icp-creator

Skill: Ideal Client Profile (ICP) Creator

Creates comprehensive Ideal Client Profiles through a guided 7-phase interview or by analyzing existing customer data. Captures demographics, psychographics, pain points, goals, and language patterns for precise targeting.

When to Use

• Defining your target audience for the first time
• Refining your positioning and messaging
• Before creating content or marketing campaigns
• Analyzing your best customers to find patterns
• Aligning team on who you're selling to

ICP vs. Persona

Aspect	ICP (Ideal Client Profile)	Persona
Focus	Company/client characteristics	Individual user characteristics
Use Case	Sales, marketing, positioning	Product design, UX, content
Level	Account-level (B2B) or segment-level (B2C)	Individual-level
Example	"Series A B2B SaaS, 20-100 employees, $2M-10M ARR"	"Sarah, 35, Freelance Designer, works from home"

For solopreneurs: ICP and persona often overlap (you're selling to individuals, not companies).

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  STANDALONE (always works)                                      │
│  ✓ Guided 7-phase interview to define ideal client             │
│  ✓ Covers demographics, psychographics, pain points, goals     │
│  ✓ Saves icp.json to data/2-Domaines/                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  SUPERCHARGED (connect ~~CRM)                                   │
│  + Analyze existing customer data from HubSpot/CRM             │
│  + Pattern detection across demographics and interactions      │
│  + Data-driven ICP draft based on your best clients            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

7-Phase Interview Process

Phase 1: Demographics

Questions:

• What's their age range?
• Where do they live? (City, region, country)
• What's their income level? (If relevant)
• Education level?

Example Answers:

• Age: 30-40
• Location: Major US cities (SF, NYC, Austin, Denver)
• Income: $80K-150K/year
• Education: Bachelor's degree or self-taught

Phase 2: Professional Profile

Questions:

• What's their job title?
• What industry do they work in?
• Company size? (Solopreneur, 1-10, 10-50, 50-200, 200+)
• Years of experience?

Example Answers:

• Job title: Freelance Designer, Design Consultant
• Industry: B2B SaaS, Tech startups
• Company size: Solopreneur (just them)
• Experience: 5-10 years

Phase 3: Psychographics

Questions:

• What do they value? (Freedom, security, recognition, impact, etc.)
• What are their beliefs about work/life?
• Personality traits? (Analytical, creative, risk-taker, cautious, etc.)
• Motivations? (Money, status, autonomy, mastery, etc.)

Example Answers:

• Values: Autonomy, work-life balance, financial security
• Beliefs: "I can build a great business without hiring"
• Personality: Self-motivated, detail-oriented, slightly introverted
• Motivations: Freedom to choose projects, financial independence

Phase 4: Problems & Pain Points

Questions:

• What are their top 3 frustrations?
• What keeps them up at night?
• What problems are they actively trying to solve?
• What have they tried that didn't work?

Example Answers:

• Top frustrations:
  1. Time spent on admin (invoicing, proposals, follow-ups)
  2. Cash flow unpredictability (late payments)
  3. Tool overload (7+ different tools)
• Keeps them up: "Am I charging enough? Will I have enough work next month?"
• Trying to solve: Streamline business operations without hiring
• Tried: Complex CRMs (too much), spreadsheets (too manual)

Phase 5: Goals & Desires

Questions:

• What are their short-term goals? (Next 6-12 months)
• What are their long-term goals? (Next 3-5 years)
• What does success look like for them?
• What are they aspiring to become?

Example Answers:

• Short-term: Hit $150K/year revenue, work 40 hours/week (not 50+)
• Long-term: Build a $500K-1M/year business, take 4 weeks vacation/year
• Success: Financial security + time freedom + recognized expertise
• Aspiring to: Be like Justin Welsh or Pieter Levels (successful solopreneurs)

Phase 6: Language Patterns

Questions:

• What words or phrases do they use frequently?
• What questions do they ask?
• What jargon or terminology do they use?
• How do they describe their problems?

Example Answers:

• Frequent words: "Streamline", "automate", "all-in-one", "simple"
• Questions: "How do I scale without hiring?", "What's the best tool for X?"
• Jargon: "Productized service", "retainer clients", "MRR" (monthly recurring revenue)
• Problem description: "I'm drowning in admin work" or "Too many tools, not enough time"

Phase 7: Content & Buying Behavior

Questions:

• Where do they hang out online? (Platforms, communities, forums)
• What content do they consume? (Blogs, podcasts, videos, newsletters)
• How do they make buying decisions? (Research, trials, recommendations)
• What triggers a purchase? (Pain threshold, budget availability, trust)

Example Answers:

• Hangouts: Reddit (r/solopreneurs), Twitter, indie hacker communities, Slack groups
• Content: YouTube tutorials, indie hacker blogs, solopreneur newsletters
• Buying: Tries free trials, reads reviews (G2, Capterra), asks for recommendations
• Purchase triggers: Pain becomes unbearable, sees ROI clearly, trusts the brand

ICP Output Format (JSON)

{
  "icp_name": "Solopreneur Designer",
  "created": "2026-02-13",
  "last_updated": "2026-02-13",
  "demographics": {
    "age_range": "30-40",
    "location": ["San Francisco", "New York", "Austin", "Denver"],
    "income": "$80K-150K/year",
    "education": "Bachelor's degree or self-taught"
  },
  "professional_profile": {
    "job_titles": ["Freelance Designer", "Design Consultant", "UX Designer"],
    "industries": ["B2B SaaS", "Tech Startups", "E-commerce"],
    "company_size": "Solopreneur",
    "years_experience": "5-10 years"
  },
  "psychographics": {
    "values": ["Autonomy", "Work-life balance", "Financial security"],
    "beliefs": [
      "I can build a great business without hiring",
      "Quality over quantity"
    ],
    "personality_traits": ["Self-motivated", "Detail-oriented", "Introverted"],
    "motivations": [
      "Freedom to choose projects",
      "Financial independence",
      "Recognized expertise"
    ]
  },
  "pain_points": [
    {
      "pain": "Time spent on admin",
      "description": "10-15 hours/week on invoicing, proposals, follow-ups instead of billable work",
      "severity": "High"
    },
    {
      "pain": "Cash flow unpredictability",
      "description": "Clients pay 15-45 days late, making financial planning difficult",
      "severity": "High"
    },
    {
      "pain": "Tool overload",
      "description": "Uses 7+ different tools, constant context switching kills productivity",
      "severity": "Medium"
    }
  ],
  "goals": {
    "short_term": [
      "Hit $150K/year revenue",
      "Work 40 hours/week (not 50+)",
      "Take 2 weeks vacation"
    ],
    "long_term": [
      "Build a $500K-1M/year business",
      "Work 30 hours/week",
      "Take 4 weeks vacation/year"
    ],
    "success_definition": "Financial security + time freedom + recognized expertise"
  },
  "language_patterns": {
    "frequent_words": [
      "Streamline",
      "Automate",
      "All-in-one",
      "Simple",
      "Efficient"
    ],
    "common_questions": [
      "How do I scale without hiring?",
      "What's the best tool for X?",
      "How much should I charge?"
    ],
    "jargon": [
      "Productized service",
      "Retainer clients",
      "MRR",
      "Value-based pricing"
    ],
    "problem_descriptions": [
      "I'm drowning in admin work",
      "Too many tools, not enough time",
      "I'm great at my craft, but bad at business"
    ]
  },
  "content_behavior": {
    "online_hangouts": [
      "Reddit (r/solopreneurs)",
      "Twitter",
      "Indie Hackers",
      "Slack communities"
    ],
    "content_consumed": [
      "YouTube tutorials",
      "Indie hacker blogs",
      "Solopreneur newsletters",
      "Podcasts"
    ],
    "buying_process": [
      "Tries free trials",
      "Reads reviews (G2, Capterra)",
      "Asks for recommendations"
    ],
    "purchase_triggers": [
      "Pain becomes unbearable",
      "Clear ROI",
      "Trust in brand"
    ]
  }
}

Using the ICP

For Content Creation

• Voice DNA: Use language patterns to match their vocabulary
• Pain-focused content: Address top pain points in blog posts, social media
• Aspirational content: Show how to achieve their goals

Example:

"Tired of spending 10+ hours/week on admin? Here's how to streamline your solopreneur business in 30 minutes." (Uses their language: "streamline", "solopreneur")

For Positioning

• Target the right audience: Focus on solopreneurs, not agencies or teams
• Speak to their pains: "Stop drowning in admin work"
• Show the outcome: "Work 40 hours/week, not 50+"

Example Positioning:

"The all-in-one business tool for solopreneurs who want to focus on their craft, not admin work."

For Product Development

• Solve their top pains: Invoicing, cash flow, tool overload
• Match their goals: Help them hit $150K/year, work less, take more vacation
• Design for their behavior: Free trials, simple onboarding, integrations with tools they use

For Sales & Marketing

• Find them: Reddit, Twitter, indie hacker communities
• Speak their language: Use their jargon and problem descriptions
• Trigger purchases: Show clear ROI, build trust, offer free trials

Supercharged Mode (CRM Analysis)

If you have a CRM connected (HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.), the ICP Creator can analyze your existing customers to find patterns.

What It Analyzes

• Demographics: Age, location, income (from contact properties)
• Professional: Job titles, industries, company sizes
• Behavior: Email open rates, content engagement, purchase history
• Revenue: Which customer segments are most profitable?

Output

A data-driven ICP draft based on your best customers (highest revenue, longest retention, most engaged).

Example:

"Your top 20% of customers are: Freelance designers, 30-40 years old, located in major US cities, earning $100K-150K/year. They engage most with content about invoicing and client management."

Integration Points

• voice-dna-creator: ICP language patterns inform voice DNA
• /solo:write: ICP guides content creation and messaging
• proto-persona: ICP informs persona creation
• /solo:prospect: ICP helps identify and target prospects

Workflow Logic

Trigger

• /solo:start (onboarding)
• "Create ICP"
• "Define my target audience"
• "Who is my ideal client?"

Process

Standalone Mode:

1. Ask user if they want guided interview or CRM analysis
2. If interview: Run 7-phase interview (one phase at a time)
3. Collect answers and synthesize into ICP JSON
4. Save to data/2-Domaines/icp.json
5. Show summary and confirm save

Supercharged Mode:

1. Connect to ~~CRM
2. Analyze contact properties and interactions
3. Find patterns in top 20% of customers
4. Generate ICP draft
5. Present to user for review and refinement
6. Save to data/2-Domaines/icp.json

Key References

• references/interview-script.md: Complete 7-phase interview script
• references/icp-template.json: Blank ICP JSON template
• references/examples.md: 3 example ICPs (B2B SaaS, Service, E-commerce)

Tips

1. Be specific — "Freelance designers in SF" not "creative professionals"
2. Use their words — Capture exact language patterns and jargon
3. Prioritize pains — Top 3 pains are most important
4. Validate — Talk to 5-10 ideal clients to confirm your ICP
5. Update regularly — ICP evolves as your business grows
6. One ICP at a time — Don't try to serve everyone. Pick your best customer type.

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Note: Superseded by audience-builder

This skill is superseded by audience-builder in Solo v4, which handles both ICP (service business) and persona (product builder) modes in a single unified skill.

This file is kept for backward compatibility. Use audience-builder for new work.