By Ian Dixon, Business Advisor - DCT Specialist

One of our most asked questions is how to take a product, service or even business to market. And it’s a fair one, they don’t teach this in school! 

Below I’ll walk you through the steps I recommend, using an exciting business I’ve been working with – Mocxy AI as an example. 

I’ve been supporting David O'Donnell, CEO of O'Donnell SD Ltd, a highly experienced consultant with a strong focus on crafting exceptional customer experiences. 

This passion laid the foundation for his latest venture - Mocxy AI - an advanced platform aimed at revolutionising customer experience (CX) for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It's main goal is to elevate the way businesses approach customer service by blending cutting-edge AI technology with carefully designed CX strategies.

A wise man lays his house upon the rock...

The first thing I make sure when supporting a new business, is that it’s as solid as possible. A strong foundation makes everything that comes next much easier. 

It’s vital that founders see this first step as a fundamental part of their go-to-market strategy. 

For Mocxy AI a key milestone was a four-day innovation retreat. This retreat served as a pivotal moment in shaping David’s idea into a well-structured business plan, leveraging innovation to catalyse growth.

Following this, David received additional funding through our Innovation program, which allowed him to navigate the complexities of Research and Development (R&D) tax credits. These credits have been instrumental in securing the financial foundation needed to bring Mocxy AI to life.

David attributes the support from our teams as being important to his business development:

“Immeasurably grateful for all of the support received from GM Business Growth Hub so far. We’ve went from a business with an idea, to validated customer research, heavily refined value proposition and an MVP ready for market. The strategic guidance from Ian Dixon and the DCT team was instrumental in bringing the business together, whilst Russell Manfield and the Innovation Navigator team enabled us to move from 0 to 1. 

We’re very excited to go to market, and support the Greater Manchester community and further afield, to build outstanding digital products and services – at a fraction of the typical cost. “

The power of 1-2-1 support

David then engaged with the Digital, Creative and Technology team to understand and create a strategic Go To Market plan for Mocxy AI. 

Through a series of one-to-one meetings and a lot of research and effort on both sides, we were able to craft an actionable and results-oriented strategy which David has expertly executed on. 

It was obvious from the initial meeting that David was the classic founder; great domain knowledge, clear problem understanding and an immense drive to bring his idea to fruition in a manner that delivers for his target audience.

Strategic Steps Towards Market Launch

Once the innovation framework was established, David continued to work with the Digital, Creative, and Technology team, who provided further funded support. This support involved a series of key strategic activities. 

The below steps can be used by any business to help build a winning go-to-market strategy. 

1. Discovery Session: A comprehensive session to identify the core problems Mocxy AI addresses, its target market, and the current competitive landscape.

2. Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Mapping: Detailed mapping to define the ideal customer for Mocxy AI, ensuring that the platform serves the right audience.

3. Value Proposition Development: Tailoring value propositions to align with each ICP, ensuring the messaging resonates with different customer segments.

4. Website and SEO Review: A critical review of Mocxy AI's website to ensure it is visually appealing and optimised for search engines, enhancing online visibility.

5. Marketing Alignment: An analysis of the social, functional, and emotional traits of the ICPs to fine-tune marketing messages.

6. Problem-Solution Fit: A review of the key challenges facing Mocxy AI’s target audience and how its services can effectively solve these problems.

7. Marketing Channel Strategy: Identifying the most relevant marketing channels to ensure that Mocxy AI’s message reaches the right audience at the right time.

Next steps...

Once a business has successfully refined and launched its Go To Market (GTM) strategy, the natural next step is to focus on scaling and long-term growth. For many technology businesses, this means building out their customer base, expanding into new markets, and strengthening their operational foundations. Increasingly, we're seeing that this growth phase includes preparing for and securing external investment to accelerate progress.

For Mocxy AI, the next phase is about applying the learnings from the funded support around the groundwork to become investment-ready. This involves not only demonstrating strong market traction and a compelling value proposition, but also ensuring the business has robust financials, a scalable business model, and a clear vision for future expansion. As part of this journey, Mocxy AI is tapping into the resources and expert support available through the GM Business Growth Hub. This partnership is helping the company develop a compelling investment case, understand the investment market and investors, and ensure it is well-positioned for sustainable, long-term growth.

To achieve this, the Access to Finance team will work with David to review his commercial positioning and to support where needed in the application for a Start-Up loan.

Make connections

And whilst the support you can get from GM Business Growth Hub is a great start, businesses should use it as a way to build out their networks. Greater Manchester is a hub of innovation and creativity, with plenty of organisations and people who want to help. 

David is also part of the Turing Innovation Catalyst program. This program is a driving force behind the development of the AI platform that will power Mocxy AI. Through this initiative, David is working closely with a network of experts to ensure Mocxy AI is built on a solid, innovative foundation that will propel it to success.

If you have a tech company or have an innovative idea ready to take forward our teams are ready to provide support at any stage of your growth. Contact us below and an adviser will be in touch.