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How JTBD Interviews Help Scale Startups

Learn how JTBD interviews can revolutionize startup growth by uncovering customer motivations and aligning teams for effective solutions.
How JTBD Interviews Help Scale Startups
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JTBD (Jobs-to-be-Done) interviews can transform how startups grow. Instead of focusing on product features or customer demographics, this method digs into the real reasons people choose products - what "job" they’re hiring your product to do. Here's why it matters:

  • Understand Customer Motivations: Learn why customers make decisions, not just what they want.
  • Refine Product-Market Fit: Focus on solving real problems to create products that stick.
  • Improve Team Alignment: Ensure all teams (marketing, product, engineering) address the same customer needs.
  • Discover Growth Opportunities: Identify related needs or gaps to expand your offerings.

Companies like Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify have used JTBD insights to reshape industries by addressing deeper customer needs. Startups can use this approach to prioritize resources, avoid wasted efforts, and scale more effectively.

Key takeaway: JTBD interviews help startups focus on what truly matters - solving customer problems - leading to loyal users and sustainable growth.

Key Benefits of JTBD Interviews for Scaling Startups

Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) interviews offer startups a powerful way to rethink growth strategies. They help uncover overlooked market gaps, foster team alignment around customer needs, and identify new opportunities for expansion. Together, these insights provide a roadmap for scaling effectively.

Identifying Underserved Customer Needs

JTBD interviews go beyond surface-level desires, digging into the deeper motivations behind customer behavior. Traditional market research often focuses on what customers say they want, but JTBD interviews explore the functional, social, and emotional dimensions of their goals.

For instance, while a customer may need transportation (a functional need), their choice of a ride-sharing app might hinge on feeling safer or more professional (social and emotional factors). By addressing these underlying motivations, businesses can craft solutions that resonate on a deeper level.

David Rusinko, Director of Strategic Marketing at Momentive, highlights the value of this approach:

"The Jobs-To-Be-Done approach drove within us a heightened focus on our customers. We discovered important and often 'unspoken' customer needs. Even in established markets, we gained new insights enabling stronger value propositions, more impactful customer communications, and innovation better aligned with market needs."

Using job mapping, companies can break down a core task into its individual steps, pinpointing pain points that are ripe for improvement. Listening to customers describe their struggles in their own words provides a clear direction for product development and innovation.

These insights not only inform product strategies but also serve to align teams across the organization.

Driving Organizational Alignment

Scaling startups often face the challenge of keeping teams aligned as they grow. JTBD interviews help by creating a shared understanding of customer needs, which becomes a unifying force across departments.

When teams work from the same JTBD insights, everyone - from marketing to product development to engineering - can focus on solving the same customer problems. Marketing can craft messaging that addresses real needs, product teams can prioritize features that matter most, and engineering can design solutions that truly resonate with users.

This shared focus streamlines decision-making and reduces internal friction. Instead of debating what customers might want, teams can confidently act on a clear understanding of their motivations. A well-defined JTBD statement ensures everyone is on the same page, making it easier to prioritize efforts and deliver consistent results.

A great example comes from the London-based startup howamigoing. After working with consultant Alan Klement, they realized their target audience wasn’t HR professionals, as they had assumed, but senior leaders aiming to create a culture of support and collaboration. This insight reshaped their product features, marketing strategy, and even pricing model, allowing all teams to pivot together effectively.

Finding Adjacent Innovation Opportunities

JTBD interviews don’t just help with current challenges - they also reveal new paths for growth by identifying related jobs that customers are trying to accomplish. By understanding what customers need before, during, and after using your product, you can uncover opportunities to expand your offerings.

These related jobs often lead to the most promising areas for innovation. Customers rarely have isolated needs; they’re often trying to achieve interconnected goals. By addressing these, startups can create complementary products or services that deepen customer relationships and open up new revenue streams.

For example, in April 2018, Fidelity launched FidSafe, a cloud-based storage solution for financial documents like wills and property deeds. While their primary focus was on helping customers grow wealth through investments, they identified a related need: securely storing and sharing important financial documents. By addressing this adjacent job, Fidelity strengthened its role in customers’ financial lives.

When evaluating related opportunities, consider questions like: Are customers struggling with current solutions? Is this job performed frequently? Does solving it enhance customer relationships? Can your company deliver a better solution profitably?

The most promising opportunities lie where customers face challenges with existing options, the need is recurring, and your business has the resources to provide a superior solution. By focusing on these areas, startups can expand their offerings while solidifying their value to customers.

Research and Case Studies: JTBD in Action

Startups using Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) methods boast an impressive 86% success rate - five times higher than those relying on conventional approaches [1]. These examples show how Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) insights go beyond product design, reshaping entire growth strategies.

Examples of Startups Using JTBD Insights

Many startups have seen transformative results by applying JTBD principles. Here are some standout examples that highlight how understanding customer jobs can lead to measurable success:

Product People Club
Justin Jackson, the founder of Product People Club, uncovered an unexpected challenge faced by solo entrepreneurs: loneliness and a lack of motivation. JTBD interviews revealed that these individuals needed more than just business advice - they craved community support. Jackson tested this insight with a low-cost chat room, which later inspired him to create "Marketing for Developers", a complementary product designed to address the marketing struggles entrepreneurs face after launching new products.

Lean Stack
Ash Maurya, creator of Lean Canvas, turned to JTBD interviews to understand customer churn. Conversations with former users revealed that many left because they had already achieved their initial goal and no longer needed the product. Others were using Lean Canvas for purposes beyond startups, such as designing features for existing products. These insights led Maurya to refine his focus on innovators and introduce new tools like the Experiment Report and Validation Plan.

Azimo
Azimo, an international money transfer platform, worked with research firm Headway to conduct over 45 JTBD interviews. These interviews uncovered the emotional and social context of sending money internationally, helping Azimo identify unmet customer needs and redefine its market opportunities. The findings directly influenced product updates and marketing improvements, enhancing the customer experience.

Memrise
The language learning platform Memrise conducts around 250 JTBD interviews annually to understand the moments leading up to customers adopting their solution. By zeroing in on the critical decision-making points when users seek language tools, Memrise has fine-tuned its messaging and identified the most effective marketing channels to reach potential customers.

Robert Kaminski, Product Strategist at Headway, explains the power of these interviews:

The first reason people give you for buying something is rarely the real reason. It isn't until we understand the unspoken motivations and struggles of customers within a situational context, that we can begin to predict future behavior.

Coloplast
In its wound care division, Coloplast used JTBD insights to focus on a segment of nurses dealing with 15 underserved outcomes. By prioritizing "preventing complications", the company achieved double-digit growth in less than six months.

These examples highlight the tangible impact of JTBD insights and set the stage for a comparison with traditional research methods.

Comparison: JTBD Interviews vs. Standard Customer Research

The key distinction between JTBD interviews and traditional market research lies in their focus and approach. While traditional methods often center on demographics and preferences, JTBD interviews dig deeper into the jobs customers are trying to accomplish.

Feature JTBD Interviews Traditional Market Research
Focus The "job" customers want the product to do Demographics, preferences, and behaviors
Methodology Interviews, job mapping, outcome analysis Surveys, focus groups, data analysis
Goal Discover customer needs and motivations Identify market trends and segments
Strengths Reveals unmet needs, uncovers deeper drivers, inspires new ideas Provides a broad market view, tracks trends, and segments customers
Limitations Time-intensive and requires skilled interviewers May miss deeper insights and be prone to biases

Unlike traditional surveys, JTBD interviews uncover the why behind customer decisions, offering actionable insights that can guide strategic pivots. While standard research identifies general preferences, JTBD interviews explore the deeper motivations and progress customers are striving for.

Darci Congrove, Managing Partner at GBQ Partners, captures the mindset shift JTBD brings:

One of the most important things that came out of our work with Urko was a shift in our mentality from focusing on what we know how to do, to what the client is trying to get done.

Best Practices for Conducting Effective JTBD Interviews

Understanding customer jobs is a cornerstone for scaling startups, and well-executed JTBD interviews are essential for uncovering these insights. By following a structured and thoughtful approach, you can gather meaningful data that drives impactful decisions.

Key Interview Techniques

One of the most critical elements of a JTBD interview is exploring the "switch event" - the moment when a customer decided to move toward a new solution. This pivotal point often reveals their core motivations and unmet needs.

Encourage customers to share their full story by using a timeline approach. Ask them to walk you through their decision-making process step-by-step, highlighting both emotional and practical factors that influenced their choices.

Focus your questions on real events. Asking about what actually happened yields far more reliable insights than speculative or hypothetical scenarios. For example, instead of asking, "What would you do in this situation?" ask, "What did you do when this situation occurred?"

Avoid leading questions and pay close attention to non-verbal cues, such as tone and body language. For instance, rather than asking, "Did you find the new feature helpful?" try a neutral question like, "What was your experience with the new feature?" This approach encourages honest, unbiased feedback.

You might also try starting with the "worst-job-first" method. Begin the conversation by asking about negative experiences or frustrations. Addressing challenges upfront often uncovers critical pain points and areas for improvement.

Step-by-Step Methodology

Here’s a structured process to ensure your JTBD interviews are both effective and actionable:

  1. Phase 1: Preparation
    Define your research goals and recruit participants who have recently started or stopped using your product. Focus on individuals who have experienced a switch event, as their insights are often the most revealing. Create a semi-structured interview guide to allow for flexibility, and set up a comfortable, non-intimidating environment.
  2. Phase 2: Conducting the Interview
    Build rapport right away and make it clear that your goal is to understand, not to sell. Secure consent for recording so you can focus fully on the conversation. Start with open-ended questions like, "What situation led you to look for a new solution?" Follow up with questions that map out the steps they took to achieve their goal.
  3. Phase 3: Data Analysis
    After the interviews, transcribe the recordings and use coding techniques to identify key themes, recurring patterns, and critical pain points. Develop job maps to break down the customer’s task into smaller steps, noting what they aim to achieve - or avoid - at each stage. These insights can highlight opportunities for product improvements or new features.
  4. Phase 4: Implementation
    Convert your findings into actionable recommendations. For example, one company used this approach to refine its focus from four customer personas to two core Jobs to be Done. This shift led to a 28% increase in trial signups and a 10% drop in bounce rates after launching an updated homepage.

Quality Indicators

Strong JTBD interviews are characterized by personal storytelling and recurring patterns across participants. These elements suggest that you’re capturing meaningful insights rather than isolated opinions.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Be cautious of confirmation bias - don’t look for evidence that simply supports your assumptions. Stay open to discovering new and unexpected customer needs. Review recordings to catch any phrasing issues or biases and to identify emerging trends. After each session, debrief with your team to reflect on tone, neutrality, and key takeaways.

Ultimately, the success of JTBD interviews lies in genuine curiosity about your customers’ experiences and a willingness to truly understand their perspectives, rather than just validating what you already believe. This mindset can lead to breakthroughs that drive real growth.

Integrating JTBD Insights into Startup Growth Strategy

After gathering Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) insights, the next step is turning them into actionable strategies. The best startups don't stop at collecting customer feedback - they weave these insights into every part of their operations. This approach builds on the JTBD interview techniques we’ve already discussed, creating a bridge between understanding your customers and executing strategies that meet their needs.

Using JTBD Insights for Product and Market Alignment

JTBD research uncovers what customers are genuinely trying to achieve, going beyond surface-level desires. This deeper understanding becomes the cornerstone for smarter decisions about product design and market strategy.

Rethinking Market Focus

Instead of segmenting markets by demographics or company size, JTBD insights let you define your market based on the actual job your customers need to get done. This shift can lead to game-changing results. Take Ontrack, a data recovery company, as an example. When they applied JTBD to the legal industry, they realized lawyers weren’t just looking for technology - they needed tools to "locate evidence to support or refute a case." This insight led to the creation of electronic discovery services tailored to the legal sector, which boosted their revenue by approximately $200 million over five years.

Building Job-Centered Product Roadmaps

By focusing on the steps customers take to complete their jobs, JTBD research can guide product development in ways that internal assumptions might overlook. For instance, Cordis Corporation used this approach to uncover strategic opportunities by mapping out every step in their customers’ workflows.

Crafting Messaging That Resonates

Your JTBD findings should transform how you communicate with potential customers. Instead of highlighting features, focus on how your product solves their specific job. Shiyam Sunder, Founder of TripleDart, puts it this way:

"By understanding the job that your ICP needs to be done, you can create marketing and sales materials that are more relevant and persuasive."

For example, a consumer packaged goods company used JTBD to understand why parents bought their snack line. While traditional analysis pointed to demographics, JTBD revealed the real job was to "keep kids satisfied between meals without guilt." This insight led to a messaging overhaul that emphasized health, convenience, and parental approval, resulting in a refreshed product line and increased market share.

Refining Sales and Marketing Efforts

Give your sales team JTBD-based talking points that address the specific challenges customers face when completing their jobs. Create content like blog posts, case studies, and webinars that directly address these pain points. This targeted approach ensures your messaging connects with your audience on a deeper level.

Using Advisory Services for Scaling

While JTBD insights provide strategic clarity, scaling a startup requires financial and operational expertise. This is where advisory services come in, helping you translate customer insights into sustainable growth strategies.

Financial Planning Rooted in Customer Jobs

Your understanding of customer jobs should shape financial decisions, from projections to resource allocation. Knowing which customer segments have the most pressing needs allows you to prioritize investments where they’ll have the biggest impact. This approach ensures your growth strategy aligns with actual market demand rather than internal guesses.

Advisory firms like Phoenix Strategy Group specialize in turning JTBD insights into actionable financial plans. They offer services like bookkeeping, fractional CFO support, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), and M&A guidance. Their expertise helps businesses scale, secure funding, and prepare for exits. For example, they develop unit economics that reflect the real value customers gain from completing their jobs, create cash flow forecasts based on realistic customer acquisition trends, and establish KPI frameworks to measure how well your product meets customer needs.

Strategic Resource Allocation

Tony Ulwick, a leading JTBD expert, emphasizes, "Jobs to be Done is about doing the right things. If we can take the guesswork out of innovation, we can do the right things - then do things right." This philosophy should guide how you allocate your limited resources.

With JTBD insights, you can prioritize which market segments to target, which product features to develop first, and which marketing channels are most effective. Advisory services can help model these decisions, showing the financial impact of each choice.

Preparing for Growth and Investment

As your startup expands, investors will want proof that your growth strategy is based on solid customer insights. JTBD provides this foundation, but you'll need robust financial systems to back it up.

Professional advisory services can help you build these systems, including integrated financial models that connect customer job completion to revenue, real-time reporting tools to track customer satisfaction, and forecasting capabilities to predict growth based on job-market trends.

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Conclusion: The Value of JTBD for Startups

JTBD interviews help startups shift their focus from surface-level demographics to the core motivations driving customer behavior, boasting an 86% success rate - five times better than traditional approaches.

This method uncovers what customers are truly trying to achieve. Take McDonald’s, for example: they found that commuters were “hiring” milkshakes as meal replacements for long drives. By redesigning milkshakes to be more portable and filling, they saw a 7x surge in morning sales. It’s a clear example of how understanding real customer goals can unlock major growth opportunities.

For startups, these insights pave the way for smarter decisions. Teams conducting 10 JTBD interviews each month grow 2–3x faster than competitors, as they build products based on actual customer needs rather than assumptions. Additionally, JTBD fosters collaboration by aligning internal teams around a shared understanding of what customers are trying to achieve.

Beyond internal benefits, JTBD insights guide critical decisions in areas like market selection, investment prioritization, and innovation. When strategies are rooted in solving real customer jobs instead of chasing fleeting trends, startups can move from product-market fit to sustainable growth with more confidence.

One of the biggest advantages of JTBD? It enables startups to learn from customers faster. As Eric Ries explains in The Lean Startup:

"The ability to learn faster from customers is the essential competitive advantage that startups must possess."

By diving into the "why" behind customer needs, startups can create solutions that resonate deeply, building stronger market positions.

Combining JTBD insights with expert guidance creates a powerful scaling strategy. Deep customer understanding, paired with financial and operational expertise, lays the groundwork for sustainable growth. For startups ready to scale, working with experienced advisors - like Phoenix Strategy Group - can help integrate these insights into a comprehensive strategy, bridging the gap from product-market fit to long-term success.

FAQs

What makes Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) interviews different from traditional market research, and why are they especially effective for startups?

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Interviews: Understanding Customer Motivations

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) interviews take a different approach compared to traditional market research. Instead of focusing on surface-level preferences or demographic details, these interviews dig into the why behind customer decisions. They aim to uncover the emotions, context, and needs driving people’s choices.

For startups, this approach can be a game-changer. JTBD interviews help reveal unmet needs and long-term goals that customers might not explicitly express. With this deeper understanding, startups can fine-tune their product-market fit, design solutions that address real problems, and grow more effectively. The insights gained go beyond fleeting trends, helping companies create products that truly connect with their audience.

How can startups use JTBD insights to improve their product development?

Startups can tap into Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) insights to sharpen their product development strategy by zeroing in on the primary tasks their customers aim to complete. The first step is to pinpoint the key outcomes customers are striving for and identify any unmet needs tied to those goals. This approach ensures your product solves real issues rather than just piling on extra features.

To dig deeper, conduct structured JTBD interviews. These conversations reveal the underlying motivations and challenges your customers face, all without bias. The insights gained from these interviews can guide your product development, helping you align features with what truly matters to your audience. The result? Solutions that connect with customers on a meaningful level, fueling growth and making scaling more achievable.

How can Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) interviews help startups achieve growth and innovation?

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Interviews: Unlocking Customer Insights

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) interviews are an invaluable method for startups aiming to dig deep into the reasons behind customer decisions. By focusing on the specific 'jobs' customers are trying to accomplish, startups can sharpen their product-market fit, craft solutions that genuinely address customer pain points, and focus on the features that truly matter.

Take this for example: startups using JTBD insights often uncover unexpected ways to set their products apart. This can lead to increased adoption rates and stronger customer loyalty. It’s a strategy that has proven essential for sparking new ideas and scaling businesses by ensuring products meet actual customer needs.

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