The Process
What is the SLAM process?
The SLAM process (standing for Startup Launch Assistance Map) operates as a guide for any startup and its founder(s) to help maximize success. It does this in just 144 pages and 35,000 words and with the use of a sequential checklist based approach called the SLAM diagram (with SLAM standing for Startup Launch Assistance Map).
The SLAM diagram, which is fully explained by the book at every step, has 2 sides to it (often printed as the front and back of one single page). These are the:
S.L.A.M. side (which helps to evaluate the feasibility or longer-term viability of an idea for a possible or actual startup) and ..
G.R.A.N.D. side (which we only get to when we have completed the S.L.A.M. side) which helps to plan the execution steps to heighten the possibility that a startup gains traction and thrives in the medium to long term.
Both sides have 8 steps on them but every would-be and actual startup should start with the 8 on the S.L.A.M side, which takes considerable customer discovery effort.
There are literally thousands of books that will not only describe companies that were once startups, and what they did to plan and gain traction or scale over time, but also offer helpful advice on what investors often look for in a startup or early-stage company pitch. In addition, there are many books, booklets, articles and web sites offering checklists for startup founders to use to think about a range of issues that need to be carefully considered.
What the SLAM diagram and book does is two things with the steps it includes:
Synthesizes much of the above advice into most commonly mentioned and
deemed to be important steps to consider, especially at the earliest stages of the
startup’s life.
Sequences it to allow the information to be built progressively and iteratively in a
simple fashion (as some information in later steps may change or adjust the thoughts and ideas listed at earlier steps).
Who will benefit from using the SLAM process?
The broad niche of readers who are most targeted by this book are anyone interested in startups and entrepreneurship as a subject. However, this breaks down into three areas as follows:
Individuals who constantly have ideas or think about new or different ways to do things in life but have never acted on it formally. This book helps such a person by suggesting what a path might look like to validate that his or her thinking/idea is on-point and capable of potentially becoming a commercial venture of some kind. For example, this may be a college student or professor looking to evolve a project and license it perhaps or a person at any stage of life (younger or older) who thinks an idea might become a small or even larger business, one day.
Individuals who are working in a larger company who have one or more “side- hustles” and believe that one of these has the potential to employ them (and others) perhaps full-time in the future. This book helps such a person by not only helping to validate that the side-hustle can grow and support them but also to outline the execution path that is necessary for success. For example, this may be a person who sells a product or service on-line on a website like ‘Shopify’, mainly in the evenings or weekends, and thinks this may have a lot more potential to grow.
Individuals who run or already work in a startup or early-stage company (or in some cases run a new division of a larger company) and want to ensure that their efforts to date haven’t missed any important steps (which he or she can revisit) or even help turbo-charge what is already being done and both de-risk their efforts and perhaps make the business more investable to outsiders. This book helps such a person by offering two 8-step templates, which provide questions in response to which good answers should exist (or be found if not). For example, this may be a startup founder who has spent many months and a lot of ‘boot-strapped’ cash to establish a small business but now needs to convince outsiders of its future value and success potential.
