis: based on an input document or URL, it generates a list of suitable sustainability goals. It also suggests metrics to quantify these goals. 

Examples of use:

• "Analyze the homepage xyz.com and determine the sustainability goals."
• "What sustainability goals does the company whose deck I have uploaded support?"

Storytelling Assistant

This GPT recognizes seven patterns of classic narrative structures and attempts to apply them to an input document or URL. The result is often a dramatic story that follows the hero pattern. The GPT aims to spice up the history or background of a startup. At present, the results cannot be implemented 1:1, but the GPT may provide ideas on how to present development in an emotionally gripping way.

Examples of use:

• "Tell me the story described on the abc.xyz homepage."
• "Develop a story based on the uploaded deck. Use the internet if you lack information."

Business Benefit and Target Customer Assistant

This GPT is about the question of why customers buy a product. Very often, startups advertise the features of their products. But the features are not the reason why customers buy the product. Customers buy because of the benefit the product generates. 

This GPT attempts to determine the possible USPs and benefits of the products based on an input document or URL, offers quantitative measures, and determines likely target customer groups.

The benefits are categorized into the groups "operational," "financial," "emotional," and "prestige" benefits. These categories can later help with the marketing of the product.

Examples of use:

• "Analyze the business of the company abc.xyz".
• "Analyze the deck I uploaded and find 2-3 specific target customers in Switzerland for each USP on the Internet." 

[1] Staehle, Conrad, Sydow: "Management", 8th edition, Vahlen 1998 - This textbook on management is methodologically and conceptually excellent and still one of the best on the market. It has had a lasting impact on the way I work on strategy and implementation.

[2] DocSend Pitch Deck Template: The company has developed a standard pitch deck emphasizing the information investors are most interested in. The deck is based on measurements of reading behavior: Which pages do investors spend the most time on and which do they skip? - The template can be downloaded after registration.