This week, the Lean Startup took over the blog on Intuit Labs with original stories centered around experimentation as a method for investigating all parts of a business or product idea. The week’s posts included case studies, tips, Q&As, startup stories, and more.
We started on Monday with a conversation between me and Intuit’s own Ben Blank. Ben and I talk about spotting next-generation leaders, how there are no tricks or tools for innovators, and giving corporate innovation teams permission to experiment. We also posted Lean Startup 101, in case you’re looking for a refresher or an explainer to send to friends or colleagues.
On Tuesday, we interviewed Amanda Krantz of Dohje, an early-stage startup, to talk about experimenting with product development. Krantz is in the middle of the swirling, changing truth about Dohje’s value to customers, and we get real some real boots-on-the-ground insight into what experimentation looks like at a young company. Alongside that case study is Daina Burnes Linton’s story about her startup, Fashion Metric, and running multiple tests without building a single thing—even when they really wanted to.
Wednesday’s theme was testing an idea through marketing experiments, and experts Anita Newton, Alistair Croll, and Cindy Alvarez gave us their best tips on how to do that. All three emphasize the need for creating a solid, constrained hypothesis, so we also put together a short piece on writing one.
Thursday brought stories from three startups—PayrollHero, Munchery, and Tough Mudder—about how they’ve experimented with their business models to get to where they are today. And there’s a Q&A with me exploring a startup at an impasse, where I talk about usability testing and two-sided markets.
Today, we’ve got an edited Q&A with Back To The Roots, who have experimented with all parts of their business—from distribution channels to community engagement, product to retail sales. Posted with that is Dan Milstein’s talk about identifying your biggest risk, and being scared of working on the wrong thing when you’re in a startup—since good luck and hard work are actually not the keys to success.
I wanted to share these Lean Startup stories with you to hopefully inspire you and give you some ideas for experimenting with your own business or product idea. Head over to Intuit Labs to see all the posts.
For more stories like these, come join us at The Lean Startup Conference 2015.
