Think like an Agilist is a crash course about some of the surprising science behind building successful startups. Even though building a startup is hard work with high failure risk, entrepreneurs Steve Blank and Eric Ries have popularized practices that can increase the odds of success. Following the Customer Development or Lean Startup practices will show you what to do. This talk will give you an understanding of why these techniques work, which will allow you to better apply them to your startup or scale them into your enterprise. The event will focus on high growth business and will include a hands on workshop to help practice these concepts.

1. Think Like an Agilist
Denver Startup Week

2. Ryan Martens
@RallyOn

4. Social
MISSION

5. A
founda-on
for
the
mobilize
ci-zen
engineers
around
the
globe
with
our
employees,
customers
and
partners

7. Zach Nies
@zachnies

8. Why I care
about startups

10. Font Sampler
http://media.kelbymediagroup.com/layersmagazine/images/columns/artoftype/may06/glyph-set.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caslon-schriftmusterblatt.jpeg

12. 2,500,000
Customers
Revolutionized
an industry

14. Amazing
team, culture,
product, and
process

15. One problem…

16. Bad business

17. Revolutionized
nothing

19. Amazing
team, culture,
product, process

20. I love to change
industries

21. Apply new
disciplines
to your startup

22. Become disciplined
explorers…

23. who know how to
balance exploration
and execution

24. Increase your
odds of success

25. Typical approach

26. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacmao/380257543

27. Market research
Product definition
Product requirements
Detailed plan
Alpha release
Beta release
Final release
FIRST CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS

28. Market research
Product definition
Product requirements
Detailed plan
Alpha release
Beta release
Final release
FIRST CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS

29. Market research
Product definition
Product requirements
Detailed plan
Alpha release
Beta release
Final release
FIRST CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS

30. Market research
Product definition
Product requirements
Detailed plan
Alpha release
Beta release
Final release
FIRST CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS

31. Market research
Product definition
Product requirements
Detailed plan
Alpha release
Beta release
Final release
FIRST CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS

32. Market research
Product definition
Product requirements
Detailed plan
Alpha release
Beta release
Final release
FIRST CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS

33. Market research
Product definition
Product requirements
Detailed plan
Alpha release
Beta release
Final release
FIRST CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS

34. HOW MANY GUESSES?

35. FIRST CONTACT WITH
POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

38. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/oregondot/4132135156

39. Create a plan to
predict the future
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacmao/380257543

40. Why doesn’t
this work?

42. Need to create
an environment
to discover the future

43. Increase your
odds of success

44. Discover the future
Vision
&
Empathy
Culture
Business
Model
Frame Frame Frame Frame
Build & Ship
Build & Ship
Build & Ship
Build & Ship
Learn
Learn
Learn
Learn
Test & Measure Test & Measure Test & Measure Test & Measure

45. Lean Startup

46. Customer Development

47. Explore Execute
h;p://www.slideshare.net/sblank/the-­‐startup-­‐owners-­‐manual-­‐sxsw-­‐11954724

49. Frame Frame
Build & Ship
Build & Ship
Learn
Learn
Test & Measure Test & Measure
Explore h;p://www.slideshare.net/sblank/the-­‐startup-­‐owners-­‐manual-­‐sxsw-­‐11954724

50. Startups are NOT
smaller versions
of big companies

51. Discover and solve
customer’s problem

52. Explore
h;p://www.slideshare.net/sblank/the-­‐startup-­‐owners-­‐manual-­‐sxsw-­‐11954724

53. Business Model

55. 1 4 3 9 2
8 5
7 6

57. Example – iPod

58. + Margin & Profit
Walkman for
the digital age
Design, Manufacturing,
Marketing, Support
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/mrmonochrome/93535053
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/75001512@N00/4683351383

59. Now you have
a bunch of guesses

60. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacmao/380257543

61. Obscure the guesses
with details

62. Guesses
Frame & Empathize
Learn & Share
Build & Ship
Test & Measure
Knowledge

63. Big Guess:
We understand the
problem a customer
wants solved

65. Who is
feeling the pain?

66. What pain
are they feeling?

67. How do they make
that pain go away
today?

68. “Customers don’t care
about your solution.
They care about their
problems.
Dave McClure

69. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/adac-o/2535502416

70. Typical
market research:
Customer
attributes

71. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/serpicolugnut/172616929

72. Innovation
market research:
Customer
circumstances

73. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/indigoprime/2481346616

74. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/twostoutmonks/664314897

75. Milkshake Test
What job is
your solution being
hired to perform?

76. Problem Interview Overview

77. Problem Interview Overview

79. Example - Iridium

80. 1987

81. 1987 1999
$5.2 B

82. 1987 1999
$5.2 B
30,000 not 42M

83. 1987 1999
$5.2 B
30,000 not 42M
Sold for $25M

84. Next big guess:
Our product
solves the customer’s
job to be done

86. Test your
low fidelity Minimum
Viable Product

87. Limited access
to a rough prototype

89. Example - $40 MVP

91. Next big guess:
Our business model
can be profitable

93. High level business model
h;p://www.forentrepreneurs.com/saas-­‐metrics/

95. Pivot
or
Persevere?

96. Explore
h;p://www.slideshare.net/sblank/the-­‐startup-­‐owners-­‐manual-­‐sxsw-­‐11954724

97. Explore
h;p://www.slideshare.net/sblank/the-­‐startup-­‐owners-­‐manual-­‐sxsw-­‐11954724

98. Next big guess:
We can sell our offer
or
We can acquire
and retain users

100. Next guess:
We know how to sell
our product

101. Product Positioning
For (target customers)
Who (have the following problem)
The (product name) is a (describe the
product or solution)
That provides (key benefit)
Unlike (reference competition),
The product/solution (describe the key
point of competitive differentiation)

103. You
?

104. You

105. Find
Earlyvangelists

107. Next guess:
Our draft sales plan
will close or activate
customers

108. You

109. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/-nfoilraccoon/5555060858

110. Get out and sell*
*as founders,
not by hiring sales people

111. Sales Funnel
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/carlagates247/5524789016

112. Activation Funnel
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/500hats/577630547

113. Product Roadmap
8/31/10
10/30/10
1/?/11
3/?/11
Release 1 Release 2 Release 3 Release 4
Theme: UI Theme: Reporting Theme: Dashboards Theme: Admin
For X, this UI release For <who>, this release For <who>, this release For <who>, this release
provides <what value> provides <what value> provides <what value> provides <what value>
Key Features: Key Features: Key Features: Key Features:
1. Feature A 4. Feature B’ 7. Feature B’’ 10. Feature F
2. Feature B 5. Feature C’ 8. Feature D’ 11. Feature G
3. Feature C 6. Feature D 9. Feature E

115. Next guess:
We can position our
company brand

116. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/bikracer/4571472032

118. Pivot
or
Persevere?

119. Pivot or Persevere checklist

120. Execute
h;p://www.slideshare.net/sblank/the-­‐startup-­‐owners-­‐manual-­‐sxsw-­‐11954724

121. Explore Execute
h;p://www.slideshare.net/sblank/the-­‐startup-­‐owners-­‐manual-­‐sxsw-­‐11954724

122. “Get out of
the building!”
Steve Blank

123. “Meaning
emerges through
interaction”
Dave Snowden

124. Empathy and insight

125. Build empathy for our
users and customers

126. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/skillerphotos/7875656716

130. Design Thinking
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/rkeefer/164636147

132. ?

135. Uncertainty

136. Uncertainty
makes it difficult

137. Where does
uncertainty live?

138. Brown,
Tim
(2009-­‐09-­‐16).
Change
by
Design
(Kindle
Loca-on
1984).
Harper
Collins,
Inc..
Kindle
Edi-on.

139. Where are you?

140. Brown,
Tim
(2009-­‐09-­‐16).
Change
by
Design
(Kindle
Loca-on
1984).
Harper
Collins,
Inc..
Kindle
Edi-on.

141. Level of uncertainty
Brown,
Tim
(2009-­‐09-­‐16).
Change
by
Design
(Kindle
Loca-on
1984).
Harper
Collins,
Inc..
Kindle
Edi-on.

142. When to
explore vs execute?

143. What to do
Execute
Brown,
Tim
(2009-­‐09-­‐16).
Change
by
Design
(Kindle
Loca-on
1984).
Harper
Collins,
Inc..
Kindle
Edi-on.

144. What to do
Brown,
Tim
(2009-­‐09-­‐16).
Change
by
Design
(Kindle
Loca-on
1984).
Harper
Collins,
Inc..
Kindle
Edi-on.

145. What to do
Big
Companies
Brown,
Tim
(2009-­‐09-­‐16).
Change
by
Design
(Kindle
Loca-on
1984).
Harper
Collins,
Inc..
Kindle
Edi-on.

146. Big
Companies
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/ironnickel/6076087519

147. Startups
h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/elcapitan/2387917709

148. 30 years
of science

149. Unordered Ordered
High Low
Uncertainty Uncertainty
Chaotic Complex Complicated Simple

150. Unordered Ordered
Complex Complicated
Chaotic Simple

151. Unordered Ordered
Complex Complicated
Chaotic Simple

152. Unordered Ordered
E E
x x
p e
l c
o u
r t
e e

153. Unordered Ordered
E D
m e
e l
r i
g b
e
e r
a
n t
t e

154. Unordered Ordered
P
r P
e
p l
a a
r n
e

155. Unordered Ordered
E
n
t G M
r e a
e n n
p e a
r r g
e a e
n l r
e
u
r

156. Ideal team sizes
Complex Complicated
< 30 People < 150 People
< 7 People > 150 People
Chaotic Simple

157. Example – Taxi Cabs

158. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/emilyrides/5048843409

162. Brown,
Tim
(2009-­‐09-­‐16).
Change
by
Design
(Kindle
Loca-on
1984).
Harper
Collins,
Inc..
Kindle
Edi-on.

164. Apply new
disciplines
to your startup

165. Become disciplined
explorers…

166. Don’t squander
your time

167. building
the wrong business

168. Do what you love

169. Love what you do

171. Books that informed this talk

172. People who informed this talk
David Max Ash Clayton
Snowden Boisot Maurya Christensen
Frank H. Eric
Knight Ries
Geoffrey Steve
Moore Blank

173. h;p://www.flickr.com/photos/fla;op341/224597838

174. @zachnies
@RallyOn
#DenverStartupWeek