At Eisbach Partners, our innovation journey has always been about navigating with agility while deeply connecting with market needs. Our aim has been not just to ride the right waves but to ensure each innovation makes a lasting impact.
Asset and Potential Analysis
Market and Customer Research
Opportunity Landscape
Dear Eisbach team, what can we do to grow our business sustainably? This or similar questions approach us typically in the beginning of a project.
In our process’s initial phase, we focus on identifying business opportunities. This includes especially the following points:
Assets: Every company excels in something; otherwise, it wouldn’t exist. Assets can be the skills of employees, a functioning network of partners, existing infrastructure, data, long-term customer relationships, and much more. Being aware of one’s own strengths is the first step towards sustainable growth.
Customers: A new product or service only becomes an innovation if customers want it. Assuming to know what customers want without asking them often leads to mistakes. A thorough analysis starts with the customer and involves listening to them.
Competition: “That’s not new, company xy has been doing it for a long time” is a common objection to new business ideas. However, competition also means that there is a market for something. The question is whether one can find a competitive advantage.
Market: Where does innovation happen? What trends are there? What might just be short-term hypes? Whether a market is saturated or has potential for innovation is shown by market analysis.
Typically, we also run ideation workshops with participants from diverse backgrounds and apply proven formats such as Crazy 8 or similar. This thorough examination lays a solid foundation for sustainable innovations. What opportunities do exist? What are potential risks that come along and what are our hypothesis that needs further validation?
Validation Sprint
MVP Development
Launch and Commercialization
Product-Market Fit: Innovations might sound compelling, but do they address our customers’ true pain points and unmet needs? Validation is key, which we pursue through customer interviews and prototypes—from simple paper mock-ups to landing pages that test traffic and interest. This is how we refine our value proposition, and if an idea doesn’t measure up, we pivot to catch a new wave. Remember, achieving product-market fit is an ongoing endeavor, not a one-off task.
Market Study: With the concept taking shape, we become specific about the market size, concentrating not on the total market but on the Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM)—the share we believe we can capture. This involves assessing market entry barriers, competitors’ actions, substitutes, customer openness, and our understanding of the value chain. We also define our “Unfair Advantage” and establish our “Right-to-Win”.
MVP Development: Building on the concept, we now focus on the practical realization of the MVP. We develop a product with the minimum necessary features to quickly enter the market and begin collecting user feedback. We learn from initial user tests and continually refine the initial product scope. MVPs are thus a crucial tool to minimize risk, expedite market entry and ensure a resource-efficient path to product-market fit.
Go-to-Market Strategy: Once the concept is concrete, we outline our strategy to reach customers, define target markets and channels, and identify early adopters.
Financial Planning: The final step involves delineating the financial advantages of the venture. Investment requirements, business case development, and securing financing are essential at this stage.
Business Model: By the end of this phase, we articulate a clear business model encompassing our Value Proposition (what we do), Value Creation (why we do it) and Value Capture (how we make money).
As we conclude phase II, we ensure the Desirability (customers want our product), Feasibility (we can execute the project), and Viability (it makes financial sense) of our venture all receive a confident “Yes.”
Company Building and Venture Teams
Venture Growth
Business Integration
We initiate this phase by setting up venture teams to refine the business model and enhance products and services while implementing the concept through MVP development. This iterative approach facilitates quick feedback and continuous improvements. Post-launch, our focus shifts to scaling and market roll-out, aimed at accelerating growth and integrating the venture sustainably into our clients’ existing company structures, ensuring innovations contribute to the core business’s long-term success.
Team and Culture: The team is as vital as the product, if not more so. We assess the organizational structure and the skills and competencies required. Real-world ventures may require adjusting the initial role definitions to align with the team’s evolving dynamics. Fostering a strong team culture is crucial, as culture significantly impacts strategy execution.
Product Development: Building onto the MVP from phase II, we now focus on new features and collect user feedback quickly. This iterative process allows us to learn from first user interactions, continually refine the product and optimize the development process.
Process and Tools: We also evaluate our operational processes and systems. Are our chosen approaches scalable? These considerations are addressed to ensure our operations can grow with the venture.
Company Integration Strategy: We strategize on integrating the new venture into the core business. Depending on the structure (e.g., standalone entity vs. new business unit), different factors take precedence. The goal remains to leverage existing assets, realize synergies, and collectively advance growth.
Market expansion and customer acquisition: The go-to-market strategy must now be expanded to a broader level. New markets can be opened up and the product range expanded. Particular attention must be paid to data-driven analyses in order to monitor the success of the measures.
Feedback and customisation: Despite the success of the MVP, it is important to continue listening to customer feedback. If there is the right product-market fit, customers will come all by themselves. It is a duty to continuously improve the offering and adapt it to changing market conditions.
Our innovation journey at Eisbach Partners has evolved but remains true to our core principles: deep market analysis, the development of viable concepts, and focused implementation for sustainable growth. By combining these elements with our refreshed three-step approach, we are ideally positioned to successfully ride the innovation wave, creating positive impacts for our partners and society.
Let’s embark on a journey of sustainable growth together! If you’re a decision-maker at an SME or larger corporation and are planning to create a sustainable growth business, let’s connect. Reach out for a conversation on how we can help your business grow by harnessing your dormant assets with the power of AI.
Drop us a message on talk@eisbach-partners.com or our contact form.
Eisbach Group GmbH
Am Sportplatz 1
82041 Oberhaching
