Inspired by the lean startup movement and my experience as a product owner in a Scrum team, I want to develop my company the Agile way. This means starting with a Minimum Viable Product that I will validate with my first customers and then expand it by constantly adding new valuable features.

The period before the beginning of the development is what Scrum teams use to call Sprint 0. Even if Sprint 0 is not canon in Agile, it is useful for setting up everything in order to be sure the team will be able to work smoothly and avoid predictable pitfalls.

I’m planning to launch my MVP on 1st July. My Sprint 0 will then be those 6 weeks between today and the 1st July. I will be busy sorting things out regarding the following topics :

  • Defining what my Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is

I need to define what the core features of my product/service are, the elements I won’t go live without. I’m definitely not a big fan of all the growth hacking bullshit, but I admit that if you want to grow fast you have to design your offer accordingly from the very beginning. I will then have to think about some buzz triggers for my MVP as well as the art direction I want to follow.

  • How to handle logistics efficiently

I will be alone doing all the stuff, at least at the beginning, and I don’t want to waste too much time dealing with stocking and shipping goods. On the one hand, I still have to get in touch with new suppliers for adding brands my parents don’t sell to my store. On the other hand, I will have to get in touch with Bpost and a box manufacturer to ensure a secure shipping at the lower cost.

  • Building my e-commerce

There are lot of businesses selling websites at a wide price range. A working e-commerce website will cost you on average 3.000€ with minimum features on it. As I said earlier, I don’t want to invest too much money and 3.000€ is a sunk cost I must not afford. Nowadays, there are so many services online that help you build websites without needing technical skills. This WordPress blog is the best example. For e-commerce, the main competitors are Shopify, Prestashop and Wix. Moreover, if the user interface is obviously quite important for an e-commerce, the back office aspect is also key because I will be dealing, hopefully, with hundreds of customers whose needs will have to be addressed the best way possible.This means being able to answer their questions, to target my communication, to analyze their habits, to optimize the website based on analytics, etc.

  • Understanding how to setup a company in Belgium

I’m creating my first company ever. It’s obvious that I still need to understand all the mandatory steps and the requirements for setting up a company in Belgium. I’ve already looked for information on the internet. However, pieces of information are scattered through the web and mainly displayed as legal procedures to follow and to comply with. There is no practical guide.