How we work
Diagnose first. Build what matters. Prove it works.
Narrow provides GTM and commercial advisory for technical founders moving through early-stage commercialisation.
Rather than beginning with a predetermined solution, every engagement starts by understanding what already exists, what is working, what is not, and where the real commercial friction sits.
Operating principle
Know first. Then act.
01 — Focus
Commercial Diagnostic
Two weeks
Focus is a structured commercial diagnostic designed to establish what is actually happening across the business before deciding what should be changed.
It examines the evidence across market, proposition, founder-led sales, qualification, pipeline, pricing and commercial infrastructure.
- Market and ICP
- Customer segmentation
- Proposition and positioning
- Messaging
- Founder-led sales
- Qualification and discovery
- Sales process
- Pipeline
- Pricing
- CRM
- Commercial operating rhythm
What is working?
Why is it working?
What is not working?
Why?
What matters most?
Output
Commercial Diagnostic & 90-Day Priority Plan
What materially needs addressing now.
What will materially strengthen the commercial model.
What may be valuable later but is not currently the priority.
Focus does not commit the client to Build.
02 — Build
Diagnosis-led Commercial Implementation
Build takes the highest-priority findings from Focus and turns them into working commercial capability.
There is no generic Build package. The scope is agreed from the evidence.
- ICP and market focus
- Segmentation
- Positioning
- Value proposition
- Messaging
- GTM strategy
- Founder-led sales process
- Qualification and discovery
- Pricing and proposals
- Pipeline management
- CRM structure
- Commercial cadence
- Metrics and forecasting
03 — Prove
Turn the commercial model into repeatable behaviour.
Prove provides ongoing senior commercial support once the foundations are in place. The emphasis moves from designing the model to testing and improving it against live opportunities.
The objective is not dependency on Narrow. It is to build a commercial model the business understands and can repeat.
- Pipeline reviews
- Opportunity strategy
- Sales conversations
- Proposal and pricing support
- Messaging refinement
- Forecasting
- GTM decisions
- Commercial metrics
- Accountability
Frequently asked questions
Questions technical founders often ask before starting.
What does a commercial diagnostic involve?
A commercial diagnostic looks across the evidence behind how a business is currently going to market and converting opportunities. Narrow reviews areas including market and ICP, proposition, sales process, qualification, pipeline, pricing, CRM and commercial operating rhythm. The objective is to identify what is working, where friction exists and what should be prioritised next.
When should a deep-tech startup hire its first salesperson?
Usually after the business has enough commercial evidence to understand who it is selling to, why customers buy, how opportunities progress and what a salesperson will actually be expected to repeat. Hiring sales before those things are understood can simply transfer an unresolved commercial problem from the founder to a salesperson.
What is the difference between technical validation and commercial validation?
Technical validation demonstrates that the technology works. Commercial validation demonstrates that a defined customer has a sufficiently important problem, recognises the value of the solution and is willing and able to buy. A business often needs both before it has a repeatable commercial model.
How do you know if a sales pipeline is real?
A pipeline is more than a list of interested organisations. A genuine opportunity should normally have evidence of a meaningful problem, buying intent, relevant stakeholders, a defined next step and a realistic path towards a decision. Without qualification, pipeline value can substantially overstate the revenue opportunity.
What does GTM strategy mean for a technical founder?
A GTM strategy defines how the business will take its product to market. For an early-stage technical business that typically means establishing which market to focus on, who the buyer is, what problem matters most, how the proposition should be positioned, how demand will be created and how opportunities will move through a sales process.
Do we need a CRM before working with Narrow?
No. A CRM can help organise commercial activity, but software does not create a commercial model. If a CRM already exists, Narrow will examine how effectively it supports pipeline management and commercial decision-making. If one does not exist, the diagnostic may determine whether one is actually needed.
Does Focus commit us to Build?
No. Focus is a standalone commercial diagnostic. If the findings identify work that Narrow is well placed to implement, a Build scope can be agreed afterwards. If not, the engagement ends with the diagnostic, priorities and 90-day plan.
Not sure what needs fixing?
That is the point of Focus.
Understand the commercial reality before spending more money, hiring more people or adding more activity.