The Lean, Mean Startup Machine Transformation

November 13th, 2011

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“Yeah. You know what this is. It’s a celebration, bitches.” – Kanye West

I’ve been told that entrepreneurs go through ups and downs. There are days of happiness and days of sadness. The “wild roller coaster of entrepreneurship,” as a friend of mine calls it, certainly has it’s days of fun as well as it’s days of pure terror.

But guess what? I hate roller coasters.

I love speed. I love to drive fast (alright Mom, you’re right, I admit it). Give me a stretch of highway with no cops and no children to run over and I’ll happily take my old Pontiac Grand Prix from zero to hero in the blink of an eye. But I hate rollercoasters. Mostly because I’m terrified of heights. Secondarily, because I’ve never liked the feeling of my stomach being someplace I believe it shouldn’t be. And thirdidandily, because the idea of being strapped into something where I can not get to a bathroom, quite frankly, makes me nervous.

I decided over the past two months to learn how to transform a roller coaster into the Autobahn. And I am happy to say I believe I have found my answer in two words: Lean Startup.

It turns out that I feel in control when going fast, but I feel out of control when going up and down.

When I was growing up, there was a joke I’m sure you’ve all heard before that went something like this: The patient says, “Doctor, it hurts when I do this.” Doctor responds: “Then don’t do that!”

Traditional logic, and a smart doctor, might be quick to give you the same advice. If you feel out of control going up and down, then don’t do that.

But how?

During the month of October I spent many days consulting with people I respected in the Boston community, with the goal of learning about their underlying business philosophies / life changing mentors / and life changing books and blogs filled with advice. Over and over again the “solution” did not come in a magic pill, but instead kept pointing  towards understanding one particular segment of my business better and better: my customers. Not me. Not my employees. But the users of my service.

Time and time again I was recommended reading pertaining to Lean Startup, customer development, and validated learning. And so, I did what any young lad does when trying to learn. I immediately bought the following books as recommended by the experts I trust. And to any other young person in the city looking to understand the Lean Startup, I condensed these into an action plan for you.

1. The Lean Startup by Eric Reis

2. The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development by Brant Cooper, Patrick Vlaksovits

3. Running Lean by Ash Maurya

4. The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank

5. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

6. The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton Christensen

And I began reading.

Today, I finished Book #1: The Lean Startup by Eric Reis. I highlighted the book like crazy. Up, down, left, and right. That puppy is marked up beyond repair. And luckily, I now have what I consider to be one of the few Bibles of entrepreneurship.

To all you undergrads out there, wherever you may be. And to all of those startup leaders in Boston, NYC, the Valley, or Belarus. No matter if you’re 20 or 25 or 30 or 40 or 80 years old, this is one of the few stamps of approval I have made towards something I believe will DRAMATICALLY and MEASURABLY affect my life in the most positive of ways. If for nothing else, I am writing this post to remind myself of the month in which I came to dedicate myself towards the transformation to Lean Startup. In future weeks I will dive into my thoughts on Reis book. But for now, I simply wanted to establish my game plan. If you have any other recommended reading, please send it my way. Who is here to join me?