We talk with people daily who either are building things (products, businesses or economies) or who want to start building things. The starting point for us is simple: a) you must understand lean, especially the value of “customer discovery”; and b) you have to “find a problem worth solving” or you are wasting time and money.

To help you get started, we have curated a short list of recommendations:

  • Stanford’s 2011 Entrepreneurship Conference – Video of Investor and CEOs having a discussion at a level of lean you should hope to attain…product/market fit and scale.  [ Tip: You should find investors that not only understand lean but value it. ]
  • Ash Maurya – Ash is a successful entrepreneur and lean startup evangelist based here in Austin. We think he is one of the best kept secrets in lean that isn’t so secret anymore. Thank goodness!    Ash’s Blog |  Ash’s book, “Running Lean”  |  Ash’s  Lean Startup |   Lean Canvas – our go-to 1 page business model tool and testing tool.  [ Tip: Lean is like swimming...never go it alone! Find a mentor, book or online guide that you're comfortable with.  Better yet, get into an accelerator or peer group like Cospace so you can learn faster. ]
  • Steve Blank – Steve founded several companies, coined “Customer Discovery,” wrote a great book called “The 4 Steps to the Epiphany” and is a professor at Stanford; Steve Blank at Stanford’s ecorner (video) [ Tip: There is amazing free stuff on the web; tap into the goodwill of others and make sure you give back too!  ]
  • Eric Ries – Eric successfully grew his last startup IMVU to acquisition, coined “Lean Startup” and has been evangelizing nationwide ever since.  Eric’s blog |  Eric’s video [ Tip: It's good to know the science behind the methodology.  ]
  • Venture Hacks / Angellist – What’s not to love about people who change the world?  These guys have decided to turn seed, angel and venture investing on it’s head for the betterment of all involved. Talk about transparency…from how to pitch “lean” to finding angel investors who get and value lean startups, these guys let you go for it!   VentureHacks |  AngelList [ Tip: It's critical that you find the right investor for you. ]
  • James Weddle – James has a long list of successful projects and ventures in IT, professional services, and entrepreneurship.  He’s co-founder of GroupCharger, co-founder of ShareOnce, and has many successful projects and ventures from around the U.S. under his belt.  James’s blog |  Cospace Network (Austin) |  GroupCharger |  ShareOnce [ Tip: Get straight to the point!  Be relevant. Be compelling. Be actionable. Know your audience!  Life is short. Get to it. ]
  • Kirtus Dixon – Kirtus brings a passion for learning and discovery to the table. He’s a lifelong entrepreneur, co-founder of Cospace in Austin, and co-founder and CEO of GroupCharger (and more to come).   Kirtus’s blog |  Cospace in Austin |  GroupCharger [ Tip: Always ask 4 questions of yourself and the people you lead:  1) Are you having fun?  2) Are you learning?  3) Are you being productive? 4) Do you have the resources you need? ]

Good luck!

Kirtus and James