1. Cycles
The simplest, proven way to
build your business.
Speaker | Bryan Cassady
September 15, 2017

2. About Me
• 10 Start-ups in 6 countries (8 winners, 1
loser, 1 unknown)
• As a consultant, dozens of scale-ups
• Lecturer : KU Leuven , Solvay
• Director Founder Institute/ Inacademy
• My work is to help people in small and
larger companies build the companies
of their dreams
3 Beliefs
1. Good entrepreneurs learn to
accept risk, great entrepreneurs
learn to manage risk
2. The best way to manage risk is to
be systematic
3. Almost any learning system is
better than no system

3. What I see…
(at companies of all sizes)
1. An incredible focus on the
positive
2. A continual search for silver
bullets
3. Scared to ask for help
4. If they ask, too much done
internally
5. What they want to do lacks clarity
/ focus
6. Lack of systems / Lack of urgency
7. Avoid tough decisions
Deluded
Scared of Negative
Alone
Unclear
Lacking Systems
Not Making
Decisions

4. A quick test… Who are these companies
today?
Personal
podcasting and
sharing audio
content

5. The answers….

6. Did you know that
about 70% of
companies fail at the
scale up phase?
How to not be one
of those
companies?

7. How to make it happen?
By using processes/systems
Why do you need system/processes ?
If you have a great product and momentum you can
(but probably won’t) succeed without systems and
processes.
The reality is most successful companies have hit the
wall many times and pivoted their way to success.
Processes / systems increase your odds of getting
the pivots right and on time

8. What is the process/system?
At Fast Bridge, we have developed what we call,
‘the ABC’s of growth’
A = Alignment on needs / Ask for help
B = Build ideas
C = Communicate and Check
S = Systems for growth

9. Systems are the
solution…
Every system is perfectly
designed to get the results
it gets.
W. Edwards Deming

10. Based on 2 years of research with
over 300 companies-
There are companies that succeed
and companies that fail. The biggest
difference between winners and
losers is smart winners make good,
even mediocre, ideas great over
time.
The Reality… Quality
Of Ideas
Time
Start
Learning
Cycles
No
Changes
Bad
Cycles
Smart
Winners
Lucky
Winners
Losers
Losers

11. Introducing
Cycles: The ABC’s Of Growth.
Cycle 1
Cycle 2
Cycle 3
Cycle 4
Cycle 5
Align/Ask
Build
Communicate
Check
Systematically
Improve
Idea
Quality
Time

12. The Mental state you need
• Humility... know you will get it wrong
• Vulnerability to ask for help/ to say
you don’t know
• Get lots of feedback
• Learn and move on

13. Systems are the
solution…
Every system is perfectly
designed to get the results
it gets.
W. Edwards Deming

14. A simple idea…
Many forms
The Demming Cycle
• Design Thinking
• Scrum
• The Innovators Method
• Innovation Engineering

15. Design Thinking
U N D E R S T A N D E X P L O R E M A T E R I A L I Z E
Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test Implement

16. Scrum DevelopTest
Accept
Plan
DefineReview
Backlog
Sprint Increment

17. Innovators Method
Insight Problem Solution Business Model
Source: N. Furr, Dyer.

18. Innovation Engineering
1. Aquire
innovation
creativity
Create CORE or LEAP
Strategies & Innovations.
2. Develop
innovation
capability
Build your internal
capability to innovate with
Education and Tools.
3. Grow
innovation
culture
Grow a culture of
innovation
With Education, Tools &
Mentoring

19. The challenge is how to
make it simpler.
The Common Features
Culture, Capabilities, Cycles

20. A simpler, easier to remember
formula with clear instructions
“how to”.
My Goal

21. My New Book
A joint project with accelerators / Experts
around the world
The ABCs of growth
A = Alignment
How to build organizational alignment
B = Build
How to build better ideas quicker
C = Communicate / Check
How to clearly communicate and check
your ideas
S = Systems
How to set up the right systems to lead
and get better over time

22. SNARC
Case study
Video

23. SNARC
A Semantic Social News Aggregator
SNARC, When you want to know more SNARC helps
discovering content by highlighting what is meaningful
in a quick, smart and personalized manner.
SNARC finds relevant content by learning from the
content, the social web and you!
3 people with PHDs in Semantic Search / 2 start up
experts and 500K to build their business

24. We are best in class
We have 15,000 downloads this
week
Our server response time is down to
.8 seconds
We were listed in TechCrunch last
week
Success is on the way
An “Oh so
typical”
scale-up
We build something great,
profits will follow.
80% product development
10% getting new users
5% finding a business model
5% other
________________________
100%

25. 2 types of entrepreneurs
1. Risk takers (they like the macho bit)
2. Risk reducers (they like getting house odds)
• A risk reducing entrepreneur will build a strategy that
increases odds of success from
• 10%
• to 20%
• to 50%

26. How… by asking again and again
“If this business fails, why would it fail ?”
“If this business fails, why would it fail ?”
“If this business fails, why would it fail ?”
Then finding answers

27. Working in your business Working on your business
We build something great,
profits will follow.
80% product development
10% getting new users
5% finding a business model
5% other
________________________
100%
How will be make a business.
5% product development
10% getting new users
80% finding a business model
5% other
________________________
100%

28. SNARCAlignment

29. Stop saying everything is fine!
It is time to stand naked in front of
your team and partners and tell
them the truth…
“I need your help to solve the
following issues..”

30. 5 Whys
Why is no one paying for our service ?
We never asked anyone to pay
Why have we never asked anyone ?
We haven’t found a pain someone is willing to pay to resolve
Why no pain to resolve ?
We haven’t focused on a specific segment yet
Why no segment yet
We have spent too much time at our desk
Why too much time at our desk
We are scared to meet clients because we don’t have ideas to sell
We need ideas for
things we can sell

31. Personally, I find nothing sadder
than a CEO with a big team
working alone on all the big
problems…

32. TRUE Truly Simple Let's get paid
N
Narrative.
Why it is
important
(the story)
If we can't find a way to get people to pay for our
service, we have no business regardless of how
great our technology is, how many people
download our product or how useful it is.
O Objective 3 ideas to make money that we can test
R
Restrictions:
We are not
interested in
A fee for use of the plug-in
People will not pay
T
Tactical
Constraints:
We have around 250 K to grow the business, so
the solutions need to be low cost. AND we need to
work with partners
H
Here is the
place to start
Look at areas where the of Information value is
high and searching takes time (eg Job applicants,
News stories, etc°
Make it a story
Be honest
Be specific
Ask for help
TRUE N.O.R.T.H = A way to ask for help..

33. Building Ideas

34. Meaningfully
Unique Ideas!
Leverage
Diversity
Drive out Fear
=
Explore Stimulus
MU =
S
F
D
Note: Higher stimulus = Better results
Source: Innovation Engineering

35. 1. Define your needs to build direction and remove fear (already
done)
2. Make sure you have a diverse team (Probably OK)
------------------------------------------------------------
3. Get stimulus (Stimulus mining)
4. Mix and match (Association)
Best practices to build ideas

36. Traditional Model
Individual Brainstorming
Draining
Before After
Suck Method
Uses your brain
like a librarySource: Jump Start your Business Brain
Source: Innovation Engineering

37. Idea #1
Brain
Operating
System
Idea #2
Idea #3
Idea #4
Stimuli
Stimuli
Stimuli
Stimuli
Stimulus sets off a CHAIN Reaction!!!
Source: Jump Start your Business Brain
Source: Innovation Engineering

38. Communicate/
Check

39. For clarity of objective
• If you can’t explain your ideas to an 8 year old, it’s too
complicated
• Don’t assume people will understand
• Follow the 7P’s for effective communication
Why communication within the
organization matters

40. • Write the ideas down before discussing
• Make sure that whatever you discuss gives a complete
meaning
• Clarify the objective before discussion
• Be accurate
• Tell your employees what you expect out of them
How to communicate effectively

41. A good formula = 7P’s

42. The bigger the organization, the
higher are chances of lack of clarity
• When you are by yourself , it is easy to understand
• When you’re in a group you have to fight for clarity
• There are 2 very easy solutions
• Use checklists
• Write your ideas down

43. How to make brilliant ideas
Talk with
Friends
Really Ugly
Meetup
Event
Still Ugly
Speak at
Conference
Less Ugly
Investor
Presentation
Good Enough

44. Systems

45. Ask 10 successful companies about the
systems that drove their success …
You’ll get 10 different answers.
This is because systems help
• Optimize communication
• Foster leadership
• Make it easier to make decisions
• Help your people grow

46. Benefits of the ABCs method

47. Summary

48. The reality is the ABCs is just an easy
way to remember a process …
The choice of a process/system is less
important than having a process that:
Increases Speed
Removes risk

49. Now my secrets…

50. I have been working on this a long
time…
TRUE Truly Simple A 70% success rate scale up program
N
Narrative. Why it is
important (the story)
People have big dreams, helping them is the right thing to do
O Objective A sytem to deliver the same success rates I've had
R
Restrictions: We are
not interested in
Something that can be taught and shared
T Tactical Constraints: It will work in any industry
H
Here is the place to
start
Innovation Engineering and any other program that is proven
to work

51. My New Book
A joint project with accelerators / Experts
around the world
A combination of theory and hands on
exercises
Introductions:
A = Alignment
How to build organizational alignment
B = Build
How to build better ideas quicker
C = Communicate / Check
How to clearly communicate and check
your ideas
S = Systems
How to set up the right systems to lead
and get better over time
Conclusions

52. There have been many cycles
on the way.

53. Cycle # 1
Innovation
Engineering

54. The world’s best content and
learning systems
Key Strengths
A Fact based approach
Teaching skills by doing "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.“
But long and expensive (for European scale ups)

55. Key Learnings
• World class content
• Great “learn by doing”
exercises
• But too much of a good
thing - 4 semesters of
content
TRY SHORTER, FASTER.

56. A new shorter version…
A team to create
A weekend version

57. Cycle # 2
Scale-Up Weekend

59. Key Learnings
• A fast proven format
• Working with peers - tested and successful
• But concerns about confidentiality and it hard to compete against free
• A need for more time to create real results
Look for best practices TEST a “program”

60. A best practices program
A Joint study
Best practices

61. Cycle# 3
100 Days To
Grow

62. Do Mentors / Accelerators help ?
• There is no empirical evidence that mentors or
accelerators help growing business (except when the
mentor is an angel investor)
• Mentors have been shown to build a false sense of security and
get companies too focused on the “big ideas
• In a review of 35 academic articles and 38 studies, the Kauffman
association concluded “no evidence that companies are more
successful if they come out of an incubator”
Sideline: Angel mentors don’t build upside, but remove downside
risk

63. Another “View”

64. Opportunities
• The typical program uses
Entrepreneurs, the skills that make
a good entrepreneur are the not the
same as a coach / teacher (shallow
narrow focus)
• Too much help ‘they never learn to
fish’
• Too little help ‘here is a space and
money..go..
• Fixed timings to build urgency
(some notable exceptions)
• Learn from programs with proven
track records (share experience)
1. Structured / Fixed timings
2. Education to build
skills/mindsets
3. Mentors working in their
expertise
4. Working with peers (in
addition to mentors)
5. Forcing moments
6. Learning cycles
7. Eco-system development
7 ways to do
it better

65. And we haven’t even mentioned Mentor
whiplash!!

66. The issue is not mentors, but the
systems in which they mentor
Systems can be fixed

67. 100 Days
With
6 Companies

68. Key Learnings
• Regular cycles great
• Working together good
• But… Everyone moves at
different speeds
• Deadlines don’t work like
they do for start-ups (there is
not quick catch-ups)

69. Cycle # 4
Cycles Book +
Accelerator Training

70. What is the idea now …
A co-created book plus a training program

71. Biggest Risk =
Collaboration

72. Results
17 chapters
8 co-authors agreed
4 events planned
The proposal to co -authors
We want your brain not your pain
Step #1 Each chapter will be written
jointly with my co-authors as a 20-
30 minutes power point presentation
Step #2: The Ghost writer will write
up the chapter based on this content
Step #3: Feedback from the co-
authors and sign off

73. What would you do next ?
What is the biggest risk now?
How could this be tested/
mitigated ?