It's hard to drive alignment and reduce thrash in any business. One of the tricks is to nail down each layer in the business stack - in order. How?
1. Zero in on a clearly and narrowly defined problem
You need to fall in love with a problem, not the solution. Unless you clearly figure out the problem you’re solving you won’t properly understand the pain you’re alleviating and the value you’re creating
2. Develop a business strategy
Who are your target customers? Who is feeling the deepest pain, inefficiency, and waste from the problem you're solving? Are you attacking this problem via B2B SaaS or via B2C tools? Is there a more direct and efficient path to market? Who are you disrupting? What is your business model?
3. Craft a product strategy
How does your high-level business strategy map to an actionable product roadmap? What does the ideal version of your product look like? What do you NOT do? How do you solve for single-player before requiring network effects?
4. Map out a tactical product roadmap
Work backward from your ideal product. What is the tactical, pragmatic MVP? How will you make it easy and delightful for users to understand your tool and derive value quickly? What is your plan to iterate from a simple MVP to your ideal product without getting distracted and derailed?
5. Develop product marketing resources
Where do your target customers hang out? What are the key ways you communicate your value? What materials do sales, marketing, and partners need to succeed and sell what you’re building?
6. Execute marketing motions
How do you broadly and directly distribute your message to the right people at the right time? How do you establish brand credibility, lead nurturing and convert users through your funnel?
7. Enable and activate the sales team
How will you get your products directly into the hands of your largest customers without a) compromising your product strategy and b) relying on distribution partners and gatekeepers? How will you enable your sales team to sell what you're product team is building vs. building what the sales team sold?
8. Nurture distribution partnerships
How will you scale by teaching distribution partners how to leverage everything you’ve built and learned with your own customers? How will you ensure they are supercharging your efforts rather than acting as gatekeepers and stumbling blocks in the market?