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OKRs for early-stage startups: how to do it right

OKRs are a powerful tool — but only if you use them correctly. Here is the practical guide for founders at seed and pre-seed.

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a framework popularised by Google and used by most successful tech companies. But many early-stage startups use them incorrectly.

What OKRs are not

OKRs are not a to-do list. Neither are they a performance review. OKRs are about focusing the entire organisation on the most critical goals.

The right OKR structure for a pre-seed startup

In pre-seed you should have at most 2–3 objectives per quarter. Each objective should have 2–4 key results that are measurable and binary.

Example:

  • Objective: Prove that the product solves a real problem

    • - KR1: Interview 50 potential customers by March

    - KR2: Sign 10 paying beta customers

    - KR3: NPS > 40 among beta users

    The most common mistake

    Setting OKRs that are too easy to reach. Google's philosophy is that you should reach 60–70% of key results. If you reach 100%, your ambition level is too low.

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