“It is the
path that counts, not the destination alone”. We have heard it all before, more
than once. And even better, I am 100% confident that all entrepreneurs have
mentioned it themselves to anyone who wanted to listen (and many who did not
even) at the moment they quit their jobs and started their dreams.
But let us
be honest immediately, all of those entrepreneurs are all the same and do not
actively enjoy the path at all. They love the outcome, the end result, that is
what they live for. They dread the hunt because that keeps them up at nights,
but they love the kill so much that they keep bothering themselves with
hunting, keeping a balance of love-and-hate in a daily routine. Off course that
thrill of up and down, that complete rollercoaster, is what they need, by
personality so to say. But the danger is aiming for goals too far in the
future, being only content at achieved targets which have become too big. The
thrill becomes higher, but the fall also deeper.
So far no
news, these theories about the average breed of entrepreneurs have been written
down by various authors already. And yes, I found them often very recognizable…
“Then where
is the new insight here in this post?” one could ask while reading this. Well,
I wanted to share my new-found wisdom on the old-school sayings about “the
travel being the thing that counts”. This new-found wisdom lies for a large
part in adopting “the lean start-up” as our companies method for new product
development.
What makes the lean start-up method?
Product
development according to lean start-up follow one of the main theories behind
lean process management: everything that you deem logical in a process but what
a (potential) client is not willing to pay surplus money for can be considered
waste.
Translated
into product development, lean theory is about functionalities in your product
or components in your offered service. Developing in lean start-up is about making sure
you add as little waste as possible in your product, thus building what the
market asks for or quit trying in an early stage. The steps to lean-start-up
are basically as follows:
1. Invent the product in your head, the
same way you always did it. Dream about the added value you want to deliver and
find that niche gap you always knew was there.
2. Make your idea as little as
possible. Take away all parts of your idea that do not necessarily add to the
core value you want to deliver, the core issue you want to resolve.
3. Create a first prototype based on
your stripped idea, the minimum viable product. This first prototype can be a
3d-printed model, a faked demo-software product or even just a set of slides
explaining your basic idea.
4. Start testing the value of your idea
in the marketplace and start gathering feedback on the use, desires and
feelings. But most importantly: start gathering a validated thought on what
needs to be added before one starts to be paying money for its use!
5. Keep on developing the product based
on actual validated wishes from the marketplace.
Better fitting
products with a higher value drive are developed this way while asking lesser
funds and lower risk.
Then why this post about a link with “the
path..”?
I can hear
you think: “So far this post is still mostly about knowledge from other
authors, where is your main climax?”
Well, here
it is: using the lean start-up as a method for product development changes your
periodically routine from long frustrated stints of investment and development
leading to one big high or one big fail, to a process of short stints of
investment and development to continuous moments of “YES” or “should be a
little better”. You learn more about what you are doing and about the
marketplace behind it, you work more relaxed with your developing crew, you focus
only on the smallest details necessary because all other load has been
eliminated, you… simply enjoy the path better.
Curious to
your thoughts!
Doede van Haperen
www.lakran.com
www.again.nl
www.ehiring.nl
Doede van Haperen
www.lakran.com
www.again.nl
www.ehiring.nl
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