Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 9, 2012

TLDR: Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits , authors of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development are back with a new book called The Lean Entrepreneur. Since then, Brant and Patrick have been tireless advocates for the whole Lean Startup movement. Illustrations by FAKEGRIMLOCK. You can pre-order it starting today.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur Lean Southern California San Diego 167

Steve Blank

AUGUST 31, 2009

After 20 years of working in startups, I decided to take a step back and look at the product development model I had been following and see why it usually failed to provide useful guidance in activities outside the building – sales, marketing and business development. So what’s wrong the product development model?

Customer Development 241

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 241

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 1, 2019

In two of these three phases – the first and third – volumes of helpful information and numerous organizations are readily available to help guide and support founders of startups. These are the consultants and books that offer founders the tools and insights needed to “cross the chasm” ( as Geoffrey Moore put it ) and begin to scale.

Cleveland 150

Cleveland Framework Marketing Early Stage 150

ConversionXL

JUNE 2, 2022

DocuSign combines both to fuel its sales funnel. ABM is a company-wide strategic approach to finding and converting specific accounts that add long-term value to your business, both financially and through industry standing and pulling power. Alignment can make all the difference to a business. The result?

Lead Generation 94

Lead Generation Marketing Sales Cycle Campaign 94

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 1, 2023

By Daniel Sokolovksy, Co-Founder and CEO, WARP and Troy Lester, Co-Founder and CRO, WARP The dissolution of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was more than just a bank collapse, it was a reality check for both startups and the VCs that fund them. As a founder, ask yourself – does your business actually warrant VC funding?

Early Stage 112

Early Stage Los Angeles Silicon Valley Cofounder 112

Steve Blank

APRIL 30, 2009

SuperMac sold our graphic boards for the Macintosh through multiple distribution channels: direct sales to major accounts, national chains, independent rep firms, etc. But the computer retail channel was a large part of our sales. Oh yes, and retail sales doubled with the new product packaging.

Sales 120

Sales Silicon Valley RSS Las Vegas 120

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

However the Customer Development Model and the Lean Startup work equally well for startups on the web. Union Square Ventures The next morning I got to spend time with Brad Burnham , partner at Union Square Ventures talking about their investment strategy and insights about web-based businesses. End of theory.&#

Customer Development 223

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 223

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 27, 2015

—– In a recent workshop with a large company focused on the Innovation@50x process, I mentioned that founders and intraprenuers operate more like artists than accountants – on day one they see something no one else does. I wondered what lessons Pixar, an animation studio, could have for founders. Like a startup founder.)

Founder 120

Founder Lean Hawaii Incubator 120

Up and Running

MAY 18, 2016

Why David Rose recommends it: “It lays out in explicitly stark terms the difference between ‘small business ownership’ and ‘entrepreneurship.’ After you finish this, you should have a pretty good feel for whether you have what it takes to create a high-growth business.”. Tim Berry is the expert on business planning.

Startup 80

Startup Venture Capital Angel Investor Lean 80

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

In very few specific cases, depending on the nature of the business, the business model might demand a considerable gestation period or extensive research and development. For these businesses, it is imperative to get funding from the start without which the company cannot be set up. Royalty based investment.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

JANUARY 9, 2014

No clear vision or purpose This should be the starting point for any startup founder, but it’s often overlooked. Whilst the tide is turning, there’s still a need to educate startup founders about the competitive advantage well-designed products and services can bring. Quote from John Wilshire, Artefact Cards 4.

Early Stage 102

Early Stage Startup Cofounder Design 102

Steve Blank

JUNE 15, 2010

The role of a founding CEO in a startup searching for a business model is radically different than a CEO building and growing a company. So if you’re the founder of a startup, you may want to consider who you take money from. Is Your VC Founder Friendly? How many of their founders are still with their company?

Founder 231

Founder Vesting Later Stage Early Stage 231

ConversionXL

MARCH 19, 2020

Greater discipline during boom times offered more flexibility during lean years. And getting it right during the lean years, Bain reports , has a massive impact on companies’ growth rate after things improve: ( Image source ). These companies tend to over rely on reducing the number of employees. Progressive. Image source ).

Marketing 121

Marketing Campaign Non-Compete Lean 121

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I recently spoke at the Founder Showcase at the request of Adeo Ressi. I said that at the Founder Showcase, too. And for many of these they were (over) funded 7-10 years ago and don’t necessarily all represent great returns for investors or founders. This post originally ran on TechCrunch. You feel it, too.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

Startups rarely survive by guessing, and can only create products and business models based on facts about their target market. Similarly, an e-commerce retailer believes they need the domain name, shopping cart solution, and inventory to start their business. Eric Ries, author of “The Lean Startup” says -.

Customer Development 126

Customer Development Conversion Developer Customer 126

Steve Blank

MAY 29, 2019

Lean LaunchPad class developed for Stanford. My contribution has been, “Why don’t we design classes more closely modeled to what innovators and entrepreneurs actually do.” Today the capstone class is most often experiential, team-based, hands on, focused around the search for a repeatable and scalable business model.

Incubator 331

Incubator Lean Programming Government 331

Steve Blank

JUNE 3, 2013

Roominate , one of my favorite Lean LaunchPad teams came out to the ranch last week for a strategy session. But we were meeting to talk about sales and marketing. Hiring Channel Sales. “So Why doesn’t this sound like the right thing to do for channel sales?” They learned a ton. Hiring PR Agencies. It’s wrong.

PR 316

PR China Lean Channel 316

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

What matters is proving the viability of the company’s business model, what investors call “traction.&# It should be even more important to the founders themselves, because it demonstrates that their business hypothesis is grounded in reality. For a startup, having great sales DNA is a wonderful asset.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Steve Blank

MARCH 5, 2012

One of the confusing things to entrepreneurs, investors and educators is the relationship between customer development and business model design and business planning and execution. When does a new venture focus on customer development and business models ? Here’s an attempt to put this all in context.

Search 322

Search Business Model Customer Development Agile 322

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

The Founder’s New Insight Smart founders are never satisfied with simply executing their current business model, they are constantly observing, orienting and deciding whether their current business model can be made better. It’s a natural part of learning about your customers and business model.)

Customer 201

Customer Silicon Valley RSS California 201

crowdSPRING Blog

MARCH 8, 2013

7 Usability Mistakes That Will Kill Your Online Sales | KISSmetrics Blog – [link]. More founders reject VC money | Crain’s New York Business – [link]. . 5 Things Founders Shouldn’t Skimp On – [link]. Glaser-Harvard Business Review – [link]. What is 500 startups business model?

Social Media 105

Social Media Small Business Design Media 105

Steve Blank

JUNE 4, 2012

As the morning fog burns off the California coast, I am working with Steve Blank, preparing for the Lean LaunchPad Faculty Development Program we are running this August at U.C. The tools and techniques available to small businesses on Main Street are the same ones that were being used for the last 75 years. Serendipity.

Silicon Valley 307

Silicon Valley Lean Utah Customer Development 307

Steve Blank

JUNE 25, 2009

Twenty eight years ago I was the bright, young, eager product marketing manager called out to the field to support sales by explaining the technical details of Convergent Technologies products to potential customers. They looked at their watches, gave our sales guy a quizzical look and left.

Technology 139

Technology Silicon Valley Fractional VPE Part-Time VPE 139

Steve Blank

DECEMBER 30, 2014

Our Lean Launchpad® for Life Sciences is one of them. ———– The National Institutes of Health recognizes that Life Science/Health Care commercialization has two components: the science/technology, and the business model. New approaches to translational medicine have emerged.

San Diego 262

San Diego North Carolina Chicago Lean 262

The Entrepreneurial Mind

MARCH 28, 2011

It eventually leads to a business model that can be used to build a sustainable venture. Once we learn what our business model needs to be, we can begin the second phase, which includes attracting more and more customers and building a company. Their success with Bonnaroo led to the sale of more music festival apps.

Business Model 75

Business Model Demand Nashville Lean 75

Steve Blank

JUNE 3, 2013

Roominate , one of my favorite Lean LaunchPad teams came out to the ranch last week for a strategy session. But we were meeting to talk about sales and marketing. Hiring Channel Sales. “So Why doesn’t this sound like the right thing to do for channel sales?” They learned a ton. Hiring PR Agencies. It’s wrong.

PR 208

PR China Lean Channel 208

Steve Blank

JANUARY 25, 2010

In this post we’re going to offer a new definition of why startups exist : a startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. A Business Model. Ok, but what is a business model ? A business model describes how your company creates, delivers and captures value.

Agile 335

Agile Startup Silicon Valley Business Model 335

crowdSPRING Blog

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

How Small Businesses Can Compete with Big Business – [link]. crowdSPRING’s Small Business Spotlight of the Week: mor.sl | crowdSPRING Blog – [link]. The Founders Lie About Comfort Zones – [link]. How To Choose A Market For Your Startup Or Small Business – [link]. Just got acquired?

Social Media 100

Social Media Small Business Central African Republic Design 100

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Over breakfast he got me up to date on his life since school (two non-CEO roles in startups,) but he wanted to talk about his third startup – the one he and two co-founders had started. In this first step, the goal of a startup is to search for a repeatable and scalable business model.

Startup 120

Startup Lean Venture Capital Advisory Board 120

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

I recently sat down with Matt Coffin , the founder of LowerMyBills, which sold for $400 million but was very nearly a bankruptcy only a few years early, and talked “startups.&#. Lean startup: o It’s situational so some businesses are operationally/people intensive, high LTV (lifetime value) means you can spend more upfront.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Warrant Customer Term Sheet 304

Steve Blank

MARCH 11, 2015

Bob looked wistful, “Our founders built a company known for taking risks and moving fast. More agile competitors are starting to eat into our business. Therefore startups trade off certainty for speed, adopting “ good enough decision making ” and iterating and pivoting as they fail, learn, and discover their business model.

Widget 120

Widget Lean Business Model Metrics 120

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

Hershey just bought Krave Jerky, a team in our 2011 Berkeley Lean LaunchPad class, for >$200 million. These new entrants disrupted their food categories by offering high quality proprietary recipes, outsourcing their manufacturing, and using their cash and resources on sales and marketing to build distribution and a differentiated brand.

North America 120

North America Lean Customer Development Distribution 120

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Our LivePlan customers are entrepreneurs, our founder and staff have run and sold companies, the Bplans readers are aspiring entrepreneurs (or actual entrepreneurs), and as I sell my own handmade jewelry, I like to think I have a very small claim to the title. The sales channels you will use to reach your target customers. Milestones.

Curation 60

Curation Lean Software Review Finder 60

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 29, 2009

I hope to show why lean and agile techniques actually reduce the negative impacts of technical debt and increase our ability to take advantage of its positive effects. For example, IMVU’s early business model was made possible by Paypal’s easy self-serve and open access payment system.

Technical Review 168

Technical Review Software Review San Francisco Lean 168

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 3, 2014

by Kuty Shalev is the founder of Clevertech. You’ve got an amazing idea for a business, and you just know it’s going to change the world — or at least your part of it. Once you’ve established a healthy entrepreneurial mindset, you can begin turning your experiment into a thriving business. What’s my business model?

New York City 255

New York City Startup Business Model New York 255

Steve Blank

JULY 25, 2011

Scientists and engineers as founders and startup CEOs is one of the least celebrated contributions of Silicon Valley. The goal was commercial products, but as scientists and engineers the company’s founders realized that at times the cost of experimentation was failure. Scientists and Engineers as Founders.

Engineer 307

Engineer Silicon Valley United States Venture Capital 307

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2013

Yet they still haven’t achieved a healthy growing profit, even though this was one of the main reasons they went into business for themselves in the first place. It’s no fun on this plateau, just “making payroll,” and watching some employees make more then you as the Founder. Keep you office running lean and mean.

Entrepreneur 234

Entrepreneur Vertical Reputation Valuation 234