The team was committed to launching a marketplace for pilgrim accommodations, but their approach raised major risks:

• Building Without Market Validation → They assumed demand existed but had not tested whether property owners would list their spaces or whether travelers would trust the platform.
• Super App Mentality Too Early → Planning to launch with multiple features instead of proving the core business model first.
• Scaling Without Financial Planning → Believed they could expand supply without assessing how unit economics, operations, and investment needs would evolve.
• Revenue Model Uncertainty → No validation of whether property owners would accept a commission-based structure.
• Stakeholder Misalignment → Different perspectives among team members created execution roadblocks.

Instead of diving into product development, we led a structured workshop to realign the team and clarify their business assumptions:

• Stakeholder Alignment → Facilitated business model mapping to ensure the team had a unified vision before investing resources.
• Scalability Reality Check → Highlighted how launching the platform would impact unit economics, operational complexity, and required capital.
• Market Validation Strategy → Outlined a structured process to test demand, supply-side adoption, and user trust before launching.
• Revenue Model Risk Assessment → Addressed gaps in the commission model and alternative monetization strategies.

Lean MVP Scope → Refined their feature set to focus on the core offering instead of building unnecessary complexities upfront.

By challenging assumptions before development, the team gained key insights that strengthened their launch strategy:

• De-risked Scaling → Identified financial and operational risks that could have made expansion unsustainable.
• Clearer Market Positioning → Understood the real factors influencing supply-side participation and traveler trust.
• Revenue Model Validation Priority → Recognized the need to test monetization strategies before full-scale development.
• Stronger Execution Plan → Developed a lean, investment-ready roadmap for a validated go-to-market strategy.

The full case study details how this strategic intervention prevented costly mistakes and how other startups can apply these principles before investing in development.