Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Choose a product and validate demand before building the store
1–3 weeks
Choose a specific product (or small product range) and validate that people will pay for it before investing in the store. The most common e-commerce failure is spending 3–4 weeks building a polished Shopify store for a product no one wants to buy. Demand validation does not require a store — it requires evidence that real people will pay real money for this specific product. The two most accessible validation methods are: (a) a pre-order with real payment, or (b) a listing on an existing marketplace (Etsy, eBay, Amazon, Not On The High Street) that receives at least one sale.
Proof required
Share your demand validation evidence: either (a) a pre-order confirmation showing at least one person has paid real money for the product before the store is built, or (b) a screenshot of a marketplace listing with at least one sale. Write one sentence on why you chose this specific product over other options you considered.
What gets checked
- At least one real payment for the product — a pre-order, a marketplace sale, or a direct purchase.
- The payment is real money, not a promise or intent to buy.
- Why this product over alternatives — one sentence demonstrating the product choice was deliberate.
Common mistakes
- Demand validation is a survey: 'I asked 10 people if they would buy it' — asking if someone would buy is not the same as taking their money.
- Demand validation is marketplace impressions or wishlist adds — real payments only.
- Product range is too broad: '200 products across 8 categories' is a store strategy, not a demand-validated product choice.
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- The demand validation must involve a real payment — ask to see the payment screenshot, not a description.
- Pre-orders are valid, but ask whether the product was actually delivered — a pre-order that was never fulfilled is not e-commerce traction.
- Why this product: the reasoning should demonstrate competitive or market awareness, not just personal preference.
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Launch the store and reach the first 10 paying customers
4–8 weeks from M1
Build and launch the store, and acquire 10 paying customers through the store itself (not a marketplace). The store milestone is distinct from the marketplace validation in M1 — it demonstrates that you can drive customers to your own destination and convert them, not just that your product sells on someone else's platform. 10 customers is the right threshold: large enough to require real acquisition work, small enough to be achievable without a marketing budget.
Proof required
Share your store URL (live, publicly accessible). Share a screenshot of your store's order management dashboard showing 10+ completed orders with dates. State how each customer found you — the acquisition channel breakdown for these first 10 orders.
What gets checked
- Store is live and publicly accessible — the URL should work when visited.
- 10+ completed orders shown in the dashboard with dates.
- Acquisition channel breakdown for the first 10 orders — social media, word of mouth, paid ads, organic search, etc.
Common mistakes
- Store is live but no orders yet: 'we're working on marketing' — the milestone is 10 orders, not a live store.
- Orders are from friends and family only: 'I shared it with my network' — if all 10 are personal relationships, the acquisition test has not been conducted.
- Acquisition channel absent: '10 orders' without stating how they were acquired.
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- The store URL must be live — visit it directly to verify it is accessible and shows real products.
- 10+ orders: the dashboard screenshot should show order numbers, dates, and amounts — ask whether any orders are test orders that should be excluded.
- Acquisition channel: ask which single channel drove the most of the first 10 orders — the answer reveals whether acquisition is replicable.
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Month 2 metrics — repeat customers and unit economics
2 months from first sale
Measure month 2 metrics: repeat customers, average order value, and unit economics. A one-time e-commerce purchase is often a novelty sale; a repeat purchase is the first evidence of a sustainable e-commerce business. The unit economics question — is the cost to acquire a customer less than the profit on their first order — is the most important structural question for e-commerce at this stage. A store with good unit economics and 0% repeat rate has a different problem than a store with bad unit economics and 20% repeat rate.
Proof required
Share your month 2 metrics: (1) repeat customer rate — what percentage of your first-month customers placed a second order; (2) average order value; (3) your best estimate of customer acquisition cost for your primary channel and your gross margin per order. Write two sentences on what these numbers tell you about whether the business is viable at scale.
What gets checked
- Repeat customer rate from the first cohort is stated — even 0% is a real answer.
- Average order value and gross margin per order are stated.
- Customer acquisition cost estimate is present — even a rough estimate ('about $X via Instagram ads') is better than absent.
Common mistakes
- Only revenue is reported: 'we made $X in month 2' — revenue without unit economics does not reveal whether the business is profitable.
- Repeat customer rate absent: 'we're focused on new customers' — repeat rate is the most important early e-commerce metric.
- CAC absent: 'we haven't calculated it yet' — a rough estimate is always possible for any acquisition channel.
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Repeat customer rate: ask for the number of customers from month 1 who placed a second order — even 1 out of 10 is a real data point.
- Unit economics: ask whether gross margin per order is positive after COGS, packaging, and shipping — many new e-commerce stores don't know their margin.
- Viability interpretation: the founder's two-sentence answer should acknowledge the biggest structural risk the numbers reveal.
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