The Lean Startup
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses is a book by Eric Ries describing his proposed lean startup strategy for startup companies.[1]
Author | Eric Ries |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Business, Non-fiction, Entrepreneurship |
Publisher | Crown Business (USA) |
Publication date | 2011 (USA) |
Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
Pages | 336 p. (US hardcover edition) |
ISBN | 0307887898 |
OCLC | 770494142 |
Thesis
Ries developed the idea for the lean startup from his experiences as a startup advisor, employee, and founder.[2][3] Ries attributes the failure of his first startup, Catalyst Recruiting, to not understanding the wants of their target customers and focusing too much time and energy on the initial product launch.[4][5]
After Catalyst, Ries was a senior software engineer with There, Inc., which had a failed expensive product launch.[4][5] Ries sees the error in both cases as "working forward from the technology instead of working backward from the business results you're trying to achieve."[1]
Instead, Ries argues that in order to build a great company, one must begin with the customers in the form of interviews and research discovery. Building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and then testing and iterating quickly results in less waste and a better product market fit. Ries also recommends using a process called the Five Whys, a technique designed to reach the core of an issue.
Examples
Companies cited in the book as practising Ries's ideas include Alphabet Energy of California. Later more organizations have adopted the processes, including Dropbox, Wealthfront,[6] and General Electric.[7]
Reception
According to the publisher, the book "has sold over one million copies and has been translated into more than thirty languages."[8] It was also on The New York Times Best Sellers list.[9]
References
- Roush, Wade. Eric Ries, the Face of the Lean Startup Movement, on How a Once-Insane Idea Went Mainstream. Xconomy. July 6, 2011.
- Lohr, Steve. The Rise of the Fleet-Footed Start-Up. The New York Times. April 24, 2010.
- Solon, Olivia. Interview: Eric Ries, Author Of The Lean Startup. Wired. January 17, 2012.
- Loizos, Connie. “Lean Startup” evangelist Eric Ries is just getting started. Reuters. May 26, 2011.
- Venture Capital: Eric Ries, author of "The Lean Startup". YouTube. November 21, 2009.
- "The Lean Startup | Case Studies". theleanstartup.com. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
- "General Electric Wants to Act Like a Startup". Bloomberg.com. 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
- Ries, Eric (2017-10-17). The Startup Way: How Modern Companies Use Entrepreneurial Management to Transform Culture and Drive Long-Term Growth (Unabridged ed.). Random House Audio. ISBN 9780147523303.
- "Hardcover Advice & Misc. Books - Best Sellers - October 2, 2011 - The New York Times". Retrieved 2018-01-05.