Recently, a startup founder, very proud of launching their product, came to me with the following problem: “We have a working product with 10 customers with MRR 1000€. From usage stats, we have the feeling our retention is going to be low. We don’t want to lose these customers. …

Do companies grow, evolve, and die just like stars? — While I was trying to find a better way to visualise the life cycle of companies and startups, I was reminded of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This diagram was created circa 1910 by astronomers Hertzsprung and Russell as a way to map out the relationship between various types of stars and…

When you’re exploring a new business model, product, or service, it is important to validate your assumptions. The Lean Startup movement has taught us that. But how do you select which assumption to validate first? In my previous post on prioritising assumptions, I showed a way in which you can…

Which assumption should you validate first? And how to do it. — A few weeks back, I was working with a client on validating a new product idea.They came up with a number of assumptions they had about their market, customer segment, and solution, and they were eager to start validating. But, where to start? Two questions came up: How do we…

Every startup entrepreneur would love to have a crystal ball. I know I would love to have one! Wouldn’t it be awesome to know what is coming so you can anticipate? As a startup entrepreneur, you have a lot on your plate. …

Three ways to map the world around your company for innovation — When coming up with new directions for innovation, or when you’re taking the first steps on your startup journey, it’s all about understanding the problem you want to solve. That requires making sense of a lot of incoming information. First of all, you’ll have information coming in from interviews with…

Updated Experiment Cheatsheet — Validating your assumptions with experiments is a cornerstone of the Lean Startup methodology. Identifying the riskiest assumption you want to validate, defining your hypothesis, and then running a validation experiment is a great way to de-risk your startup process and move forward. …