Your Network Is Your First Round of Revenue
You don't have a pipeline problem. You have an operating discipline problem.
Most early-stage founders think they need more leads, more outreach, more top-of-funnel. They don't. They need to look at the network they already have and realize they're sitting on their first five to ten customers. The problem isn't access. The problem is that nobody is systematically working the access that already exists.
This workshop gives founders a concrete framework for mapping, activating, and maintaining the relationships that will drive their first revenue and their raise.
Pre-Work (Do this 48 hours before)
Short and simple. Two things:
Write down the names of 10 people in your network who know what you're building. (Not investors. People who know you, know your space, or work with the kind of buyer you want to reach.)
Think about your last three meetings or calls with potential customers or partners. How many had a clear next step scheduled before you hung up?
No downloads, no LinkedIn exports. Just names and honest reflection.
Session Flow (60 Minutes)
1. The Big Idea (5 min)
2. ICP vs. ICA: The Most Important Distinction You're Not Making (12 min)
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile): Who you sell to. The company, the buyer, the problem you solve for them. Most founders know this (or are working on it).
ICA (Ideal Connection Avatar): Who opens the door. The person in your network who already has trust with your ICP. They're not your customer. They're the person who gets you in the room.
Why it matters at your stage: You don't need 100 leads. You need 5 to 10 ICAs who can introduce you to the right first customers. One great ICA can generate your entire first year of pipeline.
3. Access Mapping: You Already Know More People Than You Think (12 min)
Access mapping is auditing who you already know against who you need to reach. It's the bridge between "I need to find customers" and "I already have a path to five of them."
4. Army of 200: Building the Relationship System That Compounds (12 min)
The Army of 200 (credit: Ashley Quinto Powell) is a deliberate list of roughly 200 people who matter to your business and career. Not a CRM full of 2,000 contacts. A curated list of relationships you actively maintain.
5. Room Prep: Never Walk Into a Conversation Unprepared (10 min)
6. Q&A and Takeaways (9 min)
Key Takeaways for Attendees
Your network is your first go-to-market channel. Not ads, not cold email, not a sales hire.
The ICA (the door-opener) is as important as the ICP (the buyer). Learn to tell them apart.
Access mapping reveals paths to customers you already have. You don't start from zero.
200 curated relationships, touched every 6 to 8 weeks, compounds into a distribution engine.
Prep for rooms. Book the next step before you leave. That's where revenue lives.
Olivia Leavengood
Bootstrapped founder who drove profitability in year one. 6+ CEO engagements as a fractional and full time Chief of Staff, supporting $30M+ in founder capital closed. Go-to-Market, not ops. Focus exclusively on operating discipline behind founder-led sales.
Host:
Funding Breakthrough Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pre-accelerator with a mission of creating a supportive community (23,000+ subscribers) to build a better tomorrow. We support founder success not just startup success by ensuring founders have access to education, networks, and resources to unlock their potential. Founded by Natalie Pan, an engineer, community builder and executive coach. Apply for the next cohort here https://fundingbreakthroughlab.org.