Executive Summary

The Mom Test Summary

We know that we ought to talk to customers. Many of us even do talk to customers. But we still end up building stuff nobody buys. Isn’t that exactly what talking to people is meant to prevent? It turns out almost all of us are doing it wrong.

The advice that you “should talk to customers” is well-intentioned, but ultimately a bit unhelpful. It’s like the popular kid advising his nerdy friend to “just be cooler.” You still have to know how to actually do it.

People say you shouldn't ask your mom whether your business is a good idea. That’s technically true, but it misses the point. You shouldn't ask anyone whether your business is a good idea. At least not in those words. Your mom will lie to you the most, (because she loves you), but it’s a bad question and invites everyone to lie to you at least a little.

It’s not anyone else’s responsibility to show us the truth. It’s our responsibility to find it. We do that by asking good questions. The mom Test is a set of simple rules for crafting good questions that even your mom can’t lie to you about.

Challenge: According to the next list of questions, select the 2 bad questions to make to a potential user/customer according to the author:

“Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Where does the money come from?”
“Would you buy a product which did X?”
Respond here www.bookcademy.com/catalog/courses/the-mom-test

Here are 3 simple rules to help you. They are collectively called (drumroll) The Mom Test:
1- Talk about their life instead of your idea
2- Ask about specifics in the past instead of generics or opinions about the future
3- Talk less and listen more.

The questions to ask are about your customers’ lives: their problems, cares, constraints, and goals. You humbly and honestly gather as much information about them as you can and then take your own visionary leap to a solution. Once you’ve taken the leap, you confirm that it’s correct through Commitment & Advancement.

Avoiding bad data

There are three types of bad data:
1- Compliments
2- Fluff (generics, hypotheticals, and the future)
3- Ideas

Sometimes we invite the bad data ourselves by asking the wrong questions, but even when you try to follow The Mom Test, conversations still go off track. It could happen because you got excited and started pitching.

Asking Important questions

In addition to ensuring that you aren’t asking trivialities, you also need to search out the world-rocking scary questions you’ve been unintentionally shrinking from. The best way to find them is with thought experiments. Imagine that the company has failed and ask why that happened. Then imagine it as a huge success and ask what had to be true to get there. Find ways to learn about those critical pieces.

SAMTECH is a start-up business located in Lido Street of Kumba. We have been able to secure a standard shop facility. The company specializes in the design, realization and installation of electronic equipment, repair and sales of consumer electronics (including mobile phones, DVD, radio, TVs and VCR, etc.) repairs, computer and office machine repairs, communications equipment repairs and other electronic equipment repairs. Our business goal is to become regional leader in consumer electronics repair, with shops throughout the South-West Region of Cameroon.
Our competitive advantage is clear for the fact that there are a lot of big time investors that have a stake in the electrical repair services industry; but one thing is certain, there is room big enough to accommodate everyone. What smaller electronics repair businesses need to do to survive in the industry is to concentrate on providing electronics repair, maintenance and installation services to households, individuals, estates, communities, schools, hospitals and hotels et al before bidding for big contracts from corporations and government agencies.
We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the industry means that you are not only expected to deliver highly reliable electronics installation, repair, and maintenance jobs, but you must be able to meet set targets. No one would want to continue to bring their faulty electronics to your shop if they know that you are not going to carry out a thorough repair job. Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.
SAMTECH is a business that will be owned and managed by Engineer Sama Promise Awa and his immediate family members. They are the sole financiers of the business which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital for the business to just three major sources.
These are the areas we intend generating our startup capital; personal savings, income from the documentation and cyber café department that is already operational, loans from banks if necessary. The capital generated shall be used to furnish the shop, purchase repairing equipment, and part will be invested in sales of electronic equipment and accessories.

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