Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2020

In his classic book, “ The Leadership Capital Index ,” Dave Ulrich, a best-selling author, business consultant, and business school professor, provides some real insights and metrics on what makes up the elements of goodwill in the minds of top valuation experts. I have paraphrased his key points here as follows: Leader personal impact.

Valuation 311

Valuation Technical Review Due Diligence Leadership 311

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 15, 2019

These processes reduce risk to an overall organization, but each layer of process reduces the ability to be agile and lean and – most importantly – responsive to new opportunities and threats. Metrics are used to manage process rather than creation of new capabilities, outcomes and speed to deployment.

Government 322

Government Technical Review Acquisition Metrics 322

SoCal CTO

MAY 21, 2012

Many of the factors are not obvious and include building mystery to drive margin, why boring B2B companies often win but are challenging in other ways, how bootstrapping wins, integrating metrics from the start and many other similar lessons. What parts Agile addresses and the big problems with Agile for early-stage startups?

Fractional CTO 175

Fractional CTO CTO Hire Startup Social Network 175

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 14, 2021

In this article, we’ll share key brand tracking metrics and methods for how to measure and optimize your success. Key brand tracking metrics. Supplement brand loyalty metrics with qualitative measures such as brand associations and perceived quality, as these can give you insight into why customers intend to repurchase.

Metrics 157

Metrics Marketing Campaign Audience 157

Occam's Razor

MAY 2, 2017

There is no golden metric for everyone, we are all unique snowflakes! :). and tell you what are the best key performance indicators (metrics) for them. In the past I’ve shared a cluster of metrics that small, medium and large businesses can use as a springboard…. If you want to play along. Don’t read what I’ve chosen.

Metrics 143

Metrics Acquisition eCommerce Analytics 143

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

Metrics like Return on Net Assets, Return on Capital and Internal Rate of Return are the guiding stars of the board and CEO. As Harvard professor Clayton Christensen noted, these efficiency metrics provided wise guidance for times when capital was scarce and raising money was hard. Act Like a Startup. And if you do you are in luck.

Private Equity 330

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 330

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Tech IPO prices exploded and subsequent trading prices rose to dizzying heights as the stock prices became disconnected from the traditional metrics of revenue and profits. Almost overnight the floodgates opened, and risk capital was available at scale from venture capital investors who rushed their startups toward public offerings.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Steve Blank

MARCH 15, 2017

It dawned on me that we had a department full of people with titles describing process-centric execution while we were in environment that required relentless agility and speed with urgency. But what I wanted was an agile marketing team capable of operating independently without day-to-day direction. I couldn’t care less about those.

Startup 329

Startup PR Public Relations Channel 329

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 5, 2010

In the quest for optimization, A/B tests, metrics, and funnels, we're in danger of losing the fun and value of creative work. Now by all of the usual arguments for Lean, Agile, and minimimalism, I should have used boogers too: Boogers were already semi-standardized. Leave a comment and join the conversation.

Software Review 226

Software Review Metrics Lean Algorithm 226

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2019

Incorporate AI-powered data and metrics systems. In my view, Amazon illustrates that the world of business management has evolved, from command and control being dominant, to one designed for speed, agility, and scale in serving customers. They help hiring managers raise the bar for every interview.

Global 308

Global Marketing Technical Review Algorithm 308

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

By being so metrics driven we can have a lot more quantifiable and objective discussions at board meetings and at mid-point reviews. . The Agile Board. He sets goals for MRR (monthly recurring revenue) to differentiate from one-time revenue, license revenue, services revenue and other. Further Reading. Board Meetings.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 6, 2013

> Uber's " Reality Therapy 4 Startups": What U Need 2 Know NOW > Steve Blank on why NOT to be an Entrepreneur > Airbnb's Globetrotting Lessons: Building 4 a Global Market > Vinod Khosla - The VC Legend: Interview w/ Dave McClure > Eric Ries on Entrepreneurship: What He's Learned Along the Way > GitHub's Secret 2 Success: Rethinking (..)

Lean 165

Lean Cofounder Startup Software Engineering 165

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 17, 2017

Army’s Rapid Equipping Force on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan finding and deploying technology solutions against agile insurgents. The solution is to understand that an innovation pipeline requires different people, processes, procedures, and metrics, then execution. Newell ran the U.S. Problem 6: How to get started?

Community 244

Community Silicon Valley Technical Review Incubator 244

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 3, 2009

In a lot of cases, this requires a lot of energy invested in talking to customers or metrics and analytics. Refreshing to finally see lean and agile thinking emerge in product/business-floors and not only in technology. In fact, MVP is quite annoying, because it imposes extra overhead. Thank you. August 13, 2009 3:43 AM Robert said.

San Francisco 168

San Francisco Product Lean Continuous Deployment 168

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 10, 2020

Metrics for this depth are rare and only long-term. We might have medium-term goals like “adopting agile methodologies” or “getting everyone on the same page with a project kick-off” as the outcomes for the reader. The metrics for this level are more concrete and objective.

Agile 139

Agile Social Media Audience Software Review 139

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

I’m sorry to predict it will never happen, so the agility you may have learned over the past couple of years will continue to be critical to your survival. Bezos believes that if you double the number of experiments you do per year, you’re going to double your agility, and thus outpace your competitors.

Agile 371

Agile Metrics Demand Internet 371

David Teten

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Instead of budget approvals, monitor key metrics and give managers more flexibility. So here’s the solution I have recommended to some of my portfolio companies: “ agile budgeting ”, i.e., monitoring a few key variables while giving managers significant flexibility. This agile approach is not restricted to small startups.

Agile 60

Agile Management Forecast Silicon Valley 60

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 25, 2011

It may be hard to remember that there was a time when people in the agile software development community thought Lean Startup was incompatible with agile practices. No BS, no vanity metrics, no launches, no PR. If you’re still kicking yourself for missing him last year, do yourself a favor and don’t make the same mistake again.

San Francisco 146

San Francisco Silicon Valley Lean Agile 146

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 21, 2013

Through rapid experimentation, short product development cycles, and rigorous measurements of the right metrics, they can ascertain what customers really want. Customer development (the understanding of customer needs) must be married to agile development (a process which drives waste out of product development).

Lean 193

Lean Technical Review North America Startup 193

SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

Provide the metrics you are trying to achieve. Other Topics Covered I also covered topics that are covered more thoroughly in the following posts: Document Your MVP for a Developer. Developers like to do things their way even when it doesn’t meet the needs of the business.

Technical Cofounder 280

Technical Cofounder Developer Fractional CTO CTO Hire 280

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 13, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, July 13, 2009 The Principles of Product Development Flow If youve ever wondered why agile or lean development techniques work, The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development by Donald G. Reinertsen is the book for you. Expo SF (May.

Product Development 153

Product Development Developer San Francisco Product 153

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2019

Institute deep metrics measuring all aspects of the customer experience. Amazon is famous for their Two-Pizza.Teams (no bigger than two pizzas will feed), allowing an entrepreneurial mindset more autonomy, agility, and accountability. Make sure everyone knows it’s their job to maintain empathy and exceed customer expectations.

Artificial Inteligence 222

Artificial Inteligence Agile Technical Review Demand 222

Steve Blank

APRIL 21, 2011

All the teams were showing us what agile looked like, but this week several would remind us what focused and relentless really meant. Our assignment for the teams for next week: What are the key financials metrics for your business model? Parts one through five are here , Syllabus is here. Week 6 of the class. Two weeks to go.

Channel 234

Channel Artificial Inteligence San Francisco Business Model 234

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 22, 2009

Each has its own iterative process: customer development and agile development respectively. Leading up to a pivot, each cycle, despite our best efforts, the metrics werent good enough. And the two teams are joined together into a company-wide feedback loop that allows the whole company to be built to learn. It was painful. .

San Francisco 167

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment Agile 167

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 7, 2022

If you use the wrong tools, or if you dump money into a technology that isn’t a good fit for your brand, you could suffer some severe consequences. Misleading metrics. Focusing on vanity metrics can be damaging to your long-term potential. Only the most adaptable companies survive. Stay agile to avoid competition.

Marketing 198

Marketing Advertising Metrics Technical Review 198

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 16, 2009

For those whove heard it, it contains a length discourse on the subject of agile software development and extreme programming, including its weaknesses when applied to startups. As Im pontificating about agile, I see the name Kent Beck in my peripheral vision. Now, this webcast was packed, hundreds of people were logged in.

Lean 140

Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment Startup 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2023

Most business metrics I see compare current performance to your own previous experience, rather than your performance compared to industry standards and competitors. Amend this culture to highlight and reward new initiatives on a regular basis, with metrics to assess value and progress.

Metrics 178

Metrics Technical Review Agile Hiring 178

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 19, 2010

On the surface, it's yet another "marketing metrics" company. Even "cool, agile" companies like 37signals are trapped. — you and I both will witness over the subsequent months whether or not this really resulted in a killer advantage! Yes of course I'll share details!). The right) Celebrity endorsement.

Software Review 325

Software Review Technical Review Development Team Review Bolivia 325

TechEmpower

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Focusing on the metrics that ultimately drive the business, often the bottom line, has provided a reality check, a counter-weight to the desire to consume all new technologies. Besides, more development time means the client can be more agile with functionality and has a greater potential for success.

Guinea 200

Guinea Application Development Ruby Web Development 200

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

They will realize that you have built a startup that’s agile, resilient and customer-centric. Good to see someone with authority advocating an approach to building startups that we at Agile Entrepreneurs focus on, week after week. Did the VC’s like your team ?

Customer Development 270

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 270

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 16, 2013

One good example is the way in which we''ve adjusted the length of different phases of our agile sprints. We don''t follow a set agile methodology, but rather follow a more home-grown, minimal version of various approaches. The result was a new process of four-week iterative cycles all about throttling new code.

Lean 167

Lean Startup Software Engineering Agile 167

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 2, 2010

As start-ups scale, this agility will be lost unless the founders maintain a consistent investment in that discipline. Two Ways to Hold Entrepreneurs Accountable Beware of Vanity Metrics For Startups, How Much Process Is Too Much? Start-ups supposedly dont have time for detailed processes and procedures. Speed up or slow down?

Technical Review 132

Technical Review San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 132

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 29, 2009

I hope to show why lean and agile techniques actually reduce the negative impacts of technical debt and increase our ability to take advantage of its positive effects. Yet other agile principles suggest the opposite, as in YAGNI and DoTheSimplestThingThatCouldPossiblyWork. Reconciling these principles requires a little humility.

Technical Review 168

Technical Review Software Review San Francisco Lean 168

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Lean manufacturing , agile software development , and Theory of Constraints are all examples of this idea in action. No vanity metrics should be looked at. Lean manufacturing , agile software development , and Theory of Constraints are all examples of this idea in action. No vanity metrics should be looked at.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment Software Review 167

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Every board meeting, the metrics of success change. Go on an agile diet quickly. With a product development team that is not shipping, any agile methodology will surface major problems quickly. Time-to-complete-a-sale is not a bad metric for validated learning at this stage. And yet, their investors are frustrated.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Meeting growth metrics, achieving profitability, and ensuring a substantial return on investment are now integral parts of the startup journey. The Founder’s Journey To truly succeed, a founder needs resilience , a consistent capacity to innovate, and the agility to adapt to an ever-changing market.

Technical Review 137

Technical Review Startup Silicon Valley Agile 137

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

Pivoting only works if a business is small and agile and can shift its operations quickly and flawlessly in a different direction. What we should have learned is that businesses need to be more agile in their construction. It should have speed, adaptability, and the ability to switch gears quickly as part of its success metric.

Bankruptcy 165

Bankruptcy Startup Agile Technical Review 165