No one person is the same, but there are many similar people. That’s why when we define our ideal customer we can target them with specific marketing methods that will convert that type of a person.
An ICP is basically a cheat code for knowing who actually needs what you offer (and who’s just gonna ghost you after five emails). It’s a clear description of your dream customer, the one who’s most likely to buy, benefit, and stick around.
So, how to make one?
Here’s a super simple breakdown of what you need to define:
1. Who are they?
Industry: What space do they operate in? Company Size: Startup? Enterprise? Solo founder in their garage? Revenue: Are they bootstrapped or throwing VC money around?
2. What keeps them up at night?
What’s frustrating them? What problem do they have that you solve better than anyone else?
3. How do they buy?
Who makes the call? The founder? The CMO? What matters most in their decision, speed, price, credibility?
4. Where do you actually find them?
Twitter? LinkedIn? Slack communities? Discord? Industry events?
5. Who's not a good fit?
People who only want free stuff? Companies that are too small (or too big) to actually benefit from your solution?
Here’s a quick and dirty example.
Section
Details
🌍
Industry
Tech startups, SaaS, AI tools, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands,
venture-backed businesses
👥
Company Size
2-50 employees (small but growing, pre-seed to Series A)
💰
Revenue
$500K - $10M ARR (early-stage but with a budget for branding & web
presence)
😩
Pain Points
Their branding looks amateur and doesn’t reflect their vision
Their website isn’t converting leads or feels outdated
Investors expect a polished, professional online presence
They don’t have an in-house designer or branding expert
Struggling to stand out in a crowded market
🎯
Decision Maker
Founders, Head of Marketing, Growth Lead, early-stage CMO
⚡
Buying Triggers
They recently raised funding and need to level up their brand
Their current website isn’t converting, and they’re losing potential customers
A competitor just rebranded, and they feel the pressure to keep up
They’re launching a new product and need a brand refresh
They’re hiring and need a more professional brand to attract talent
📍
Where to meet them
Twitter / X, LinkedIn, startup slack groups or discords, Product
Hunt, YC forums, Indie Hackers, No Code communities
🚩
Red Flags
Solo founders with no funding and no budget
People looking for "cheap" design solutions
Teams that micromanage every creative decision and don’t trust experts
Businesses with no real urgency or deadline for branding work
Startups that don’t see branding as a priority and just want "something basic"
ICPs are great for marketing, sales, fundraising, product development and so on.
Oddsbreak Verified Pro
If you want a professionally created ICP, reach out to Matthew via discord (@famas3892)
He’s the founder of Sonsul Consulting and a pro when it comes to stuff like this.
We asked our Oddsbreakers, “Who is your ideal ICP?"
My ideal user is a movie and TV show enthusiast who loves discovering
fresh content and enjoys personalized recommendations to explore beyond
mainstream trends
For businesses: Brick and mortar shops in Austin, TX within small malls/squares/centers primarily selling non-alcoholic beverages at high margins and experience regular periods of downtime each day. Ideally has an indicator of being an early adopter: has Snapchat account, participates in student club events…
For us, my ideal user is the bootstrapped user. The smaller developer or
a ragtag team of developers and IT folk. People who have a project or
need to build something digital and not quite the funds to hit the high
barrier of entry cost from running, launching, storing their app, etc.
Our ideal user is the right-brain out-loud thinker. If you like to talk
through problems and solutions rather than struggle to structure them on
paper, and you collaborate often with others, Conversatum is a tool for
you.
Want to become an Oddsbreaker?
Those are the people breaking the odds and working on their projects relentlessly. If you think you have what it
takes to join them, find more info in our discord.
