Market traction is hard when everyone is trying to ignore you. Somewhere between 85% and 95% of startups fail, and for the same reason: they aren’t able to attract the attention of the people they think of as customers. Based on deep experience with dozens of startups over 20 years, this 10-part series will teach founders, CEOs, and investors 10 things they can do to tilt the go-to-market odds in their favor.

For week 2, we’re going to the island of relevancy. Before talking about your solution, consider how your intended customer thinks about their own problem(s) – this is the first step in getting anyone to pause what they’re doing and notice you.