0. Improvise

Level Overview

What to do: Improvise

Your role: Researcher

Headcount: Just you (not a company yet)

Revenue: Under €$100k a year (no revenue yet)

Leadership structure: Just you

US companies at this level: N/A (you’re not a company yet)

French companies at this level: N/A (you’re not a company yet)

Bottom line: Right now, nothing is happening.

Graduate by: Get people to try your stuff for free.

What’s going on

You’re one person with an idea. Not a company yet. No proof that strangers care. That’s normal.

Level 0 is not about making money. It’s about learning with real people. Free removes the “should I pay?” barrier so someone will try what you made and tell you the truth.

It can feel slow or small. That’s fine. You’re gathering evidence, not building a monument.

What to do (in order)

1. Make something free people can try

A service (help someone with their computer), information (teach a skill), a template, a sample product: anything that lets someone use the help, not only hear about it. It does not need to be perfect. It needs to be free and clear enough that people say yes to trying it.

2. Tell people it exists

Start with who you can reach: friends, family, old coworkers, email contacts, people who follow you. Keep the message simple: here’s free help, who it’s for, how to get it. Nobody will guess.

3. Get trials and ask what worked

Invite them to try it. When they do, ask what they liked, what was confusing, and what would make it better. That feedback is how you learn what people want before you ever sell.

4. Take care of free users

Answer quickly. Help them use it. Be easy to deal with. They’re not “just free.” They’re your only real feedback.

5. Basics: tools, you, entity, bank

Computer, internet, mic, phone, email. Put yourself on a real work schedule. Create an entity so personal life and the project don’t share every risk. Open a business bank account, put money in, track what you spend so you can write off startup expenses.

Keep spend low. Use free tools when you can. Stay willing to change your free offer based on what people tell you. Focus on helping and getting feedback, not on looking finished.

Don’ts

• Charging money before people use the free thing
• Big ads or a heavy brand build
• Hiring anyone
• Building for months in private with zero trials
• Spending much money before you have trials

Resource recommendations for Level 0

If you’re stuck before evidence, start here:

• I Have Nothing to Sell (yet)
• The Nature of Business
• The 4 Business Levers

You’re ready for the next level when

• Real people have tried the free thing (more than polite family nods)
• You hear useful feedback and see who comes back or asks for more
• You can say what helped and what failed without guessing
• Basics are in motion: tools, your own work habit, entity and business bank account
• You’re ready to think about a price because the value is no longer only theory

Common traps

• Endless planning: logos and decks, zero trials.
• Free that isn’t usable: a teaser that helps no one.
• Hiding: you built something and almost nobody heard.
• Treating free users as disposable: bad habits stick.
• Mixing money: only a personal account, no tracking of spend.

Next

When people actually use the free thing and find it helpful, move on. Next is Level 1: Monetize: make a version good enough to charge for, say the price out loud, and collect a real payment.

For now, improvise. Make free value. Get trials. Learn. Set up the basics. Nothing happens until someone tries your stuff.