Up and Running

JANUARY 24, 2019

Before you can start a company, you need a business idea. Unless you have invented something revolutionary, stick with a business model that involves something you are passionate about and do it better than anyone else. So what you can you do to reduce the risk of starting your own business? Write a Lean Business Plan.

Lean 93

Lean Balance Sheet Bankruptcy Business Model 93

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

Over the last few years it’s become clear that the days of teaching “how to write a business plan” as the cornerstone of university entrepreneurship are over. We now understand the distinction between startups – who search for a business model – versus existing companies – that execute a business plan.

Lean 294

Lean Cleveland Balance Sheet Ohio 294

Up and Running

MAY 30, 2022

An often overlooked purpose of a business plan is as a tool to define success metrics. This includes financial statements such as your profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheet, and sales forecast. In short, having a business plan gives you a framework for measuring your success.

Business Plan 150

Business Plan Balance Sheet Revenue Metrics 150

Ben's Blog

AUGUST 17, 2020

However, this simple framework breaks down when applied to tech companies whose growth rates don’t look like that of a “normal” mature company. We think about this framework in the context of how long it takes to feel “in-the-money”, meaning the value of the investment is beginning to appreciate. It’s the prudent assumption many make.

Valuation 36

Valuation Balance Sheet Cofounder Forecast 36

Steve Blank

MARCH 26, 2019

The class was unique in that it was 1) team-based, 2) experiential, 3) lean-driven (hypothesis testing/business model/customer development/agile engineering). When we started this class, the concept of Lean (business models, customer development, agile, pivots, mvp’s) was new to everyone. Class Velocity/Depth.

Lean 257

Lean Business Model Balance Sheet Video 257