#patrick vlaskovits

Today’s blog is a book review on the book “Hustle” by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlaskovits and Jonas Koffler. The general idea is that more and more people are creating side projects that MOVE them or side hustles. This could be a youtube channel that you started, photography on the side or maybe starting a business on the side. The point is there is more hustle opportunity now than there ever was before. Other ideas in the book are how to manufacture your own luck by hustling and seeing new opportunities that you didn’t see before, by meeting new people, attending events. Finding meaning in relationships, experiences, reflection. Finally how to balance money and meaning, too much money and you start questioning if you’re doing has enough meaning, too much meaning and you start questioning whether to keep going because you need money. Always try to find the balance. Anyways more on the book in the link below. Check out the book!

Time For A(nother) Pivot

Books on Lean Product Development talk about the need to “pivot” often over the course of a startup’s lifetime, and boy, has that been true for Limulus Systems. What I mean by a pivot is a change in direction, based on new evidence during the discovery phase of product development. In The Lean Entrepreneur, Cooper and Vlaskovits define it, “To keep one foot firmly planted in one fundamental…

I was honored to have the opportunity to speak on the founders panel for the Lean Startup Conference this past week in Grand Rapids, MI.  As a Michigan native and startup-advocate in this state, I couldn't have imagined a better experience!

Here is a quick recap from a "speaker" perspective: Accommodations:  They put us up at the amazing JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids.  It was within walking distance to everything (bars, restaurants and conference location) and hosted the initial VIP event.  Couldn't have been placed in a better place. Pre-Party: The pre-party, or VIP dinner was great.  It was in our hotel, so there was no excuse to miss it.  The crowd was small enough to be "VIP" and was a great chance to chat with the other presenters in the conference. Pro-tip:  This may be obvious to some, but the best networking takes place over dinner or beers with those who are in attendance.  We went to a local bar and got dinner and drinks (where Eric Ries was gracious enough to cover the entire tab! What an amazing guy.  Seriously..).  Anyway, it was a great chance to chat with Eric, Brant Cooper, Patrick Vlaskovits, Dug Song, Dan Martell, Zach Steindler and Gagan Palrecha among others.

The Conference:  I have been to more than a half-dozen startup events and the quality of the content was the best I have ever witnessed -- hands-down. Eric Ries - Eric simply killed It.  His presentation was thoughtful and energizing.  He was like a rare college professor who had 'standing room only' for each lecture.  You need to buy his book - http://lean.st/ Patrick Vlaskovits and Brant Cooper - Filled with hilarious dry humor and great stories, this presentation was the perfect complement to Eric's keynote.  They presented "10 Reasons to Not Do a Lean Startup." They are the authors of The Entrepreneurs Guide to Customer Development - another book every entrepreneur should own. Rob Walling - Rob brought an interesting take from a marketing perspective.  It was really insightful, especially coming from someone with a technical background.  Great message and several key takeaways.  Check out his book: Start Small, Stay Small.  You should also check out his upcoming conference -- MicroConf

Dan Martell - Lots of energy and great stories.  Dan had the most upbeat presentation and was filled with great info and an inspiring story about his brother. 

William Pietri - Very well spoken and although he spoke about programming and agile development there were several great jokes and very interesting commentary for the non-technical people in attendance.  

Hosted by the Momentum, the conference was first-class all the way.  A special shout-out to Amanda Chocko, who did an excellent job and has been a huge startup advocate in the region.

You may think you're a girl/boy genius with a finger on the pulse of the markets flipping me off with your free hand, BUT take note. Failure can and probably will happen to you. 

"When it was launched in December 2001 the annual sales target was 40,000 units, and the company expected to sell 50,000 to 100,000 units in the first 13 months...Dean Kamen predicted that the Segway "will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy and John Doerr, a venture capitalist who invested in the company,predicted that Segway Inc would be the fastest company to reach US$1 billion in sales.However, only about 30,000 Segways were sold from 2001 to 2007."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway_Inc.

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Lean Startup methodology is not a revolutionary idea. It's the best answer to the inevitable fact that startups fail and fail often.

So the question is, "How do I fail as cheaply as possible and get the most learning as quickly as possible from each failure?"

This is the core of Lean Startup method. If you agree with the value of that question then we're on the same team.

The answer to that question is considerably messier. This is the part where you have to use your brain. If our advice sucks, ignore it! If our rules suck, ignore them! If you figured out something better, tell us!

If you think lean startup method doesn't work, you're too focused on the trees and not the forest. If you're following Patrick Vlaskovits's advice to the T and your startup is bombing, tell him to fuck off, seriously. It's not a cult. Think for yourselves!

When you go through iterations of your product, you should also be iterating through your lean startup methods. The goal is to reach a state of Zen-like understanding. Then you can punch a hole through a VC from an inch away. Or by the time you're ready, you won't have to. (Good movies)

If you want more details or tips on getting started, please read the blogs of Eric Ries, Patrick Vlaskovits, Brant Cooper, Steve Blank, Sean Ellis, Hiten Shah, and other geniuses in the Lean Startup Circle who go out even less than I do.