Lately, I’m getting more and more feedback from entrepreneurs that Lean Startup is holding them back. I’m seeing this in action as well; startups that are “stuck” in a permanent mode of analysis with little to no action. Entrepreneurs blame the Lean Startup process. They point out that the need to validate everything before moving […]
Lean Startup and Big Vision Are Not Diametrically Opposed
Recently, I presented Lean Canvas and an extended Problem-Solution Canvas (that we created at Year One Labs) to FounderFuel’s second startup cohort. It was a lot of fun, and hopefully useful for the teams. (If you’re curious, FounderFuel is a Montreal-based accelerator program that runs twice per year.) I’m always concerned when presenting anything related […]
Startup Founders Need to Constantly and Instantly Jump from Vision to Detail (and back again)
Some people spend all of their time in the clouds, thinking big thoughts, dreaming big dreams. They’ve got a vision for something and they can (often eloquently) speak to that vision and why it should be a reality. They’re “big thinkers.” Some people are completely the opposite – so detailed-oriented that they have to inspect […]
Anchor Your Startup with Big Honest Vision
“Go big or go home.” I’m (somewhat) ashamed to admit that I’ve uttered those words before. I’ve written them too. But for the wrong reasons. When I launched Standout Jobs I anchored my exuberance in the wrong milestones (such as raising money) and didn’t have the insight or validation needed to really lay claim to […]