Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.
—
Sherry Jiang is the founder and CEO of Peek, an AI-powered personal finance platform helping users track and grow their net worth. Previously at Google, where she worked on Google Pay's growth in India, Sherry made the bold decision to leave big tech in 2021 to pursue entrepreneurship in Singapore.
Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…
1/ 🎯 Master One Channel Before Scaling
The first $1M in revenue can come from mastering a single marketing channel. Don't spread yourself too thin across multiple platforms—go deep before going wide. For Peek, LinkedIn organic was the golden ticket, driving hundreds of beta signups through authentic storytelling.
2/ 🧪 Right-Size Your Experiments
Think like a poker player: Make small bets to test hypotheses before going all-in. Start with minimal viable experiments that let you validate assumptions without depleting resources. A good rule: If an experiment fails, it shouldn't threaten your core business.
3/ 👥 The "15 Core Users" Rule
Rather than trying to deeply understand hundreds of users, focus on 15 power users you know "as well as your siblings." Look for users who proactively provide feedback and engage with your product—they'll give you the insights needed to build something great.
4/ 📱 Prototype > Perfect
Build quick, throwaway prototypes to validate ideas fast. One prototype per month is a good cadence. Don't worry about perfect branding or polish—focus on getting behavioral validation from real users. As Sherry says, "I don't care if the colors aren't on brand."
5/ 💡 Local > Global
Don't confuse "US market" with "global." Start with geographic focus and expand strategically. The world has 8B people—the US has 300M. Regional focus lets you deeply understand users and build for their specific needs before expanding.
6/ 🎭 AI as Writing Partner
Use AI as a writing assistant and research accelerator, not a replacement. Feed it your "word vomit" and let it help structure thoughts. For research, use it to spot patterns and generate insights that would take humans weeks to compile.
7/ 📊 Story > Stats
Don't just show data—tell stories with it. Even with limited data (like one month of transactions), you can craft meaningful narratives about spending patterns and behaviors. Focus on progressive revelation of information with clear hooks and resolutions.
8/ 🎬 Content Format Follows Platform
Different platforms demand different approaches: LinkedIn rewards professional insight, TikTok needs extreme authenticity, Reddit requires pure value-add with zero self-promotion. Don't copy-paste content across platforms—adapt to each one's native language.
—
Where to find Sherry Jiang:
Peek: https://peek.money/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrypeek/
X: https://x.com/SherryYanJiang
—
In this episode, we cover:
00:00 Introduction and Background
05:37 Learning AI Coding as a Non-Technical Founder
11:16 Onboarding Challenges in Personal Finance Apps
16:55 User Acquisition and Building Trust
19:51 Understanding the Founder Journey
21:10 Navigating Switching Costs in Startups
22:36 Assessing Product-Market Fit
26:33 The Art and Science of Founding
29:32 Merging Data and Intuition
33:19 Thinking in Bets: Lessons from Poker
36:19 Marketing Strategies and LinkedIn Success
38:30 Building a Personal Brand
44:26 Customer Retention and Insights
49:47 Prototyping and Testing for Product Market Fit
50:59 Channel Optimization Post Product Market Fit
53:15 Localization Strategies for Diverse Markets
55:07 Underrated Marketing Channels: Insights and Opportunities
57:15 The Impact of AI on Personal Finance Management
01:02:50 Lightning Round: Quickfire Marketing Insights
—
Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them.
Share this post