Essays on startups, business models, and continuous innovation by Ash Maurya, creator of Lean Canvas and author of Running Lean. 16 years of build-in-public notes.https://ashmaurya.com/en-ushttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-pressure-test-a-product-idea-before-building-anything/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-pressure-test-a-product-idea-before-building-anything/AI can build your prototype in a weekend. So do you still need validation? I already ran the control group on myself. First post in Running Lean: AI Edition.Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/welcome-to-the-founder-economy/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/welcome-to-the-founder-economy/The Creator Economy turned audiences into income. The Founder Economy turns domain expertise into companies.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-build-for-wants-not-needs/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-build-for-wants-not-needs/Features are needs and outcomes are wants, and customers care far more about their wants. How that one distinction shaped an entire MVP.Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-stopped-building-an-ai-coaching-tool/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-stopped-building-an-ai-coaching-tool/Two months of problem discovery interviews revealed that founders were not starving for frameworks. They were drowning in tools with amnesia.Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-signed-209-customers-before-building-the-product/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-signed-209-customers-before-building-the-product/The Demo-Sell-Build campaign from the inside: a concierge MVP, a demo of software that did not exist yet, and 40 days from zero to 209 customers.Fri, 05 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-plan-in-90-day-cycles/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-plan-in-90-day-cycles/Your 3-year goal is too far away to drive daily decisions, and your task list does not add up to a strategy. The missing middle between them is a 90-day cycle.Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-stress-test-business-models-before-talking-to-customers/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-stress-test-business-models-before-talking-to-customers/An advisor once killed my business model in five minutes, nine months too late. Now I run that conversation first, across seven dimensions, before any customer hears the idea.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-waited-three-years-to-build-an-ai-cofounder/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-i-waited-three-years-to-build-an-ai-cofounder/ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and I spent three years saying no. What changed my mind was not a better oracle. It was a loop.Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-startup-founders-get-wrong-about-competition/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-startup-founders-get-wrong-about-competition/When asked about competition, startup founders typically fall into two camps.Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-myth-of-the-perfect-plan-a/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-myth-of-the-perfect-plan-a/Most entrepreneurs start with a strong initial vision and a Plan A for realizing that vision. Unfortunately, most Plan A's don't work.Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/when-and-how-to-set-pricing-for-your-product/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/when-and-how-to-set-pricing-for-your-product/Pricing is one of the riskiest assumptions on the Lean Canvas (Revenue Stream).Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-the-right-sizing-for-early-adopters/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-the-right-sizing-for-early-adopters/It’s easy to see the perils of going too broad with a new product: When you try to market to everyone, you reach no one. This is why the customer segment box on the Lean Canvas is further broken in...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/uncovering-the-right-minimum-feature-set-for-your-minimum-valuable-product-mvp/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/uncovering-the-right-minimum-feature-set-for-your-minimum-valuable-product-mvp/Contrary to popular belief, an MVP (Minimum Valuable Product) is not a quick and dirty solution you throw over the fence at customers. It has to deliver value right out of the gate.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/traction-is-the-goal-everything-else-is-distraction/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/traction-is-the-goal-everything-else-is-distraction/What is the one thing that both investors and entrepreneurs care about? It’s growth or traction.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-counterintuitive-science-of-closing-b2b-sales/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-counterintuitive-science-of-closing-b2b-sales/As all B2B sales meetings went online during the pandemic, Matt Dixon and Ted McKenna, authors of _The Jolt...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-art-of-experiment-design/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-art-of-experiment-design/You run an experiment every time you release a new feature, run a marketing campaign or try a new sales method.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/stop-wasting-time-on-unviable-business-ideas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/stop-wasting-time-on-unviable-business-ideas/Too many entrepreneurs prematurely rush to launch their product, join an incubator/accelerator, or hit the pitching circuit only to realize months (or years) later that they were chasing too small ...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/start-with-premium-before-freemium/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/start-with-premium-before-freemium/The thinking goes that when launching a new product, it’s often a good idea to lower friction by giving away your product for free so you can 1️⃣ Learn from users 2️⃣ Get them to try before ...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/say-no-to-product-roadmaps/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/say-no-to-product-roadmaps/Entrepreneurs need to be able to simultaneously pitch a big long-term vision while staying grounded in short-term actions to move their vision forward.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/raise-your-startups-odds-of-success-by-up-to-8x/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/raise-your-startups-odds-of-success-by-up-to-8x/Most founders set Product/Market Fit as their first significant milestone. The problem is that getting to product/market fit typically takes two years (for most products), and 80% of products never...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/prospecting-recipes-for-conducting-problem-discovery-interviews/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/prospecting-recipes-for-conducting-problem-discovery-interviews/How do you get customers to openly talk to you during problem discovery interviews if you’re “not allowed” to pitch your solution? This is the top question I get from founders on conducting cu...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-use-business-model-patterns-to-formulate-a-starting-validation-strategy/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-use-business-model-patterns-to-formulate-a-starting-validation-strategy/Patterns are everywhere. We use patterns in architecture, design, software, chess, and cooking.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-turn-your-limiting-constraints-into-seeds-for-breakthrough-innovation/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-turn-your-limiting-constraints-into-seeds-for-breakthrough-innovation/I spent the first couple of years as a solo founder wishing for more of everything. More time, more people, and more money so I could build more features and get more customers.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-systematically-uncover-big-problems-worth-solving/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-systematically-uncover-big-problems-worth-solving/Like a good magic trick, most big ideas seem obvious in hindsight because they solved a customer struggle (or problem), that was seemingly sitting in plain view. The challenge is that we live our l...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-systematically-prioritize-and-tackle-the-riskiest-assumptions-in-your-business-model/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-systematically-prioritize-and-tackle-the-riskiest-assumptions-in-your-business-model/When launching a new product under extreme uncertainty, it’s critical to prioritize tackling your riskiest assumptions first. While a simple enough concept to grasp, it’s ironically quite challengi...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-pitch-pricing-without-getting-butterflies-in-your-stomach/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-pitch-pricing-without-getting-butterflies-in-your-stomach/If you’re a product-oriented founder like me, you probably get a little nervous when you get to the pricing conversation during a product pitch. You’d rather defer this conversation to later (like ...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-formulate-your-unfair-advantage-strategy/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-formulate-your-unfair-advantage-strategy/Communicating defensibility against copycats and competition is critical when pitching your business model to investors and key stakeholders.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-deliver-an-elevator-pitch-that-gets-anyone-to-ask-for-more/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-deliver-an-elevator-pitch-that-gets-anyone-to-ask-for-more/The elevator pitch is one of four foundational pitches every founder should master.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/crafting-attention-worthy-unique-value-propositions/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/crafting-attention-worthy-unique-value-propositions/The first battle for any product is getting noticed by customers.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/balancing-the-conflicting-pulls-on-time-in-a-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/balancing-the-conflicting-pulls-on-time-in-a-startup/Time, like any resource, has multiple pulls. In a startup, there is a basic pull for activities outside and inside the building.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-systematic-roadmap-to-product-market-fit/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-systematic-roadmap-to-product-market-fit/Getting to product/market fit is considered the most significant milestone for a startup. This is often described as the inflection point in the hockey-stick curve when traction takes off.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-blueprint-for-understanding-how-people-buy-anything/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-blueprint-for-understanding-how-people-buy-anything/There is no such thing as an impulse purchase. Behind every purchase is a string of causal events and forces.Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-steps-for-running-more-successful-pilots/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-steps-for-running-more-successful-pilots/Ever had a customer go cold after a sizzling start? You’ve just closed a big customer and can taste problem/solution fit. They’ve agr...Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-common-customer-interviewing-mistakes/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-common-customer-interviewing-mistakes/At the early stages of a product, before problem/solution fit, customer interviews are the best (and fastest) way to learn from customers....Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-lean-canvas-versus-business-model-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-lean-canvas-versus-business-model-canvas/I often get asked why I created a different adaptation from the original Business Model Canvas by Alex Osterwalder. Lately, this question has bubbled up in frequency which is why I decided to take ...Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-lean-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-lean-canvas/A Lean Canvas is a 1-page business modeling tool that helps you deconstruct an idea into key assumptions or beliefs.Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-bootstrapping-startup-operating-system/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-bootstrapping-startup-operating-system/Bootstrapping an idea is more relevant today than ever, but the rules have changed.Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/just-start/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/just-start/While we may look different and speak different languages, the world is flatter than it’s ever been. We are living through a global entrepreneurial renaissance that can be witnessed through the wor...Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/2024-02-22-continuous-innovation/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/2024-02-22-continuous-innovation/As products have gone from being delivered in a box to being delivered over the Internet, there’s been a dramatic shift in how customers consume, demand, and interact with products.Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-tale-of-two-entrepreneurs/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-tale-of-two-entrepreneurs/Both of them studied at the same university and got good grades, and after graduation, both worked at a high-tech startup where they quickly grew into key roles. After a few years, they both got hi...Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-art-of-the-demo/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-art-of-the-demo/Me: You seem to have identified a big-enough customer problem that you have a plausible solution to (feasible)… What’s keeping you from closing customers?Sat, 24 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/position-against-your-true-competition-to-win-the-customer/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/position-against-your-true-competition-to-win-the-customer/Most entrepreneurs never bring up their true competition during a product pitch because either theySat, 10 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/nailing-release-1-0/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/nailing-release-1-0/I recently declared that I’m moving away from MVP in favor of:Sat, 03 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/moving-beyond-mvp/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/moving-beyond-mvp/After 14 years, I'm abandoning the MVP.Fri, 26 May 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/forget-personas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/forget-personas/If you were a marketer at a mattress company, when is the best time to run an infomercial?Fri, 19 May 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/stop-trying-to-validate-problems/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/stop-trying-to-validate-problems/When asked to do the smallest thing to learn from customers, the first instinct of many founders is to run a survey.Wed, 03 May 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-hacks-to-mastering-any-skill-quickly/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-hacks-to-mastering-any-skill-quickly/Cultivating a learning mindset is a key skill in any field.Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/slow-down-to-go-fast/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/slow-down-to-go-fast/Most entrepreneurs are understandably in a rush to get to the right side of the hockey-stick curve (aka scaling).Wed, 12 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/moved-to-substack/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/moved-to-substack/Moved to LEANFoundry.com I’ve moved this blog to https://leanfoundry.com/articles. I’m still a huge fan of the writing experience at Medium. Not a fan of their business model. If you’d like to follow my work, check out: https://leanfoundry.com Thanks for reading! AshFri, 11 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/extending-the-job-story-to-a-customer-forces-story/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/extending-the-job-story-to-a-customer-forces-story/Customer Forces Stories are a powerful way of summarizing customer conversations during your search for problem/solution fit.Thu, 10 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-backstory-behind-customer-forces-stories/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-backstory-behind-customer-forces-stories/Good customer / problem discovery is key to achieving problem/solution fit.Sat, 29 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/when-do-you-kickoff-a-customer-problem-discovery-study/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/when-do-you-kickoff-a-customer-problem-discovery-study/As product development has become easier, the battle for attention has become harder.Fri, 14 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-simple-shapes-of-customer-stories/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-simple-shapes-of-customer-stories/Inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s lecture on “the simple shapes of stories,” I’ve previously riffed on The Simple Shapes of Startups. More…Wed, 17 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/running-lean-10th-anniversary-edition/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/running-lean-10th-anniversary-edition/Time flies. It’s been 10 years since the last edition of Running Lean. Since then, I’ve spent thousands of hours training and coaching…Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/vitamins-dont-have-a-triggering-event/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/vitamins-dont-have-a-triggering-event/Were you in the middle of launching a new product or startup when the pandemic hit? Like a lot of entrepreneurs, you probably hit the brakes on your project or put your new ideas on the back-burner...Thu, 10 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/all-those-who-wander-are-not-lost/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/all-those-who-wander-are-not-lost/Getting to product/market fit (aka the inflection point in the hockey-stick curve when a product's traction starts rapidly growing) is one of the most significant milestones for a startup.Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/we-teach-continuous-innovation-which-has-deep-roots-in-agile-and-iterative-experimentation-lean/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/we-teach-continuous-innovation-which-has-deep-roots-in-agile-and-iterative-experimentation-lean/While you need milestones to be well-defined, how one actually achieves them may not necessarily be well-defined or linear, but iterative…Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hopefully-the-takeaway-from-this-piece-is-getting-others-to-think-of-goals-the-way-you-are/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hopefully-the-takeaway-from-this-piece-is-getting-others-to-think-of-goals-the-way-you-are/Hopefully, the takeaway from this piece is getting others to think of goals the way you are advocating. However, in practice, I find most people define goals as a one-time snapshot.Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-customer-factory-manifesto/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-customer-factory-manifesto/Successful businesses are more alike than unalike. They share a common universal goal and employ a systematic approach to building a…Mon, 07 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/alex-taylor-there-s-a-whole-course-on-this-bootstart-at-https-leanstack-com-entrepreneur/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/alex-taylor-there-s-a-whole-course-on-this-bootstart-at-https-leanstack-com-entrepreneur/Alex Taylor — There’s a whole course on this (BOOTSTART) at https://leanstack.com/entrepreneur that dives into how to run interviews, capture insights, and position a product for switch.Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/when-you-charge-for-a-product-has-little-to-do-with-when-or-where-value-is-realized/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/when-you-charge-for-a-product-has-little-to-do-with-when-or-where-value-is-realized/So even ERP is dependent on the same dynamics of users creating value and buyers/decision makers realizing that value over time.Mon, 17 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/simplicity-is-deliberate-here-55-models-while-exhaustive-can-lead-to-analysis-paralysis/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/simplicity-is-deliberate-here-55-models-while-exhaustive-can-lead-to-analysis-paralysis/Simplicity is deliberate here. 55 models, while exhaustive, can lead to analysis paralysis.Mon, 17 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/agreed-the-bigger-context-can-be-progressively-scoped-up-and-should-to-be-solution-agnostic/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/agreed-the-bigger-context-can-be-progressively-scoped-up-and-should-to-be-solution-agnostic/Agreed. The bigger context can be progressively scoped up \and should\ to be solution agnostic.Wed, 03 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-thorough-problem-discovery-phase-can-take-anywhere-from-2-6-weeks-which-is-why-i-don-t-opt-for-it/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-thorough-problem-discovery-phase-can-take-anywhere-from-2-6-weeks-which-is-why-i-don-t-opt-for-it/I instead, recommend making a case for customer/problem fit first using a Lean(er) Canvas backed with some evidence. While this doesn’t…Sun, 29 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-true-value-of-your-time/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-true-value-of-your-time/Time is our scarcest resource. Other resources like money and people can fluctuate up and down, but time only moves in one direction.Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/thanks-for-sharing-free-days-are-key-and-yes-there-s-unfortunately-a-lot-of-stigma-around-them/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/thanks-for-sharing-free-days-are-key-and-yes-there-s-unfortunately-a-lot-of-stigma-around-them/Thanks for sharing… Free days are key and yes, there’s, unfortunately, a lot of stigma around them. Another alternative to free days are blocked times. I block all my mornings, for instance, for free time or maker time.Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-kyle/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-kyle/First, this article was written for entrepreneurs swinging for the fences, not consultants. Even if you are a consultant going into…Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/in-search-of-unicorns/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/in-search-of-unicorns/The traditional startup funnel is broken.Fri, 10 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/start-with-mindset/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/start-with-mindset/Time flies. We’re already at the 10 year anniversary of the Lean Startup. Yes, it was a little over 10 years ago that Eric Ries started…Thu, 12 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/link-fixed/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/link-fixed/Link fixed.Thu, 12 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/level-up-your-entrepreneurial-game-with-our-battle-tested-playbooks/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/level-up-your-entrepreneurial-game-with-our-battle-tested-playbooks/If you’re a long time reader of this blog, chances are high you’ve read my first book: Running Lean. But did you read my second book…Thu, 06 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/customer-segmentation-is-always-challenging-with-larger-orgs-that-have-existing-customers-i/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/customer-segmentation-is-always-challenging-with-larger-orgs-that-have-existing-customers-i/Customer segmentation is always challenging… With larger orgs that have existing customers, I initially suggest segmenting your customers by metrics (e.g. best customers) and or specific jobs-to-be-done. From there, one oftent finds clusters of groupings that don’t just follow demographic segmentation.Fri, 31 May 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-don-t-think-i-understand-your-question/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-don-t-think-i-understand-your-question/Are you talking about customer/user targets within the same business model or across multiple business models?Wed, 29 May 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-got-it-a-jtbd-is-an-instance-of-a-class-that-s-an-existing-pattern-that-continually-plays-out/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-got-it-a-jtbd-is-an-instance-of-a-class-that-s-an-existing-pattern-that-continually-plays-out/You got it — a jtbd is an instance of a class that’s an existing pattern that continually plays out statistically in the same way…until something better comes along.Sun, 21 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-andrea/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-andrea/My point with those examples is that given a similar set of circumstances, different innovators can choose to focus on different contexts…Wed, 10 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-re-preaching-to-the-choir/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-re-preaching-to-the-choir/Practice Trumps Theory does not imply theory is irrelevant. Like scientists, we build models of a business, prioritize what’s riskiest…Tue, 09 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/atif-raza-ryan-gamble-i-m-interviewing-bob-in-a-few-weeks-and-we-ll-be-covering-a-lot-of-this/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/atif-raza-ryan-gamble-i-m-interviewing-bob-in-a-few-weeks-and-we-ll-be-covering-a-lot-of-this/We met several years ago and started a collaboration where he admitted that the current jtbd thinking was too complex and he was seeking…Tue, 09 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-theory-of-evolution-was-built-on-research-and-there-are-methods-for-studying-evolution/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-theory-of-evolution-was-built-on-research-and-there-are-methods-for-studying-evolution/I’m a “Practice Trumps Theory” type of person. And if I’m supposed to just theorize customer behavior with JTBD with no methods to help…Fri, 05 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/so-if-i-follow-your-reasoning-above-one-couldn-t-have-created-an-uber-or-an-ipod-with-jtbd/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/so-if-i-follow-your-reasoning-above-one-couldn-t-have-created-an-uber-or-an-ipod-with-jtbd/I’ll ask a different question on naming — because naming matters:Fri, 05 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hey-alan-klement/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hey-alan-klement/There is a lot to unpack here, but I’ll start with the comment about only focusing on first purchases — and not repurchases.Fri, 05 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/this-post-was-all-about-definitions/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/this-post-was-all-about-definitions/This post was all about definitions. And yes at the end of day, it’s results that matter. If you can apply jtbd concepts w/o needing a definition, that’s great. I struggle without a clear mental model.Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/now-you-re-getting-into-the-unpacking-of-the-job-story-which-i-was-saving-for-the-next-post/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/now-you-re-getting-into-the-unpacking-of-the-job-story-which-i-was-saving-for-the-next-post/but yes that’s a crucial point. The jtbd cannot be guessed at… it has to be discovered.Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/john-morris-ah-that-s-because-we-already-have-a-system-view-of-the-customer-journey-the-customer/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/john-morris-ah-that-s-because-we-already-have-a-system-view-of-the-customer-journey-the-customer/John Morris Ah… that’s because we already have a system view of the customer journey — the customer factory blueprint. I can’t publish an image here, but I’ll post an addendum to the post above.Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/jeffstoltman-yes-i-agree-with-a-lot-of-that/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/jeffstoltman-yes-i-agree-with-a-lot-of-that/Bob Moesta describes acquisition as the big hire and retention as the little hire.Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-don-t-know-that-a-write-up-will-justify-the-implications/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-don-t-know-that-a-write-up-will-justify-the-implications/I’m working on a next book ;)Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-am-a-tech-geek-and-how-i-think/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-am-a-tech-geek-and-how-i-think/An instantiation is not fuzzy but a discrete event.Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-chris-cochella/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-chris-cochella/We sometimes call the latent jtbd the non-consumption market because it seems like people aren’t taking action…when in fact, they aren’t…Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/ashley-aitken/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/ashley-aitken/Sorry… “JTBD as a job someone is trying to do” is not a definition.Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-a-job-to-be-done-jtbd/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-a-job-to-be-done-jtbd/You’ve probably run into the jobs-to-be-done framework/theory. I did several years ago when I first stumbled into the Milkshake Study…Wed, 03 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/koel-this-is-still-evolving-updated-links-and-you-can-find-latest-version-here/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/koel-this-is-still-evolving-updated-links-and-you-can-find-latest-version-here/http://innovatorsgift.comMon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-root-cause-for-innovation-theater-and-how-to-avoid-it/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-root-cause-for-innovation-theater-and-how-to-avoid-it/In a recent post, I shared a reference implementation of an innovation funnel built on the Continuous Innovation Framework and cautioned…Tue, 19 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/tristan-kromer-i-almost-called-our-conversation-out-in-this-other-post/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/tristan-kromer-i-almost-called-our-conversation-out-in-this-other-post/Tristan Kromer — I almost called our conversation out in this other post: What is the Right Fill Order for a Lean Canvas? A question I get a lot is: Why isn’t the Lean Canvas laid out more logically? Anyone that has attempted to fill one can…blog.leanstack.comMon, 18 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-makes-sense/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-makes-sense/The three circles are definitely generic and broad which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I often use two other lenses:Sun, 17 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/could-you-elaborate-on-why-you-think-so/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/could-you-elaborate-on-why-you-think-so/The Model-Prioritize-Test pattern is rooted in the Scientific method. The three facets help categorize the types of risks we tackle with…Sun, 17 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/lean-startup-or-business-model-design-or-design-thinking-is-the-wrong-question/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/lean-startup-or-business-model-design-or-design-thinking-is-the-wrong-question/In order to achieve breakthrough innovation, you shouldn’t be limiting yourself to any one of these frameworks, but rather using all…Thu, 14 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-customers-drive-and-shape-the-problem/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-customers-drive-and-shape-the-problem/Here, I tend to disagree. Once problems and existing alternatives are understood, I want teams to first identify what they can do better…Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/be-careful-though-that-simply-listing-a-job-to-be-done-is-subject-to-the-same-bias-as-listing/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/be-careful-though-that-simply-listing-a-job-to-be-done-is-subject-to-the-same-bias-as-listing/Be careful though, that simply listing a job-to-be-done is subject to the same bias as listing problems. For instance, if you are a drill bit manufacturer, too narrowly defining the job to be done as drilling a quarter-inch hole keeps you stuck in the solution space. One needs to find the bigger context without going…Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/sudhir-nain-have-you-checked-out-the-customer-forces-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/sudhir-nain-have-you-checked-out-the-customer-forces-canvas/Sudhir Nain Have you checked out the Customer Forces Canvas?Thu, 14 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-dan/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-dan/It is feasible provided your initial problems are grounded in some learning e.g. anecdotal observation. That said the next step would still…Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-christoffer-bouwer/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-christoffer-bouwer/I started a new project (http://innovatorsgift.com) to reconcile a lot of the existing and often conflicting approaches to JTBD. The result…Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/reorder-your-chain-of-beliefs-with-a-leaner-lean-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/reorder-your-chain-of-beliefs-with-a-leaner-lean-canvas/In my last post, I described how sketching an idea on a Lean Canvas is akin to stacking a chain of beliefs. Later links rely on earlier…Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/place-yourself-somewhere-on-the-timeline-below-and-ask-yourself-what-made-you-switch-to-your-next/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/place-yourself-somewhere-on-the-timeline-below-and-ask-yourself-what-made-you-switch-to-your-next/It wasn’t latent problems, but active problems that a new solution addressed/surfaced that was worth switching for.Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-michael/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-michael/You are right that in the end, much like a jigsaw puzzle, the picture should be viewable in any order. However, using the same metaphor…Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-oscar/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-oscar/First thanks for all the feedback and kind words.Sun, 27 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-i-too-focus-on-these-two-starting-boxes-when-i-m-reviewing-a-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-i-too-focus-on-these-two-starting-boxes-when-i-m-reviewing-a-canvas/However, I want to point out that there is a subtle, but critical, difference between idea generation and idea validation. Before reviewing…Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-are-correct/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-are-correct/That is an actual errata we recently submitted to the publisher.Fri, 11 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/problems-and-customers-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/problems-and-customers-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/One might observe a problem, or pick a well-known big problem (like prevent malaria), and then get more specific on customer segmentation.Fri, 11 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-do-remember-publishing-a-fill-order-once-where-i-labeled-both-problems-and-customer-segment-as/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-do-remember-publishing-a-fill-order-once-where-i-labeled-both-problems-and-customer-segment-as/I do remember publishing a fill order once where I labeled both problems and customer segment as 1, and people’s heads exploded. It was a UX fail. But yes, customer and problems are two sides of the same coin.Fri, 11 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-the-right-fill-order-for-a-lean-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-the-right-fill-order-for-a-lean-canvas/A question I get a lot is: Why isn’t the Lean Canvas laid out more logically? Anyone that has attempted to fill one can relate. You have…Thu, 10 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/give-yourself-permission-to-scale/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/give-yourself-permission-to-scale/It’s been a busy 3 weeks since Steve’s last meeting with Mary. Her advice about first using demos for defining (before building) an MVP…Thu, 15 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-and-how-to-model-a-non-profit-on-the-lean-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-and-how-to-model-a-non-profit-on-the-lean-canvas/I often get asked if one can or should model a non-profit using a Lean Canvas. The answer is a resounding yes. A nonprofit is essentially…Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/that-s-an-example-of-offer-testing-which-yes-is-valuable-provided-you-start-with-a-reasonably/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/that-s-an-example-of-offer-testing-which-yes-is-valuable-provided-you-start-with-a-reasonably/But good ideas are rare. Most ideas don’t have a straight path, and simply throwing ideas or offers at customers usually isn’t enough in…Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/do-you-mean-budget/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/do-you-mean-budget/The biggest cost during this stage is usually time and people. Most product offers/demos can typically be built with relatively inexpensive…Fri, 14 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-idea-funnel/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-idea-funnel/The concept of an idea funnel isn’t new. It has its limitations. But I still find it a helpful visualization tool for outlining a…Thu, 13 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/2018-07-14-thx/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/2018-07-14-thx/thx!Sat, 14 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/drop-me-a-note-at-ash-leanstack-com/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/drop-me-a-note-at-ash-leanstack-com/July is a busy traveling month but would love to see if I can join in Barcelona.Mon, 25 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/in-my-newer-problem-interview-script-will-be-released-as-part-of-this-project-i-advise-against/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/in-my-newer-problem-interview-script-will-be-released-as-part-of-this-project-i-advise-against/You should solely be focused just on getting the full story about their last listening session. Problems are extracted using a back-door…Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-problem-with-problems/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-problem-with-problems/On his drive back to the office, Steve can’t help but replay his last conversation with Mary in his mind.Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/my-new-project-unpacking-the-innovator-s-gift/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/my-new-project-unpacking-the-innovator-s-gift/I’m working on my most ambitious project yet. I’m looking for answers to the fundamental innovation question: What defines a better…Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/iren-korkishko-there-is-no-doubt-that-launching-something-faster-with-an-emphasis-on-seeking/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/iren-korkishko-there-is-no-doubt-that-launching-something-faster-with-an-emphasis-on-seeking/But that approach still doesn’t guarantee success and still begs the question: “How do you or your clients decide what goes in the MVP?”Thu, 24 May 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-group-it-as-a-part-of-the-why/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-group-it-as-a-part-of-the-why/I group it as a part of the “why”.Tue, 01 May 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-balance-writing-with-many-other-activities-and-aim-to-get-an-article-out-a-month-end-of-april/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-balance-writing-with-many-other-activities-and-aim-to-get-an-article-out-a-month-end-of-april/I balance writing with many other activities and aim to get an article out a month — end of April / early May is the target.Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/that-s-still-a-pitch-not-discovery/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/that-s-still-a-pitch-not-discovery/The goal of the first interview is getting them to tell you how they currently solve or attempt to solve problem X without having to…Sun, 01 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/as-i-mentioned-in-the-first-response-if-you-are-cold-talking-to-strangers-that-s-a-big-channel/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/as-i-mentioned-in-the-first-response-if-you-are-cold-talking-to-strangers-that-s-a-big-channel/You may be building the best solution in the world, but if it’s built in a forest with no path to customers, it will die there too.Sun, 01 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/using-a-no-code-or-wizard-or-oz-mvp-is-certainly-a-great-tactic-for-speeding-up-solution/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/using-a-no-code-or-wizard-or-oz-mvp-is-certainly-a-great-tactic-for-speeding-up-solution/The problem/solution fit process described in the post doesn’t start with a solution (at all) but getting that the customer/problem…Sat, 31 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-course-i-list-below-address-this/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-course-i-list-below-address-this/The course I list below address this. The short version is you need to focus the conversation around a bigger context (or job) and then extract problems from there.Fri, 30 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-if-you-can-t-talk-to-customers-that-s-a-serious-channel-risk-and-probably-the-first-domino/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-if-you-can-t-talk-to-customers-that-s-a-serious-channel-risk-and-probably-the-first-domino/Next, there are many tactics for disarming prospects and setting up initial interviews — where the goal isn’t pitching.Fri, 30 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/2018-03-29-thx/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/2018-03-29-thx/thx :)Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/don-t-start-with-an-mvp/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/don-t-start-with-an-mvp/It’s been a little over 18 months since Steve quit his day job and ventured out on his own. Even though, his savings ran out 6 months ago…Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/can-you-give-an-example-of-a-no-code-mvp-so-we-are-clear-on-definitions/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/can-you-give-an-example-of-a-no-code-mvp-so-we-are-clear-on-definitions/Can you give an example of a no-code MVP so we are clear on definitions?Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-have-2-canvases-bmc-and-vpc-when-just-a-lean-canvas-will-do/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-have-2-canvases-bmc-and-vpc-when-just-a-lean-canvas-will-do/Why have 2 canvases (BMC and VPC) when just a Lean Canvas will do?Wed, 28 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-viability-versus-feasibility-tends-to-be-what-s-riskiest-or-hardest-for-most-products/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-viability-versus-feasibility-tends-to-be-what-s-riskiest-or-hardest-for-most-products/If you are trying to sell a trip to Mars (or cure cancer, or …), it would be prudent to de-risk feasibility first to some level — making…Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/larry-was-going-to-be-mary-but-i-didn-t-have-corresponding-illustrations-to-match-the-character/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/larry-was-going-to-be-mary-but-i-didn-t-have-corresponding-illustrations-to-match-the-character/I will be pitting Eric Waterfall against Mary Lean though in my next storyline.Wed, 14 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-substitute-names-that-work-the-archetype-has-a-thousand-names-and-faces/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-substitute-names-that-work-the-archetype-has-a-thousand-names-and-faces/The aside backstory for why I picked two guys, is I already had these illustrations from my first book trailer and decided to reuse to ship…Tue, 13 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/we-all-need-a-ballpark-destination-vision-to-aim-towards-and-a-high-level-rollout-plan/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/we-all-need-a-ballpark-destination-vision-to-aim-towards-and-a-high-level-rollout-plan/A lot of Elon Musk’s latest initiatives push the envelope on science — hence the emphasis on first principles. The high-level and more…Tue, 13 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-artist-and-the-innovator/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-artist-and-the-innovator/Over the last nine years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with thousands of entrepreneurs from all over world which has given me some…Tue, 13 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-as-long-as-your-business-has-customers-customers-are-people-and-the-same-dynamics-and-modeling/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-as-long-as-your-business-has-customers-customers-are-people-and-the-same-dynamics-and-modeling/Curious to hear why you think b2b customers might be different?Wed, 24 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/someone-in-vancouver-just-shared-their-experience-getting-a-bank-loan-from-a-millennial-lender/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/someone-in-vancouver-just-shared-their-experience-getting-a-bank-loan-from-a-millennial-lender/Someone (in Vancouver) just shared their experience getting a bank loan from a millennial lender who asked them about conversion and referral rates. ShiftHappens.Wed, 24 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-mean-the-illusion-of-predictability/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-mean-the-illusion-of-predictability/Building something on time and on budget that no one wants eventually catches up to everyone.Thu, 18 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-lean-canvas-is-not-enough-to-replace-a-business-plan/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-lean-canvas-is-not-enough-to-replace-a-business-plan/Let me know if this sounds familiar… Say you have a promising new idea. In order to get the green light to move forward, you are often…Thu, 18 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-share-a-lot-of-mindset-shift-in-videos-you-ll-find-at-https-leanstack-com/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-share-a-lot-of-mindset-shift-in-videos-you-ll-find-at-https-leanstack-com/I share a lot of mindset shift in videos you’ll find at https://leanstack.com. Some of these I’ll also uncover in the upcoming webinar in Jan.Mon, 18 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-am-familiar-with-tony-s-work-and-have-seen-many-other-talks/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-am-familiar-with-tony-s-work-and-have-seen-many-other-talks/I am familiar with Tony’s work and have seen many other talks. Was there something particular that stood out for you?Fri, 15 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/continuous-innovation/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/continuous-innovation/In 2009, entrepreneurs from all over the world joined in on a grassroots movement taking place that led to the Lean Startup. The reason the…Fri, 15 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-beautiful-game-of-entrepreneurship/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-beautiful-game-of-entrepreneurship/Introducing the “BOOTSTART plan”Wed, 22 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/thx/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/thx/Thx :)Thu, 02 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-andy-yes-if-you-follow-the-post-links-back-you-ll-see-roots-of-this-thinking-in-a-workshop-i/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-andy-yes-if-you-follow-the-post-links-back-you-ll-see-roots-of-this-thinking-in-a-workshop-i/I was starting my last book and needed to primarily focus on the ideas there and am now sharing how our application of jtbd has evolved…Tue, 24 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-customer-forces-canvas-updated/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-customer-forces-canvas-updated/Here’s an updated version of the Customer Forces Canvas that I first introduced here:Fri, 20 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-s-a-worthwhile-exercise-to-guess-at-the-customer-forces-before-talking-to-an-actual-prospect-in/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-s-a-worthwhile-exercise-to-guess-at-the-customer-forces-before-talking-to-an-actual-prospect-in/It’s a worthwhile exercise to guess at the customer forces before talking to an actual prospect in order to familiarize yourself with the concepts. That said, I anchor my discovery conversations around the prospect’s experience — not what I write down. It’s very typical to disagree with their approach and want to correct them, but…Fri, 20 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/if-you-re-making-a-change-that-delivers-a-better-value-proposition-the-outcome-is-customer/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/if-you-re-making-a-change-that-delivers-a-better-value-proposition-the-outcome-is-customer/If you’re making a change, like upgrading a phone system or internal network, that has no end-user facing impact, then they aren’t who you…Fri, 20 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-i-only-talk-to-people-who-have-attempted-the-job-i-m-exploring/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-i-only-talk-to-people-who-have-attempted-the-job-i-m-exploring/Some examples:Fri, 20 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-sample-script-will-be-forthcoming-probably-in-a-future-post/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-sample-script-will-be-forthcoming-probably-in-a-future-post/In the meanwhile, the way you get unbiased answers is by never asking future looking or hypothetical questions. I generally don’t care…Fri, 20 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/have-you-tried/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/have-you-tried/Have you tried? We’ve had lots of success approaching people exiting a grocery store, sharing a problem context (using the old interview script) and then walking over to a Starbucks across the street to interview them for 30–40 mins.Fri, 18 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/definitely-observations-usability-testing-are-all-valuable-techniques-for-researching-uncovering/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/definitely-observations-usability-testing-are-all-valuable-techniques-for-researching-uncovering/That said, observations typically only focus on the usage of an existing alternative (the ascent of the hill in the diagram) which is great…Fri, 18 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-also-check-out-when-coffee-and-kale-compete-by-alan-klement/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-also-check-out-when-coffee-and-kale-compete-by-alan-klement/Yes — also check out “When Coffee and Kale Compete” by Alan Klement.Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-are-a-number-of-challenges-with-ranking-problems-when-uncertainty-is-high/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-are-a-number-of-challenges-with-ranking-problems-when-uncertainty-is-high/Your list of starting problems may not be the highest ranking problems. Asking customers to rank them anyway is a false positive. Most…Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/find-better-problems-worth-solving-with-the-customer-forces-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/find-better-problems-worth-solving-with-the-customer-forces-canvas/Before you can build the “right” solution for your customers, you have to understand the “right” problem. In my first book, Running Lean, I…Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-are-right-and-such-is-the-complexity-with-marketplace-models-because-monetizable-value-for-the/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-are-right-and-such-is-the-complexity-with-marketplace-models-because-monetizable-value-for-the/So while rate of transactions is more closely linked to revenue and the right traction metric, you still have to search for causal…Wed, 05 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/traction-is-the-one-metric-to-rule-them-all/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/traction-is-the-one-metric-to-rule-them-all/What is the one thing that investors and entrepreneurs want? The answer is traction.​​Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-a-minimum-viable-product-mvp/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/what-is-a-minimum-viable-product-mvp/A Minimum Viable Product is the smallest thing you can build that delivers customer value (and as a bonus captures some of that value back…Mon, 12 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-good-news-is-that-both-awareness-of-the-innovation-problem-and-sense-of-urgency-have-been/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-good-news-is-that-both-awareness-of-the-innovation-problem-and-sense-of-urgency-have-been/Also, the value proposition of a lean approach is strong as it doesn’t call for more, but fewer resources, to get started.Wed, 10 May 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/estimating-for-break-even-was-the-original-suggestion-i-made-in-my-first-book-running-lean-but-i/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/estimating-for-break-even-was-the-original-suggestion-i-made-in-my-first-book-running-lean-but-i/I find a good goal needs to stretch beyond survival while not losing footing on reality either. Hence, the bottoms up approach.Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/that-is-correct/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/that-is-correct/Why — destination (vision) How — possible routes (go to market strategy) What — on the ground tactics (product)Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-can-certainly-think-of-it-that-way/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/you-can-certainly-think-of-it-that-way/You can certainly think of it that way. However, staying true to the golden circle, I’d specifically use “what” you do to achieve the strategy — slight nitpick.Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-not-just-that-but-strategy-is-a-highly-overloaded-term-and-i-did-a-post-not-too-long-ago/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-not-just-that-but-strategy-is-a-highly-overloaded-term-and-i-did-a-post-not-too-long-ago/For that reason, I am now using “validation plan” instead — at least whenever I remember… :)Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/great-to-hear-morten/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/great-to-hear-morten/Cheers.Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-3x3x3-perspective-for-getting-your-vision-strategy-and-product-aligned/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-3x3x3-perspective-for-getting-your-vision-strategy-and-product-aligned/I’m sure you’ve run into Simon Sinek’s TED talk on the Golden Circle where he made the case for how great leaders communicate differently —…Wed, 08 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/vrmotion-an-invention-to-innovation-case-study/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/vrmotion-an-invention-to-innovation-case-study/It was almost 8:45am as we pulled into the Birrfeld airstrip just outside Zurich, Switzerland. I was meeting Fabian Riesen (Fabi) who had…Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-brett/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-brett/There is a distinction between user acquisition and customer acquisition — and there’s a place for both.Wed, 19 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-often-a-lot-harder-to-write-a-shorter-version-than-a-longer-one/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-often-a-lot-harder-to-write-a-shorter-version-than-a-longer-one/I have internalized a lot of my systems thinking both from:Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-golean-framework-for-growth/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-golean-framework-for-growth/GOLEAN? No this isn’t some blatant battlecry for going lean. It’s a mnemonic for a growth framework I created for my last book: Scaling…Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/fixed/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/fixed/fixed :)Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-is-better-to-be-prescriptive-and-wrong-than-vague-and-right/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-is-better-to-be-prescriptive-and-wrong-than-vague-and-right/The worst possible answer you can get to a question is: “It depends.”Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-wouldn-t-use-being-vague-but-being-open-as-the-right-adjective-here/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-wouldn-t-use-being-vague-but-being-open-as-the-right-adjective-here/“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to…Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-i-don-t-know-is-far-from-being-vague/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/first-i-don-t-know-is-far-from-being-vague/That said, even specific answers will always have lies baked into them — a function of the other party’s virtual reality worldview (or…Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/adviser-whiplash/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/adviser-whiplash/Ask 10 people for advice on your idea and you’ll get 10 different prescriptions. Which one do you follow?Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/thanks-rob/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/thanks-rob/Thanks Rob. Writing, like any skill, improves with deliberate practice. The key is consistently showing up, rain or shine, to get the work done.Mon, 03 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-getting-a-customer-to-fire-their-existing-alternatives-is-tough-which-is-why-most-new-products/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-getting-a-customer-to-fire-their-existing-alternatives-is-tough-which-is-why-most-new-products/Yes, in complex sales, the switch doesn’t happen solely on the merits of your products features but it’s still a switching problem — one we…Sun, 02 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-giving-yourself-permission-to-stage-rollout-is-the-hardest-mind-shift-for-corporates-and-many/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yes-giving-yourself-permission-to-stage-rollout-is-the-hardest-mind-shift-for-corporates-and-many/We need more stories so please do share yours :)Fri, 30 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/but-will-it-scale/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/but-will-it-scale/When I started this blog, I often spent upwards of 8 hours on a single blog post. A number of my entrepreneur friends and advisers asked…Thu, 29 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/expose-your-constraints-before-chasing-additional-resources/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/expose-your-constraints-before-chasing-additional-resources/We all hustle, struggle, and fight to acquire more resources for our projects. But ironically, when we have these resources in excess, we…Thu, 25 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/love-the-problem-not-your-solution/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/love-the-problem-not-your-solution/I recently got asked about the most common pitfall that trips up entrepreneurs. Top on my list is:Falling in love with your solution. I’ve…Thu, 11 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/innovation-management/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/innovation-management/I spend a lot of time at the intersection of “business modeling” and “lean startup” and have been looking for the right category label to describe this type of work. It’s not enough to simply call it one or the other. After much deliberation, I’ve settled on the label: “Innovation Management”. Yes, I am aware…Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-art-of-the-scientist/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-art-of-the-scientist/After the introduction of the scientific method, there was a marked increase in the pace of breakthrough discoveries. Both science and entrepreneurship operate under conditions of extreme uncertainty, so the thinking goes that the adoption of some entrepreneurial method might do for business innovation what the scientific method did for scientific discoveries: dramatically accelerate the…Thu, 09 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-get-stakeholder-buy-in-for-your-big-idea/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-get-stakeholder-buy-in-for-your-big-idea/Startups Are Conversations The true job of an entrepreneur is to systematically de-risk their big idea (or business model) through a series of conversations. My first book, Running Lean focused on the first conversation in this picture: The entrepreneur to customer conversation. It outlined a tactical roadmap for deconstructing your idea (using a Lean Canvas)…Wed, 01 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-s-time-to-fire-the-business-plan-for-good/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-s-time-to-fire-the-business-plan-for-good/Have you ever written a Business Plan? Did you enjoy the process? I have posed these two questions to thousands of makers, entrepreneurs, and innovators around the world and here’s what I found: Only 30% of them had ever written a business plan and less than 2% enjoyed the process. I posed a different question…Fri, 25 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-were-lots-of-signals-for-me/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-were-lots-of-signals-for-me/I wasn’t energized after most customer conversations. They often didn’t get what I was saying and there was an obvious mismatch of…Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-s-funny-how-after-years-of-reading-a-book-there-are-certain-scenes-that-never-leave-you/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/it-s-funny-how-after-years-of-reading-a-book-there-are-certain-scenes-that-never-leave-you/It’s funny how after years of reading a book, there are certain scenes that never leave you. The author telling the baker to “work on her business, not in it” is definitely one of them for me too.Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-entrepreneur-with-a-thousand-faces/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-entrepreneur-with-a-thousand-faces/An archetypical pattern to the entrepreneur’s journey…or not?Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/an-author-s-journey-to-100-000-copies/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/an-author-s-journey-to-100-000-copies/I had no master plan for becoming an author. My first book, Running Lean, started as a series of blog posts for the purpose of sharpening my own thinking. Those posts hit a nerve with a small early adopter (Lean Startup) audience who helped pull that book out of me. Fast forward to today, that…Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/agreed/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/agreed/That said given a set of possible paths, the problem still is: Which of these should we choose?Thu, 25 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/yousef/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/yousef/Money isn’t the telling validation. It’s identifying the leading indicators (customer behavior) that lead to future monetization that’s way…Wed, 24 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/if-you-like-toc-you-ll-like-my-customer-factory-metaphor-which-adapts-toc-for-business-models/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/if-you-like-toc-you-ll-like-my-customer-factory-metaphor-which-adapts-toc-for-business-models/If you like TOC, you’ll like my customer factory metaphor which adapts TOC for business models.Wed, 24 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/my-3-biggest-lessons-on-entrepreneurship-so-far/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/my-3-biggest-lessons-on-entrepreneurship-so-far/Lesson 1: Right Action, Right TimeTue, 23 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-new-book-unveiled-scaling-lean/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-new-book-unveiled-scaling-lean/Three years of rigorous testing, thousands of iterations, and hundreds of product case-studies later… My new book, Scaling Lean, is finally here. Why Another Book? Since publishing, Running Lean, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by thousands of entrepreneurs from all over the world by way of my monthly workshops and bootcamps. Through these conversations,…Thu, 11 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-m-writing-a-follow-on-post-soon-on-this/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/i-m-writing-a-follow-on-post-soon-on-this/I’m writing a follow-on post soon on this.Thu, 04 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/2016-02-02-the-different-worldviews-of-a-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/2016-02-02-the-different-worldviews-of-a-startup/In his groundbreaking book, “All Marketers are Liars Tell Stories”, Seth Godin defines a “worldview” as the set of rules, values, beliefs…Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/please-do-and-drop-me-a-link-and-i-ll-reference-below-the-post-thx/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/please-do-and-drop-me-a-link-and-i-ll-reference-below-the-post-thx/Please do and drop me a link and I’ll reference below the post. Thx!Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/which-number/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/which-number/Which number?Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-jim-i-m-a-software-guy-myself-and-you-starts-with-putting-yourself-in-your-customer-s-shoes/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/hi-jim-i-m-a-software-guy-myself-and-you-starts-with-putting-yourself-in-your-customer-s-shoes/There are numerous observation and interviewing techniques to uncover this.Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/everyone-s-entitled-an-opinion-even-human-beings/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/everyone-s-entitled-an-opinion-even-human-beings/Thanks for commenting.Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/also-check-out-http-leanstack-com-the-innovator-roadmap/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/also-check-out-http-leanstack-com-the-innovator-roadmap/Also check out: http://leanstack.com/the-innovator-roadmap/Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-bootstart-manifesto/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-bootstart-manifesto/There’s never been a better time to act on your “big idea”. And this manifesto will show you how.Mon, 04 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-singularity-moment-of-your-product/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-singularity-moment-of-your-product/The singularity moment of a product is not when you write your first line of code or raise your first round of funding, but when you…Sun, 03 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-achieve-breakthrough-by-embracing-constraints/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-achieve-breakthrough-by-embracing-constraints/In its early days, Southwest Airlines had to sell one of their planes or face bankruptcy. When most people get hit with a constraint of…Tue, 29 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/bootstrapping-lean-startup-low-burn-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/bootstrapping-lean-startup-low-burn-startup/While not the same thing, Bootstrapping and Lean Startups are quite complementary. Both cover techniques for building low-burn startups by eliminating waste through the maximization of existing resources first before expending effort on the acquisition of new or external resources. While bootstrapping provides a strategic roadmap for achieving sustainability through customer funding (i.e. charging customers),…Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-achieve-breakthrough-by-embracing-your-constraints/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-achieve-breakthrough-by-embracing-your-constraints/In its early days, Southwest Airlines had to sell one of their planes or face bankruptcy. When most people get hit with a constraint of limited resources like this one, they either fall victim to the constraint and revise their ambition downwards, or they confront the constraint head-on and look for ways to brute-force it.…Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-science-of-how-customers-buy-anything/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-science-of-how-customers-buy-anything/A basic tenet of running lean is validating a product or feature ideally without having to build it first. This makes complete sense when you look at every product or feature as it’s own customer factory. The first battle isn’t fought on the ground but in the mind of the customer. It isn’t fought with…Fri, 04 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-simple-shapes-of-startups/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-simple-shapes-of-startups/Inspired by this short lecture by Kurt Vonnegut on “the simple shapes of stories”, I thought it would be fun to sketch a few shapes of what starting up looks like: Then I remembered Sarah Prevette already beat me to this: [[Full presentation here]](http://www.slideshare.net/sprevette/your-first-startup). So I decided to sketch a different set of curves —…Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-run-more-effective-board-meetings-with-a-business-model-progress-timeline/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-run-more-effective-board-meetings-with-a-business-model-progress-timeline/In my last post I outlined how to make progress by leveraging the diversity of ideas from your internal teams using time-boxed LEAN Sprints. In this post, I’m going to focus on how to communicate this progress with your internal and external stakeholders using a business model progress timeline. Let’s first paint the picture of…Thu, 12 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-lean-sprint/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-lean-sprint/Experiments power breakthrough discovery in both the Scientific Method and our adaptation of it for entrepreneurship: Herein lies the key to breakthrough in both: If your guess disagrees with experiment, it is wrong. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your guess is, how smart you are, who made the guess, or what their name is… it…Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-7-habits-for-running-highly-effective-lean-startup-experiments/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-7-habits-for-running-highly-effective-lean-startup-experiments/The question isn’t whether you run experiments or not. You do this all the time. Every time you release a new feature, run a marketing campaign, or try a new sales method, you are testing a new strategy using some kind of experiment. The real question is whether you want to run good experiments or…Thu, 10 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-find-an-idea-whose-time-has-come/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-find-an-idea-whose-time-has-come/In response to my last post on “The Power of A Good Strategy”, I got a number of emails citing timing, versus strategy, as the top reason why Facebook succeeded. These emails also came with a link to a recent Bill Gross TED talk where he found timing to be the single most important factor…Thu, 11 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-power-of-a-good-strategy/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-power-of-a-good-strategy/When Mark Zuckerburg started Facebook in 2004, he wasn’t the first building a social networking platform. There were dozens of other social networking platforms before his — many with millions of dollars in funding and millions of users. Yet, he still managed to build the largest social networking platform on the planet. How did Facebook…Tue, 09 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-innovation-challenge/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-innovation-challenge/Whether it’s getting the green light on a new venture, or securing an additional round of funding, entrepreneurs and innovators are constantly faced with the challenge of demonstrating progress to their stakeholders. Up until now, we have typically relied on two measures of progress: how much stuff we’re building and how much money we are…Thu, 21 May 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-avoid-the-innovator-s-bias-for-the-solution/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-avoid-the-innovator-s-bias-for-the-solution/I’ve previously described the importance of uncovering problems worth solving early in your business modeling, but how do you avoid the innovator’s bias for the solution? The recommended path for filling out a Lean Canvas is starting with the problem/customer segment quadrant but if you already carry a picture of a hammer in your head,…Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/business-models-vs-business-plans/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/business-models-vs-business-plans/Have you ever written a business plan? Did you enjoy the process? Or maybe you’re one of the lucky few who have never had to write one.Fri, 03 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/1-business-models-i-m-biased-of-course/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/1-business-models-i-m-biased-of-course/+1 business models (I’m biased of course)Fri, 03 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/no-problems-in-your-business-model-is-a-problem/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/no-problems-in-your-business-model-is-a-problem/A manager at Toyota is delivering a quarterly update to an executive. He’s enthusiastic because all the metrics are trending up and to the right. They shipped on time — sales, and customer satisfaction numbers are up too. The executive patiently listens until the manager is done and then asks: “So where are the problems?”…Mon, 23 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/customers-need-to-fire-something-before-they-can-hire-your-product/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/customers-need-to-fire-something-before-they-can-hire-your-product/I’ve previously described the importance of nailing your customer’s problem as the initial battle. But it’s about way more than just getting their attention. When you can describe your customer’s problems clearly and succinctly — even better than they can, there is an automatic transference where they believe you also have the solution for them.…Thu, 05 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/are-entrepreneurs-born-or-made/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/are-entrepreneurs-born-or-made/I often get asked to weigh in on the age-old question of whether entrepreneurs are born or made? I believe that true entrepreneurs are born — not made. Startups are inherently uncertain and a lot like roller coasters. One day, you could be on top of the world, full of confidence, and believe that your…Thu, 15 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-ballpark-a-multi-sided-business-model/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-ballpark-a-multi-sided-business-model/Last time, I showed you how to model a multi-sided business using a Lean Canvas. In this post, I’m going to show you get more specific and ballpark these types of business models. I’ll be extending the simple back of the envelope technique for ballparking direct business models I described in this post to ballparking…Thu, 23 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-model-a-multi-sided-business/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-model-a-multi-sided-business/Facebook Lean Canvas: How to Model a Multi-sided Business Today I am going to show you how to model a multi-sided business using a Lean Canvas. Products like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and YouTube all fall into this category. This post builds upon an earlier one on modeling direct business models which I recommend reading first…Tue, 30 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-test-whether-your-business-model-is-worth-pursuing/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-test-whether-your-business-model-is-worth-pursuing/Last time I emphasized getting specific on your revenue streams — down to the customer segment, pricing model, and customer lifetime assumptions. In this post, I’m going to show you how to use these simple inputs to ballpark your business model and test whether it’s worth pursuing. If you don’t have a “big enough” problem…Tue, 19 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-is-no-business-model-without-revenue/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-is-no-business-model-without-revenue/I created the Lean Canvas back in 2009 as a way to more effectively document my most critical business model assumptions for my products which were predominantly SaaS software products at the time. Lean Canvas is now taught at over 200 universities (including high schools), close to 100 startup accelerators, and used at hundreds of…Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-identify-your-riskiest-business-model-assumptions/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-identify-your-riskiest-business-model-assumptions/The true job of an entrepreneur is to systematically de-risk their business model over time. While you might be really excited by your idea’s potential, others don’t see what you see. What they see instead is something untested and risky. You have to derisk your idea to convince your future co-founders to quit their stable…Thu, 08 May 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-interview-your-users-and-get-useful-feedback/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-interview-your-users-and-get-useful-feedback/(This is guest post by Garrett Moon, Founder of TodayMade. It’s not enough just to talk to customers. You have to know how. In this post, Garrett shares his lessons learned for crafting effective customer interviews. Enjoy… -Ash) When my business partner and I drafted our first outline for our next startup venture, we knew…Thu, 03 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-get-customers-to-want-to-pay-even-before-building-your-product/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-get-customers-to-want-to-pay-even-before-building-your-product/The following is an excerpt from my book: Running Lean How to Iterate From Plan A to a Plan That Works In my post Why You Should Never Ask Customers What They’ll Pay? I covered how to set initial pricing for your product by first spending time to understand your customer, their problems, and their…Thu, 12 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-you-should-never-ask-customers-what-they-ll-pay/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-you-should-never-ask-customers-what-they-ll-pay/The following is an excerpt from my book: Running Lean How to Iterate From Plan A to a Plan That Works Can you imagine Steve Jobs asking you what you would have been willing to pay for an iPad before it launched? Sounds ludicrous right? Yet, you’ve probably asked a customer for a “ballpark price”…Tue, 10 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-different-worldviews-of-a-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-different-worldviews-of-a-startup/In his book, “All Marketers are Liars Tell Stories”, Seth Godin defines a “worldview” as the set of rules, values, beliefs, and biases people bring to a situation. He offers a strategy of not trying to change a person’s worldview but rather framing your story in terms of their pre-existing worldview. This concept of worldviews…Tue, 03 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-not-the-funnel-chart/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-not-the-funnel-chart/Eric Ries describes the three A’s of metrics as: Actionable, Accessible, and Auditable. Today, I’d like to share our take on what it means for metrics to be accessible. What Are Accessible Metrics? 1. Everybody can see what’s going on The first part is making the metrics dashboard available to everyone (including advisors/investors). A business…Fri, 23 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/new-book-the-customer-factory/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/new-book-the-customer-factory/Last week I soft-announced a new book I’m working on titled:”The Customer Factory”. It aims to address the 1 problem in my opinion that trips up most lean practitioners — crafting effective experiments that lead to breakthrough insights. Even though running experiments is a key activity in a lean startup, I constantly find that entrepreneurs…Tue, 23 Jul 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/don-t-count-your-users-like-sheep/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/don-t-count-your-users-like-sheep/In my last post, I introduced the idea of establishing a standard measure of progress for your products using a handful of macro (versus micro) metrics measured in batches (or cohorts). Macro metrics are useful for learning or baselining while micro metrics are useful for optimizing or troubleshooting. The problem with micro metrics is that…Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-groundhog-day-effect/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-groundhog-day-effect/One of the reasons measuring “true progress” in a product is hard is because we prefer reporting good news over bad. We like charts that trend up and to the right, which isn’t all that bad by itself, until we start devising charts that can go nowhere but up and to the right. In the…Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/lean-stack-2-0-the-art-of-the-scientist-and-the-customer-factory/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/lean-stack-2-0-the-art-of-the-scientist-and-the-customer-factory/Since writing about Lean Stack (our innovation accounting framework), it has been downloaded by thousands of teams and we’ve had first-hand experience (by way of workshops and bootcamps) putting it into practice across hundreds of teams ranging from startups to large enterprises. I hosted a Google Hangout event yesterday (video below) to share what we…Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/your-business-model-is-a-system-and-why-you-should-care/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/your-business-model-is-a-system-and-why-you-should-care/Lean emerged out of the manufacturing world with a rallying cry for “waste reduction” in the production process. Lean Software drew parallels between hardware and software manufacturing processes and aimed to reduce waste also in the production process. Then Lean Startup came along and pointed out that efficient production is NOT enough UNLESS it also…Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-attack-of-the-lean-books/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-attack-of-the-lean-books/I read a lot of books — averaging 5/month. For right or (most likely) wrong, I don’t read any fiction. I get my fiction fix through other mediums. I usually pick-up/download a book to gain perspective on solving a current technical or business problem. In that way, I am a very deliberate reader. I don’t…Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/lean-analytics-the-one-metric-that-matters-and-other-provocations/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/lean-analytics-the-one-metric-that-matters-and-other-provocations/I recently caught up with Ben Yoskovitz who co-authored Lean Analytics with Alistair Croll. In today’s world where we can measure almost anything we often end up drowning in a sea of numbers. Like Ben and Alistair, I too share the general tenant around “One Metric That Matters”. The hard part is knowing which key…Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-ideation-switch/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-ideation-switch/(This is a guest post by Lukas Fittl — a fellow Lean practitioner and Spark59er.) Enjoy… -Ash) Imagine the following situation: You are in the office working on the next release of your software product. Suddenly your co-founder storms in and starts talking about the excellent new idea he just had. You end up in…Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/lessons-learned-in-2012/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/lessons-learned-in-2012/I love this time of the year. Everyone is upbeat around the holidays. The pace is slower. It gives me time to reflect. In the 3 short years since I started this blog, a lot has changed in my life. I just got back from a short trip to Japan (too short) for the book…Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/case-study-how-a-scrappy-bootstrapped-team-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-used-lean-startup-to-achieve-startup-success/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/case-study-how-a-scrappy-bootstrapped-team-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-used-lean-startup-to-achieve-startup-success/(This is a great case-study on the “big middle” by Garrett Moon, TodayMade. I often talk about how most customer learning happens at the tail-ends of the product development cycle — while you’re gathering requirements and after you release your product. There is a “big middle” where the temptation is high for spending several weeks,…Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-we-use-lean-stack-for-innovation-accounting/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-we-use-lean-stack-for-innovation-accounting/I introduced Lean Stack in my last 2 posts — Part 1 and Part 2. This is a follow-up on how we are using Lean Stack today as our Innovation Accounting framework. What is Innovation Accounting? Innovation Accounting is a term Eric Ries described in his book, The Lean Startup: To improve entrepreneurial outcomes, and…Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-get-early-customers-to-respond-to-your-cold-emails/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-get-early-customers-to-respond-to-your-cold-emails/This is a guest post from Robert Graham — a solo bootstrapper who blogs about the experience. Robert has been working in software since 2005. He is a Ph.D. dropout who spent time working for Google. Someday he ‘d like to work for himself. You can learn more about his approach to developing customer relationships…Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/deconstructing-lean-startup-four-perspectives/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/deconstructing-lean-startup-four-perspectives/(This is a guest post by Lukas Fittl — a fellow Lean practitioner and Spark59er.) Enjoy… -Ash) When new entrepreneurs are introduced to Lean Startup I can often sense their confusion: What is Lean Startup? Structured approach? Set of principles? Cargo cult? It sure is a good marketing buzzword. And from reading the book its…Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-lean-stack-part-2/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-lean-stack-part-2/Last time, I outlined the thought process behind the Lean Stack and provided a 3000-foot overview of the toolset. In this post, I’m going to dive a little deeper into the process flow and end with a concrete case-study. The Lean Stack MVP — A Different Approach A number of you inquired if the new…Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-lean-stack-part-1/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-lean-stack-part-1/Most products fail, not because we fail to build what we set out to build, but because we waste time, money, and effort building the wrong product. I attribute the entrepreneur’s, often unbridled and singular, passion for the solution as the top contributor to this failure. Sometimes that solution is truly awesome for a lot…Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-lean-canvas-vs-business-model-canvas/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-lean-canvas-vs-business-model-canvas/I often get asked why I created a different adaptation from the original Business Model Canvas by Alex Osterwalder. Lately, this question has bubbled up in frequency which is why I decided to take the time to outline the thought process that went into creating Lean Canvas. First a quick timeline. Timeline May 2010 I…Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/spark59-manifesto/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/spark59-manifesto/In his book, The Lean Startup, Eric Ries describes the constant challenge entrepreneurs face between “Pivoting and Persevering”, but he doesn’t describe the even harder challenge of deciding when to hit the reset button. (Maybe Eric views “reset” as a “hard pivot”?) With my last company, WiredReach, while I eventually succeeded in discovering viable “customer…Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-new-and-updated-running-lean-book/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-new-and-updated-running-lean-book/I just submitted my final revisions to O’Reilly for the printed version of Running Lean which will come out in March 2012. While I had originally intended to just “tidy up” the PDF version for print, I realized earlier this year that a complete rewrite might be necessary which is exactly what I ended up…Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-yoga-made-me-a-better-lean-startup-practitioner/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-yoga-made-me-a-better-lean-startup-practitioner/How Yoga Made Me a Better Entrepreneur I’ve been practicing Bikram Yoga for 5 years now. For those that aren’t familiar with this form of yoga: Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional hatha yoga techniques and popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Bikram’s classes run exactly 90 minutes…Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-are-you-doing-a-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/why-are-you-doing-a-startup/Apparently, a lot of people become entrepreneurs for the wrong reasons — to be cool, to make a lot of money, to be the next [fill\in\blanks]. This was a common theme covered at Startup School 2011 and the topic of a talk I’ve seen Dave McClure deliver in a way only Dave can. I have…Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-10x-product-launch/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-10x-product-launch/You’ve painstakingly defined and built an MVP through 100+ customer interviews. You’ve collected thousands of emails from potential prospects through a teaser page. You’re ready to launch. But… The engineer in you is worried about some real technical risks. You’re pushing the envelope using a new type of database — is the database partitioned correctly,…Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/scaling-flow-in-a-lean-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/scaling-flow-in-a-lean-startup/Last year, I outlined 10 work hacks I use for managing conflicting pulls on my time in a post titled: “Achieving Flow in a Lean Startup”. This is a follow-up to that post where I’ll describe how I’ve been scaling these tactics since then. The basic problem is that as a founder you need to…Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-we-build-features-expanded-q-a/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-we-build-features-expanded-q-a/I received lots of great questions on the “How We Build Features” post that I decided to do a follow-on post Q&A-style: Features versus Bugs and the 80/20 Rule Chris Cornutt: I’d love to see an expanded version of the “Features vs Bugs” section. I’m a developer and it’s too easy to get caught up…Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-achilles-heel-of-customer-development/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-achilles-heel-of-customer-development/The Chinese word “weiji” for “crisis” is made up of two symbols — one signifying challenge (wei) and the other signifying opportunity (ji). Other than the fact that this particular translation, while popular, may be inaccurate, the “challenge/opportunity” duality is still very fitting to Customer Development. The Customer Development battle-cry: “Get out of the Building”,…Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-we-build-features/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-we-build-features/After launching your Minimum Viable Product (MVP), it’s quite likely that customer uptake won’t be immediate. In fact it should be expected: Your MVP is the minimum feature set that lets you start learning about customers. When you first launch a product, lots of things can and do go wrong. But when that happens, a…Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/delivering-effective-investor-pitches-with-lean-canvas-part-1/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/delivering-effective-investor-pitches-with-lean-canvas-part-1/The number one question I get during my workshops is: “Would an investor accept a Lean Canvas in place of a traditional business plan or investor deck?”. I usually then turn to the investors in the room and put them on the spot: Many prominent VCs and Angels have said they would. But even with…Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/build-your-startup-through-conversations/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/build-your-startup-through-conversations/The key takeaway from my last post was that the “business model” is the real product of a startup. As entrepreneurs, we’ve got the solution covered but need help with the rest of the business model to avoid chasing after solutions no one cares about which is a form of waste. Startup As Conversations You…Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/your-product-is-not-the-product/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/your-product-is-not-the-product/Entrepreneurs are typically more passionate about their solution than any other part of the business model which left unchecked can become a problem. While building a product is what you do best and where you derive the biggest sense of accomplishment, building a product is NOT “the product” of your startup. Your business model is…Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-cooking-made-me-a-better-lean-startup-practitioner/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-cooking-made-me-a-better-lean-startup-practitioner/Running experiments is a key activity in Lean Startups, but my bias for experimentation preceded Lean Startup. While I can trace it back to several interests I’ve held, one that particularly helped me develop this skill was cooking. Cooking and startups have more in common than you’d think. A perfect experiment for me is a…Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/do-you-have-faith-in-lean-startups/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/do-you-have-faith-in-lean-startups/I’ve watched Eric Ries’ blog grow from 5 subscribers to 60K+ subscribers in the span of two years which is great for the Lean Startup movement. And as with any fast growing movement, Lean Startup has picked up it’s share of evangelists, believers, fanatics, skeptics, atheists, and heretics. Unfortunately, these roles are primarily defined by…Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/meta-principles-i-learned-from-running-lean/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/meta-principles-i-learned-from-running-lean/Eric Ries succinctly captures the Lean Startup validated learning loop as Build/Measure/Learn. While a cycle around the validation learning loop (or experiment) helps you validate a specific business model hypothesis, I’ve been in search of a workflow that strings multiple experiments together (into an iteration) for the purpose of taking a product from idea to…Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-fallacy-of-customer-development/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-fallacy-of-customer-development/One of the lessons learned from my last post had to do with the Fallacy of Customer Development: Unless you are building a business (like Enterprise software) where the primary channel to customers is through direct sales, customer development is NOT a scalable way to reach customers. Instead, Customer Development is a form of qualitative…Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/lessons-learned-in-2010/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/lessons-learned-in-2010/To recap the story so far: I have been an entrepreneur for the last 8+ years — self-funded the first 2 years and bootstrapped the last 6+ years. Throughout that time I’ve been in search for a better way to build \successful\ products. I’ve tried building in stealth, release-early-release-often, open sourcing, less is more, more…Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-build-mockups/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-build-mockups/A basic Lean Startup technique is doing the smallest thing possible to learn from customers. Applied to the product, this often times translates to a visual mockup of some sort to stand in-place of the actual product. Mockups are a great way to qualitatively test that you have a problem worth solving before committing yourself…Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/channels-build-a-path-to-customers-from-day-1/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/channels-build-a-path-to-customers-from-day-1/It’s no secret that I have been writing a book — Running Lean. While this blog is a near-realtime account of my lessons learned applying Customer Development and Lean Startup techniques, the book benefits from retrospective learning, reordering, and refining of steps for a more optimal workflow. If I could do it all over again,…Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-identify-a-lean-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-identify-a-lean-startup/I gave a talk at the Capital Factory Demo Day event to a group of investors and entrepreneurs last week. The event was recorded but the video is still being edited which I’ll post as an update later. and you’ll find the full video down below. The key message from the talk was: Lean Startup…Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/new-product-usercycle-a-better-way-to-track-and-engage-your-customers/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/new-product-usercycle-a-better-way-to-track-and-engage-your-customers/In the course of applying lean startup techniques to my other products, I’ve stumbled across a recurring problem of finding better ways to track and improve engagement with my users. This not only applies to early users when lots of things can and do go wrong, but also to later users, when you need to…Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-document-your-business-model-on-1-page/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-to-document-your-business-model-on-1-page/The validated learning loop is the fundamental feedback loop that drives a lean startup: Even though, this diagram shows “CODE” as the artifact of BUILD, I subscribe to a much looser interpretation of BUILD that applies to anything you create for the purpose of learning from customers. So, a problem presentation, landing page, and even…Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/book-update-running-lean/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/book-update-running-lean/I want to take a moment to provide a quick update on the progress of my book since I had initially hoped to have it published by now. I knew going in that writing a book would be a beast. I just hadn’t anticipated how big an undertaking this could be. What is it about?…Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-rules-to-actionable-metrics-in-a-lean-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-rules-to-actionable-metrics-in-a-lean-startup/First, what is an actionable metric? An actionable metric is one that ties specific and repeatable actions to observed results. The opposite of actionable metrics are vanity metrics (like web hits or number of downloads) which only serve to document the current state of the product but offer no insight into how we got here…Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/pivot-before-product-market-fit-optimize-after/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/pivot-before-product-market-fit-optimize-after/“Startups that succeed are those that manage to iterate enough times before running out of resources” -Eric Ries Even though an iteration (in Lean Startup) is defined as a Build/Measure/Learn experiment, the iteration loop can be applied equally well to optimization experiments as well as pivot experiments which has often led to Lean Startups being…Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/focussing-on-the-right-customer/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/focussing-on-the-right-customer/Last week, I re-watched Kathy Sierra’s talk from the 2009 Business of Software conference. As usual, it was filled with gems of wisdom around creating passionate users. But one of her old memes particularly stuck out for me: Don’t make a better [X], make a better [user of X] More often than not, we unknowingly…Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/troubleshooting-free-trials/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/troubleshooting-free-trials/I got an interesting question the other day on why the call to action after Customer Discovery is “Signup Now” versus “Buy Now”. If you’ve got a problem and solution that resonates with a prospect, why not charge them right away? First, there is a big difference between describing/demoing a solution and delivering on one.…Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-is-an-i-in-vision/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/there-is-an-i-in-vision/The press loves to celebrate stories of visionaries that saw the future and charted a course to intersect it with a “revolutionary” new product offering. In a visionary product launch there is no place for being too early or too late: While these make for great stories, behind every visionary story usually lies years of…Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/continuous-deployment-startup-lessons-learned-conference-4-23-2010/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/continuous-deployment-startup-lessons-learned-conference-4-23-2010/The first “Lean Startup” conference (Startup Lessons Learned) was a great success. Eric Ries and company put together a great lineup of presenters and executed the event very well. I got the most value from the case-studies. While core principles were mostly the same (Customer first, Get out of the building, etc.), there were some…Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-rules-for-building-features-in-a-lean-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/3-rules-for-building-features-in-a-lean-startup/Validated learning about customers is the measure of progress in a Lean Startup — not lines of working code or achieving product development milestones. So lets take a look at where in the product development process do we do this type of learning: Where we learn about customers While some learning happens during the requirements…Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/coming-soon-getting-lean-the-book/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/coming-soon-getting-lean-the-book/Based on encouragement from readers, I’ve decided to undertake writing a short book on applying bootstrapping, customer development, and lean startup techniques to web startups. The book will cover practical techniques for iterating a web application to product/market fit and (like my blog) will build on the works of Steve Blank, Eric Ries, Dave McClure,…Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/customer-development-checklist-for-my-web-startup-part-2/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/customer-development-checklist-for-my-web-startup-part-2/I covered the Customer Discovery flow for my web startup in Part 1. Here I’ll be covering the next step: Customer Validation. At the end of Customer Discovery you should have identified a customer problem worth solving and started building your solution (MVP). During Customer Validation, you’ll test your finished MVP by selling it to…Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/experiments-in-pricing/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/experiments-in-pricing/What you charge for your product is simultaneously one of the most complicated and most important things to get right. Not only does your pricing model keep you in business, it also signals your branding and positioning. Unlike with other elements, it is harder to iterate on pricing. Once set, coming down is usually easier…Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/customer-development-checklist-for-my-web-startup-part-1/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/customer-development-checklist-for-my-web-startup-part-1/Last year, Steve Blank threw out a challenge to Lean Startup Circle members to update his customer development checklist (Appendix B in his book) for their specific business. His checklist is built for Enterprise Software which doesn’t readily translate to other types of startups including web startups (especially when you get to Customer Validation). After…Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/building-a-lean-startup-austin-lean-startup-meetup-feb-2010/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/building-a-lean-startup-austin-lean-startup-meetup-feb-2010/We had a great turnout for the first Austin Lean Startup Meetup. Eric Ries called in to kickoff the event and there was a lot of entrepreneurial energy and ideas for how we can take Lean Startup theory to practice. I presented a high-level overview on building a lean startup using CloudFire as a case…Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/deploying-desktop-based-software-continuously/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/deploying-desktop-based-software-continuously/Of all the Lean Startup techniques, Continuous Deployment is by far the most controversial. Continuous Deployment is a process by which software is released several times throughout the day — in minutes versus days, weeks, or months. Continuous Flow Manufacturing is a Lean technique that boosts productivity by rearranging manufacturing processes so products are built…Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/lessons-learned-in-2009/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/lessons-learned-in-2009/I’ve been an entrepreneur for 7+ years now — self-funded the first 2 years and bootstrapped the last 5. Yes I subscribe to the true definition of bootstrapping as being customer-funded versus self-funded. To some people, that is quite an accomplishment. However, I feel like the last 7 years have just been an education and…Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/achieving-flow-in-a-lean-startup/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/achieving-flow-in-a-lean-startup/Eliminating waste is the fundamental principle of lean thinking. As defined by Womak/Jones in their book “Lean Thinking” (a must-read): Waste is any human activity which absorbs resources but creates no value. Of all resources, there is no resource more valuable than time. Time is more valuable than money. While money can fluctuate up or…Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-first-look-at-some-metrics-numbers/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/a-first-look-at-some-metrics-numbers/Last time I shared my conversion dashboard and promised some numbers. I don’t have all the numbers yet. But enough to start identifying some actionable next steps. First some tools discussion is in order I had been using Mixpanel and evaluating KISSmetrics for my metrics data. While I still see lots of possibilities using Mixpanel…Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-am-measuring-product-market-fit/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-am-measuring-product-market-fit/I can summarize my last post with a strong call to action: Focus on Product/Market Fit First. Here I’ll be laying the groundwork for how I plan to measure and optimize the process of achieving product/market fit. Metrics are, of course, the answer. But I have spent enough cycles getting lost in Google Analytics’ numbers,…Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-first-thing-that-matters-product-market-fit/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/the-first-thing-that-matters-product-market-fit/After my last post on landing page (UVP) optimization, Nivi, from VentureHacks, pointed me at Sean Ellis’s blog and suggested that I might be better served achieving product/market fit before spending time on landing page optimization and positioning. While I completely agree that achieving product/market fit is the necessary prerequisite to kicking into growth mode,…Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/from-minimum-viable-product-to-landing-pages/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/from-minimum-viable-product-to-landing-pages/A lot (okay a ton) has been written already on landing page design. A great starting point is Chance Barnett’s Landing Pages That Convert. One of the most important elements of a landing page is the unique value proposition (UVP). It’s a headline, image, or tagline that needs to engage the visitor in the first…Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-built-my-minimum-viable-product/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-built-my-minimum-viable-product/The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a key lean startup concept popularized by Eric Ries. The basic idea is to maximize validated learning for the least amount of effort. After all, why waste effort building out a product without first testing if it’s worth it. So for a new product idea or concept, what is…Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-learnt-to-grok-customer-development/https://ashmaurya.com/blog/how-i-learnt-to-grok-customer-development/Chapter 1: An Engineer’s Itch I’d love to claim that I’ve subconsciously used Customer Development practices all along but that just isn’t true. My first product, 6Degrees, was a p2p address book that was created to basically test out the 6 degrees of separation concept — a sort of “trusted Napster” for contacts. I didn’t…Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT