Checklist: Launching Your First B2B Product Without Burning Cash

Launching a B2B product is resource intensive. A disciplined approach reduces burn and accelerates learning. This checklist focuses on validation, pre-sales and lean implementation so you can reach paying customers before scaling investment.

Phase 1 — Demand validation

• Interview 30 potential customers across target verticals to identify pain and willingness to pay.
• Capture specific use cases and ideal outcomes — quantify the dollar impact if possible.
• Build a landing page with clear value propositions and a “Talk to Sales” CTA to measure initial interest.

Phase 2 — Prototype and pilot

• Create a functional prototype or concierge service to deliver outcomes without full product development.
• Run a paid pilot with 3–5 customers to validate value delivery and collect metrics.
• Measure MTTV and churn signals during the pilot phase.

Phase 3 — Pre-sales and pricing

• Offer limited-time pilot pricing with clearly defined success criteria.
• Use simple contract templates to reduce legal friction; negotiate terms that allow expansion to standard contracts later.
• Capture customer testimonials and case studies from pilot customers.

Phase 4 — Minimal viable launch

• Open sales to a narrow segment and limit feature scope to the core value proposition.
• Invest in onboarding templates and one standardized integration to accelerate time to value.
• Instrument product usage and outcomes to feedback into the roadmap.

Phase 5 — Measure and iterate

• Track LTV:CAC and payback period monthly.
• Set a funding plan based on real conversion metrics rather than assumptions.
• Prioritize product work that reduces MTTV and improves retention.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Building features before proving the value proposition with paying customers.
• Over-customizing early purchases, which becomes a maintenance burden.
• Ignoring onboarding and implementation costs when modeling unit economics.

Final checklist summary

1. Validate demand with interviews and landing page tests.
2. Run paid pilots with clear success metrics.
3. Systematize onboarding and provide a single integration to reduce friction.
4. Measure MTTV, LTV:CAC and iterate on pricing and product accordingly.

Actionable step: Run one paid pilot this quarter with defined success criteria. Use the pilot contract and onboarding checklist to test MTTV and early churn signals before expanding the launch.