For non-technical B2B founders

A 12-week path to your first paid pilot.

Without hiring a CTO.

Sell as you build is a 12-week group program for non-technical B2B founders. Get paid before you build, deliver with a simple Founder MVP you own, and grow from there, without spending a fortune on an app nobody asked for.

Apply See the price

Join any time. Weekly live calls. Six months in the group. No sales call.

Three traps. Three cures.

Most non-technical B2B founders fall into the same three traps. Sound familiar?

Nobody's paying

You've had great meetings. Prospects love the idea. They said their team would use it. But when it's time to pay, the yeses disappear, and you're still not sure anyone will pay for this.

Too many features

You keep adding "just one more thing" before you show anyone. The AI tool fixes one bug and breaks two more. The developer's quote keeps growing. It's never quite ready.

Growth stalled

You got a few customers from your network, then nothing. You're too busy delivering to sell, and you're not sure where your next customer will come from.

None of these are tech problems. They're decisions about what to sell, what to build and where to find customers. That's what this program fixes.

The method: Sell it, Build it, Grow it

The 12 weeks are built to take you from a guess to a small, real business you own and can grow. Nine accelerators, in order. Each one is a tool you finish and keep.

Nobody's paying Get paid: A paying customer, or a clean no

Too many features Founder MVP: Simple, delivered by hand with AI, and yours to own

Growth stalled Steady growth: New customers every month from one channel

You sell first, build only what customers paid for, then grow. Asking for payment starts in week 3 and never stops.

Sell it

Buyer List 20 real business buyers you can reach this month Week 1
Offer Kit Offer doc, one-page site, payment link and intake form Week 2
Paid Pilot Your first paying business customer, or a clean no (your week 4 verdict) Weeks 3 to 4

Build it

Founder Delivery Deliver by hand, with AI doing the heavy lifting Weeks 5 to 6
Kill List The features you park until customers ask for them Weeks 6 to 7
Guardrails Spend limits, security checks and everything in your name. Automate only what repeats, inside these limits Weeks 7 to 8

Grow it

One Channel The one place your buyers are, worked every week Weeks 9 to 10
Referral Loop First customers turned into referrals and case studies Week 11
90-Day Plan Your next quarter, and whether to build further Week 12

The Weekly Scorecard runs through all 12 weeks. Every week you post your numbers in the group: conversations, offers, payment asks, sales and new customers. It keeps you moving, and it shows us early if you're stuck.

You keep everything you build along the way: your offer page, offer doc, payment setup, AI prompts, customer notes and a plan for the next 90 days. It's all in your name, with no lock-in.

How it works

Join any time and start at week 1. You move at your own pace, with a group of founders at every stage around you.

The 12-week path: Short recorded lessons and ready-to-use templates for every week.
Weekly live call: A short lesson, then hot seats where you get help on your exact situation.
Monthly kickoff: A welcome call for new founders to get set up fast.
Weekly Scorecard: You share your conversations, offers and payment asks, so nobody drifts.
Six months in the group: Because some sales take longer than 12 weeks.
Time zones: Calls run at times that suit Australia and Japan.

Is this for you?

Not sure your idea can be sold by hand? Take the free Manual MVP Check first. It takes two minutes.

This is for you if

You're a non-technical B2B founder, with an idea or an early product nobody's paying for yet
You can name at least 10 businesses with the problem you could reach this month
You can give it 4 to 5 hours a week
You'd rather find out fast than spend months building

This isn't for you if

You sell to consumers. The program is built for B2B founders
Your product must hold money, give regulated advice or diagnose patients from day one. We can help you test demand, but not deliver it by hand
Your product only works with hardware or real-time technology
You want someone to build your app for you without testing it first

What founders say

It also helps me recognise when I am falling into common founder traps or patterns, and redirects or pauses me before I go too far in the wrong direction.

Haruka, founder, Tokyo (on the Lean CPTO)

As a founder without a strong technical background, I knew that we needed to introduce advanced IT and AI solutions into our company, but I often felt uncertain about where to start. He guided me from the very beginning.

Kayo, founder, Tokyo

I got to know what the right MVP looks like.

Webinar attendee, Japanese founder

These quotes are about Matt's earlier coaching and webinars, not this program. Case studies from the first Sell as you build founders will go here. Some of those founders may join at a reduced price in exchange for sharing their story, and we'll say so next to their case study.

Our duty of care to you

We look after the founder, not just the startup. Here's what we promise.

We'll tell you the truth about your idea, including when to stop.: Stopping or changing direction on real evidence counts as a win.
We won't push you to build before you have evidence.: No big spending until someone has paid.
We'll protect your cash, your equity and your code.: Guardrails on spend and security, everything in your own name, and no giving away equity without proper advice.
We'll keep your customers' data safe.: No personal or health data in free AI tools.
We'll be open about money.: If we ever recommend a developer or partner we have a commercial link with, we'll tell you in writing and give you an independent option too.
No income promises.: We coach you toward real results. We don't guarantee revenue.

The Week 4 Promise

By week 4 you get a verdict: worth it, or a clean no. Do the work for your first 4 weeks (join the calls, have the conversations and make the payment asks), then at your checkpoint you choose:

Refine: Keep going with your idea, sharpened by what customers told you
Pivot: Switch to a better customer group or offer, and restart the Sell weeks
Start fresh: Bring a new idea into the Sell weeks
Refund: Get your money back

Whatever you choose, you keep everything you've learned and built.

The fine print: post your Weekly Scorecard and attend the live calls. Choose by the end of week 5. Pivot and start fresh can each be used once. This promise is in addition to your rights under consumer law.

Price

Launch price

US$1,997

One payment, or 3 payments of US$697.

For early founders. The price goes up to US$2,997 after launch. Join now and you keep the launch price.

Apply

Your payment secures your spot in the next intake. If we don't think it's a fit, you get a full refund.

What's included

The full 12-week path: all 9 accelerators, with lessons, templates and the AI prompt pack
Weekly live calls and monthly kickoffs
Six months in the founder group
The Week 4 Promise

For comparison, a fractional CTO often charges US$130 to US$230 an hour, and a first app build can run from US$15,000 to US$150,000. The program costs less than a month of either, and it's built to tell you whether that spend is worth it before you make it.

Results vary. What you get out of the program depends on your market, your offer and the work you put in. We don't promise any income, revenue or number of customers.

Optional extras, when you're ready

1:1 sessions: Private time with Matt, US$200 a session, or 3 for US$500
Build Sprint: Turn your Founder MVP into a simple app, done with you
Done for you: We finish your website or build your app for you.
Fractional CTO: Direct access to a vetted senior technical advisor

Extras are only offered when you need them. You'll never be pushed into one.

About Matt

Matt Ainsworth is an AI and tech leadership coach for non-technical B2B founders.

He has spent 20+ years across product, technology, sales and marketing in Australia and Japan, including nearly a decade in Tokyo. He has seen the developer relationship from both sides, so he knows where founders lose money and where they don't need to.

He has run three ventures of his own, built communities and sales functions from scratch, and mentored founders for the past 10+ years across Australia and Japan.

FAQ

Do I need to know how to code?

No. The program is built for non-technical B2B founders. Your Founder MVP runs on simple tools and an AI assistant.

Will I build an app?

Not at first. You'll deliver by hand with AI until paying customers show you what's worth automating. If you outgrow that, the Build Sprint helps you turn it into a simple app.

What if I don't get a paying customer in 4 weeks?

That's what the Week 4 Promise is for. Refine, pivot, start fresh or get a refund. Some sales take longer, which is why you're in the group for six months.

I have a full-time job. Can I do this?

Yes, if you can give it 4 to 5 hours a week. Most of the work is conversations and short tasks.

Which AI tools do I need?

Any good AI assistant works, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. A paid plan is best so your customers' data stays safer.

Does it work for consumer products?

No. Sell as you build is for B2B founders. The Paid Pilot, the Buyer List and the One Channel steps all assume business buyers.

Is there a sales call?

No. Read the offer, watch the video and apply. If it fits, you can join straight away. If it doesn't, we'll tell you why and point you somewhere better.

Ready to sell before you build?

Apply in a few minutes. If it fits, you can join straight away. If it doesn't, we'll tell you honestly and point you somewhere better.

Apply

Matt Ainsworth