---
title: "Choosing a beachhead and positioning"
course: "ENTR 242 · Start your own business"
unit: "Market attractiveness and go-to-market"
lesson: 33 of 43
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/choosing-a-beachhead-and-positioning
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Choosing a beachhead and positioning

Lesson 33 of 43 in **Start your own business** (ENTR 242), unit "Market attractiveness and go-to-market". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Choose a beachhead segment from several candidates and justify the choice with evidence.
- Create a positioning statement that names the target segment, the competitive alternative, the unique value and the proof.

## Teaching notes
Scenario: GearShare, a peer-to-peer app where people rent camping, climbing and paddling gear from owners nearby, launching in Denver; candidate segments are newcomers to the city, college students, families trying camping and visiting tourists. Learners pick the beachhead and position against REI rentals, buying used gear and borrowing from friends.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 33 complete: Choosing a beachhead and positioning."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Testing willingness to pay" (lesson 34 of 43), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/testing-willingness-to-pay.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Who you really compete with
Next lesson: Testing willingness to pay