Internalizing Lean Startup Machine Concepts

I’m finding I have recurring debates with people about Lean Startup processes.   People who haven’t internalized the process tend to strongly discount it or assume they understand it.  Usually they don’t.

I’ve been working with starting businesses since 2001.  All through that time I had been looking for a concept like the “lean startup”.   I knew these general ideas were important  – I saw the best startups were doing something along these lines.  But I didn’t know how to learn it.  There was no way.

Now we have Lean Startup Machine.   I took it and it changed my life, FINALLY I was able to learn the pieces I was missing.  I’d already  learned a lot of it from direct response marketing, but this seminar really tied the rest together.   A project which had been dragging on for years was neatly cleaned up and completed.

Lean Startup Machine costs a few hundred dollars.  Its worth tens of thousands of dollars.  I would pay that in cash without blinking now, knowing how important it was that I learned.  It is *not* interchangeable with other hackathons or events.  It certainly isn’t like reading the book.  You have to go to Lean Startup Machine only.

If you take the seminar, spend 3-4 days beforehand studying the material very carefully.  Read as much as you can, watch videos and go in with an open mind, trying to internalize their processes in your brain.  Focus more on nailing the concepts rather than launching an award winning startup.  You will probably find your team is behind you in understanding how things work.  That doesn’t matter, just make sure you learn how to do lean yourself.

One guy I met at a hackathon and had lots of heated debates with, finally took the lean seminar.  You can see the outcome via his two emails, below.

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Hey Adrian

How’s everything? Hope all is well.

I just wanted to touch base with you to see what you’ve been up to lately. I did the Lean Startup Machine Workshop from your recommendation and I will admit, it changed my life. You were right. It changed everything about how to approach a business and as a result, I haven’t really been working much on my direct response internet marketing business the past month.

I now realize how important it was for us during that hackathon to actually implement the lean methodology. Our validation would have been much faster and we would have had an MVP that was geared towards what people want. As a result of all this, I’ve been studying lean methodology like mad and have also signed up for another Startup Weekend at the end of this month and another Lean Startup Machine after that.

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email 2, a while later:
Just a quick update for you guys. This past weekend I participated in another Lean Startup Machine workshop this past weekend and actually came away with a win.

Really awesome especially since I pitched an idea and was able to lead the team to a win. Started out with a <market removed> problem and pivoted through a few levels to find a valid business model.

Good stuff…so excited about it and looking at possible ways to further this project. I think there’s definitely a market for it out there. I wanted to share this with you because you both have been integral parts of this success as well and I want to thank you for everything that you’ve done for me and the support you’ve given to me.