SXSW 2013 Sampler

world—faster, more competitive, and inundated
with data—new methods are needed
to keep up. Th e truth is that all of this change
has happened faster and more thoroughly
than any of us imagined. And—as you’re
about to see—we’re just getting started.
Th at’s why I am so excited by this book
you hold in your hands. Th e Lean Entrepreneur
is about these new methods. Brant
Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits are among
the earliest adopters of new ideas such as
Lean Startup and customer development.
Th eir new work turns their lens on three primary
focal points: how to interact with customers,
run experiments, and use actionable
data to move the needle of any uncertain
business endeavor.
As with all of their work, theirs is not just
a book of theory. Brant and Patrick provide
great tactical depth in each of these areas.
Th ey endeavor to answer the question:
No matter where you are as an organization,
how do you know where to focus
your Lean Startup activities? Th e Lean
Entrepreneur off ers new thinking, tools, and
activities that help organizations identify
and act upon business model challenges in
xvi FOREWORD
a waste-eliminating manner. Following the
precepts of traditional lean thinking, Brant
and Patrick introduce the value stream discovery
process, which helps organizations
hypothesize what they must do, including
product development, marketing, and sales
in order to create value. Th ese business
model assumptions are then ripe for testing,
measuring, and iterating upon.
Further, the value you create is meaningless
without a customer who needs, wants,
desires, and, ultimately, determines the fi nal
value of your creation. Brant and Patrick
spend considerable time helping you think
through your customer segments. Cleverly,
and in the spirit of the scientifi c method,
they even help you discover where your
customer theory is wrong.
Everyone likes a good story; Brant and
Patrick interviewed dozens of entrepreneurs
and documented numerous case studies
both inside and outside of high-tech, in both
startups and large enterprises. Th ere’s even
a classic Wizard of Oz minimum viable product
that dates back to 1998!
Make no mistake: Brant and Patrick
have been here since the beginning. Th ey
self-published Th e Entrepreneur’s Guide to
Customer Development in April of 2010.
From the outset, they were both practitioners
and mentors, urging entrepreneurs
not to follow a paint-by-numbers approach,
but rather to think lean: fast, agile, and continuously
learning. Over the last two years
they’ve traveled around the world speaking,
advising, and teaching Lean Startup.
Th e Lean Entrepreneur is an important
addition to the growing library of principles
and practices designed to improve how we
tackle innovation and uncertainty, be it in
high-tech startups, Fortune 100 companies,
non-profi ts, or government offi ces.
I consider myself lucky to count Brant
and Patrick as friends and colleagues. It is
my hope that from this book you will gain
valuable insights, make Lean Startup your
own, and—much more importantly—that
you are successful in changing the world for
the better.
Eric Ries
San Francisco
January 2013