Scaling up is hard and deadly if done wrong. We would like to help you get it right. This presentation introduces the ABCs method of innovation and provides toolkits you could use to grow fast while reducing riks Details A study by Startup Genome analyzed the results of 3,200 start-ups, they found that of the majority of start-ups failed. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. What is more important is they found, 70% failed because of premature or faulty scaling. In this workshop, you learn about the ABCs method. The ABCs method is a system-based approach to growing your business. It has been proven to build ideas up to 6x faster while reducing risks 30-80%.

1. CYCLESA “hands-in” introduction to
The simplest, proven way to
build your business.
Speaker | Bryan Cassady
A “hands-on” introduction to
the ABCs of Innovation
Also Included: A DRAFT copy of the Cycles Toolkit

2. Scaling up is hard work
and deadly if done wrong
(70% of companies fail at
the scale up phase)
Tonight a new, simplified
way to improve this
process

3. About Me
• 10 Start-ups in 6 countries (8 winners, 1
loser, 1 unknown)
• As a consultant, dozens of scale-ups
• Lecturer : KU Leuven , Solvay
• Director Founder Institute/ Inacademy
• My work is to help people in small and
larger companies build the companies of
their dreams
3 Beliefs
1. Good entrepreneurs learn to accept
risk, great entrepreneurs learn to
manage risk
2. The best way to manage risk is to be
systematic
3. Almost any learning system is better
than no system

4. What I see…
(at companies of all sizes)
1. An incredible focus on the positive
2. A continual search for silver bullets
3. Scared to ask for help
4. If they ask, too much done internally
5. What they want to do lacks clarity /
focus
6. Lack of systems / Lack of urgency
7. Avoid tough decisions and stay in a
business too long
Deluded
Scared of Negative
Alone
Unclear
Lacking Systems
Not Making
Decisions

5. Our agenda tonight, a solution…
A = Alignment on needs / Ask for help
B = Build ideas
C = Communicate and Check
S = Systems for growth
We’ll try to apply them to one of my “soft spot” companies
And then I will share some “dirty secrets”

6. Tools/ Tricks
A pre-filled
“True North” card
7 Ps card and
feedback form
One of dozens of
tools to stimulate creativity
And the energy of all of you…

7. Do systems/ processes matter ?
If you have real product market fit and momentum you can (but
probably won’t) succeed without systems and processes.
The reality is most successful companies have hit the wall many
times and pivoted their way to success. Processes / systems
increase your odds of getting the pivots right and on time

8. A test… Who are these companies today?
Personal
podcasting and
sharing audio
content

10. Lean Start Up
How many of my clients
interpret this:
Build, measure, learn
Build, measure, learn
Build, measure, learn
Pivot to a Miracle.
I believe Miracles seldom
happen idea are built over time
“Step by Step”.

11. Based on 2 years of research with over
300 companies
There are companies that succeed and
companies that fail. The biggest
difference between winners and losers is
smart winners make good, even
mediocre, ideas great over time.
The Reality… Quality
Of Ideas
Time
Start
Learning
Cycles
No
Changes
Bad
Cycles
Smart
Winners
Lucky
Winners
Losers
Losers

12. Cycles: The ABC’s Of Growth.
Cycle 1
Cycle 2
Cycle 3
Cycle 4
Cycle 5
Align/Ask
Build
Communicate
Check
Systematically
Improve
Idea
Quality
Time

13. The Mental state you need
• Humility... know you will get it wrong
• Vulnerability to ask for help/ to say you
don’t know
• Get lots of feedback
• Learn and move on

14. Systems are the
solution…
Every system is perfectly
designed to get the results it
gets.
W. Edwards Deming

15. A simple idea…
Many forms
The Demming Cycle
• Design Thinking
• Scrum
• The Innovators Method
• Innovation Engineering

16. Design Thinking
U N D E R S T A N D E X P L O R E M A T E R I A L I Z E
Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test Implement

17. Scrum DevelopTest
Accept
Plan
DefineReview
Backlog
Sprint Increment

18. Innovators Method
Insight Problem Solution Business Model
Source: N. Furr, Dyer.

19. Innovation Engineering
1. Aquire
innovation
creativity
Create CORE or LEAP
Strategies & Innovations.
2.
Develop
innovation
capability
Build your internal capability to
innovate with Education and
Tools.
2. Grow
innovation
culture
Grow a culture of innovation
With Education, Tools &
Mentoring

20. The challenge is how to make it
simpler.
The Common Features
Culture, Capabilities, Cycles

21. A simpler, easier to remember formula
with clear instructions “how to”.
My Goal

22. My New Book
A joint project with accelerators / Experts around the
world
The ABCs of growth
A = Alignment
How to build organizational alignment
B = Build
How to build better ideas quicker
C = Communicate / Check
How to clearly communicate and check your
ideas
S = Systems
How to set up the right systems to lead and get
better over time

23. There is a BIG
question you need to
ask again and again.
What is the biggest problem
(death threat)
that needs to be resolved ?
Killer Death
Threat
A Learning
Cycle
Manageable
Problems
To reduce risk

24. SNARC
Case study

25. SNARC
A Semantic Social News Aggregator
SNARC, When you want to know more SNARC helps
discovering content by highlighting what is meaningful in a
quick, smart and personalized manner.
SNARC finds relevant content by learning from the content, the
social web and you!
3 people with PHDs in Semantic Search / 2 start up experts
and 500K to build their business

26. Video

27. We are best in class
We have 15,000 downloads this week
Our server response time is down to .8
seconds
We were listed in TechCrunch last week
Success is on the way
An “Oh so
typical” scale-
up
We build something great,
profits will follow.
80% product development
10% getting new users
5% finding a business model
5% other
________________________
100%

28. 2 types of entrepreneurs
1. Risk takers (they like the macho bit)
2. Risk reducers (they like getting house odds)
• A risk reducing entrepreneur will build a strategy that increases
odds of success from
• 10%
• to 20%
• to 50%

29. How… by asking again and again
“If this business fails, why would it fail ?”
“If this business fails, why would it fail ?”
“If this business fails, why would it fail ?”
Then finding answers

30. Working in your business Working on your business
We build something great,
profits will follow.
80% product development
10% getting new users
5% finding a business model
5% other
________________________
100%
How will be make a business.
5% product development
10% getting new users
80% finding a business model
5% other
________________________
100%

31. SNARCAlignment

32. Stop saying everything is fine!
It is time to stand naked in front of your
team and partners and tell them the
truth…
“I need your help to solve the following
issues..”

33. 5 Whys
Why is no one paying for our service ?
We never asked anyone to pay
Why have we never asked anyone ?
We haven’t found a pain someone is willing to pay to resolve
Why no pain to resolve ?
We haven’t focused on a specific segment yet
Why no segment yet
We have spent too much time at our desk
Why too much time at our desk
We are scared to meet clients because we don’t have ideas to sell
We need ideas for
things we can sell

34. Personally, I find nothing sadder
than a CEO with a big team working
alone on all the big problems…

35. TRUE Truly Simple Let's get paid
N
Narrative.
Why it is
important (the
story)
If we can't find a way to get people to pay for our service,
we have no business regardless of how great our
technology is, how many people download our product or
how useful it is.
O Objective 3 ideas to make money that we can test
R
Restrictions:
We are not
interested in
A fee for use of the plug-in
People will not pay
T
Tactical
Constraints:
We have around 250 K to grow the business, so the
solutions need to be low cost. AND we need to work with
partners
H
Here is the
place to start
Look at areas where the of Information value is high and
searching takes time (eg Job applicants, News stories,
etc°
Make it a story
Be honest
Be specific
Ask for help
TRUE N.O.R.T.H = A way to ask for help..

36. Building Ideas

37. Meaningfully
Unique Ideas!
Leverage
Diversity
Drive out Fear
=
Explore Stimulus
MU =
S
F
D
Source: Jump Start your Business Brain

38. 1. Define your needs to build direction and remove fear (already done)
2. Make sure you have a diverse team (Probably OK)
------------------------------------------------------------
3. Get stimulus (Stimulus mining)
4. Mix and match (Association)
Best practices

39. Stimulus Available # of practical ideas invented
Low Stimulus
Medium Stimulus
High Stimulus
22
38
47
Value of Stimulus
Stimulus Feeds The Brain
Source: Jump Start your Business Brain

40. Traditional Model
Individual Brainstorming
Draining
Before After
Suck Method
Uses your brain like
a librarySource: Jump Start your Business Brain

41. Idea #1
Brain
Operating
System
Idea #2
Idea #3
Idea #4
Stimuli
Stimuli
Stimuli
Stimuli
Stimulus sets off a CHAIN Reaction!!!
Source: Jump Start your Business Brain

42. At their most basic,
IDEAS
are feats of association and
constraints
Source: Jump Start your Business Brain

43. You can use tools and systems
to force new associations
(there are hundreds of tools)

44. 666: Forced
Associations
• 10 Min: Random
combinations (look for
ideas)
• 2 Min: Pick top ideas and
write them up..
• Headline
• Problem / Pain
• Promise
• Proof
• Profit

45. Red
Mindset
White
Target
Blue
Method
1 Apple Students Substitute something
2 Starbucks, Journalists
Combine it with
something else
3 Amazon, Bloggers
Adapt something to
it / Modify or
Magnify it
4 Ben&Jerrys, A search company
Put it to some other
use
5 Prius Data company Eliminate something
6 Nike Publisher
Reverse or Rearrange
it
Copyright
Innovation Engineering

46. Let’s look for ideas.

47. Red
Mindset
White
Target
Blue
Method
1 Apple Students Substitute something
2 Starbucks, Journalists
Combine it with
something else
3 Amazon, Bloggers
Adapt something to
it / Modify or
Magnify it
4 Ben&Jerrys, A search company
Put it to some other
use
5 Prius Data company Eliminate something
6 Nike Publisher
Reverse or
Rearrange it
1/ 1 / 1
Apple = design and simplicity
Students love music
Substitute instead of showing the internet, show
things to buy
A fancy music mix trial list anytime someone visits
a music site with an option to buy on Itunes
Problem: Music choice
Promise: Easy Choice
Proof: All the knowledge of Itunes
Profit: Sales of music

48. Exercise (Group)
Target
4 ideas
The first 4 Ps

49. Communicate
Check

50. As organizations grow, clarity of
communication is always a top
challenge
• When you are by yourself , it is easy to understand
• When you’re in a group you gotta fight for clarity
• There are 2 very easy solutions
• Use checklists
• Write your ideas down

51. Choose 1, Check your ideas with other
people
Clarity
Meaningful
Unique
2 Golden rules
If Clarity > 7
Write it again
If
Meaningful * .6
+ Unique * .4 < 6
You probably got a loser
One Suggestion

52. How to make brilliant ideas
Talk with
Friends
Really Ugly
Meetup
Event
Still Ugly
Speak at
Conference
Less Ugly
Investor
Presentation
Good Enough

53. Re-Work
Target
1 Brilliant
Idea

54. Can I have 3 volunteers
to present 1 idea ?

55. Systems

56. Ask 10 successful companies
about the systems that drove their
success …
You’ll get 10 different answers

57. But systems help …
• Systems optimize communication
• Systems foster leadership
• Systems make it easier to make
decisions
• Learning systems help your people grow

58. An example of world class …
Objectives
Process
Alignment
A new business / business model in 12 weeks
A weekly learning cycle every week for 10 weeks
A 2 day management meeting to agree «what and why»
Plus basic training: How to build ideas/ the importance of systems
2 weeks
10 weeks
Alignment Every Monday… what are we going to do this week
Build ideas Every Friday… a brain-storming session (with new external people)
Communicate
Check
Real-time research
External experts to validate/ give feedback on all ideas
Systems Identify death threats/ work on death threats
Kill all weak ideas where death threats not resolved in 2 weeks
Every Day A 10 minute standing meeting

59. Summary of the ABCs

60. Benefits of the ABCs method

61. The reality is the ABCs is just a an easy
way to remember a process …
The choice of a process/system is less
important than having a process that:
Increases Speed
Removes risk

62. Now my secrets…

63. I have been working on this a long
time…
TRUE Truly Simple A 70% success rate scale up program
N
Narrative. Why it is
important (the story)
People have big dreams, helping them is the right thing to do
O Objective A sytem to deliver the same success rates I've had
R
Restrictions: We are
not interested in
Something that can be taught and shared
T Tactical Constraints: It will work in any industry
H
Here is the place to
start
Innovation Engineering and any other program that is proven
to work

64. My New Book
A joint project with accelerators / Experts around the
world
A combination of theory and hands on exercises
Introductions:
A = Alignment
How to build organizational alignment
B = Build
How to build better ideas quicker
C = Communicate / Check
How to clearly communicate and check your
ideas
S = Systems
How to set up the right systems to lead and get
better over time

65. There have been many cycles
on the way.

66. Want more info?
Contact
Bryan@fast-bridge.com
+32-475-860-757
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryancassady
/

67. Thank you!

68. Bonus:
A copy of the cycles toolkit

69. The cycles toolkit
The simplest, proven way to build your business.
4 can vases to help you gr ow little ideas into big ideas.
A B C S
SystemsCommunicate
/Check
BuildAlignment

70. The Reality…
Based on 2 years of research with over
300 companies - there are companies
that succeed and companies that fail.
The biggest difference between winners
and losers is smart winners make good,
even mediocre, ideas great over time.
Quality
Of Ideas
Start
Learning
Cycles
No
Changes
Bad
Cycles
Smart
Winners
Lucky
Winners
Losers
Losers
Time
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

71. Align/Ask
Build Ideas
Communicate
/ Check
Systematically
Improve
Follow the ABCs of
Innovation and Growth
A = Alignment
B = Build ideas
C = Communicate and Check
S = Learning Systems
How to increase your
odds of being
a smart winner?
B
C
S
A
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

72. Winners build ideas over time
Alignment
Communicate
and Check
Learning
Systems
Build
ideas
Idea Quality
ABCs
growth
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

73. vAn Overview
Alignment
Build
Ideas
Communicate/
Check
Systems
A B C S
4 can vases to help you gr ow little ideas into big ideas.
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

74. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles
Alignment
A If you don’t know where you’re going... Chances are you
won’t get where you want to go.
Deliverable: You should know be able to identify 3-4 True North
priorities for your company /division (True north) priorities can be:
1. Culture/skills to develop
2. Fine tuning of the business model
3. Creation of new products/services/business methods)
Alignment is the foundation of effective growth. It is
about an honest assessment of who you are. (CULTURE)
It is about finding what is important (MISSION) and
matching this with what the market wants (NEEDS) and
plan to deliver value (fit with SKILL and BUSINESS
MODELS).

75. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

77. vGo from talk to specifics with TRUE NORTH
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

79. Build Ideas
B Once you know what you want to do it is time to build
ideas that have a chance to deliver on your objectives.
Contrary to the belief that the ability to build ideas is
limited to a select few, there are tools, techniques that
can help any team build better ideas. These tools are:
1. Effectuation (looking for ideas at home with the
resources you have)
2. Systematic search for stimulus (get out of the
3. Diversity and willingness to bring in new
people/resources.
With these tools and techniques the process is clear, but
clear does not mean easy. Removal of fear and an
ongoing action focus is the “secret sauce” that can pull
everything together.
Deliverable: New ideas that have a good chance of being on
strategy; meaningful and unique.
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

80. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

81. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

82. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles
Communicate/
Check
C If you’re looking to build bigger and better ideas, you
need to get feedback.
To get effective feedback you need to be able to explain
your ideas clearly, really listen (listening is not just
hearing!), slow down to make sure you are on the right
path and most importantly be ready to kill bad ideas.
Deliverable: Do people understand the idea, what do they think of
the idea, are we making progress. If there is no good hope of
progress, kill the idea

83. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycleswww.cyclesbook.com
Cycles
Payoff
Dramatic difference how
is their life different and
better
Proof
Reason why should they
believe you and
dramatic difference

84. www.cyclesbook.com
CyclesCycleswww.cyclesbook.com

85. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

86. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles
Systems
S A lot of research has shown that systems are the key to
innovation success.
Systems are made up of interrelated components of people and
processes with a clearly defined, shared destination or goal.
Systems work best when everyone shares an understanding and
commitment to the aim or purpose of the system.
The foundations are clarity and a commitment to learn, and
improve.
Great companies have 3 characteristics that set them apart from the
rest. These characteristics are:
1. An ability to see and build on strengths
2. A commitment to build innovation eco-systems and
3. A commitment to ongoing action
Deliverable: Simplifying the challenges, structuring the learning process,
getting better internally and in your eco-system.
Enough information to update your objectives and start another cycle.

87. www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

88. vGetting ready for your next Cycle
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles

89. CREDITS: The CYCLES BOOK
is a joint project with over 30 co-authors:
Arjan Groen Netherlands https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjan-groen-8088aa/
Bryan Cassady Belgium https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryancassady/
Caio Vinchi USA https://www.linkedin.com/in/caiovinchi/
Charles umeh Nigeria https://ng.linkedin.com/in/charismaticcharles
Deep Parekh Switzerland https://www.linkedin.com/in/deep-parekh-phd/
Dennis van der Spoel Netherlands https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisvanderspoel
Doug Hall USA https://www.linkedin.com/in/doughalleureka/
Filip Hendrickx Belgium https://www.linkedin.com/in/filiphendrickx/
Franck Vinchon France/Russia https://www.linkedin.com/in/franckvinchon/
Helge Christie Norway https://www.linkedin.com/in/helge-christie-b2624931/
Jef Staes Belgium https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefstaes/
John Metselaar Belgium https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmetconnect
Jurgen De Smet Belgium https://be.linkedin.com/in/jurgendesmet
Karen Green UK https://www.linkedin.com/in/karengreen-foodmentor/
Lana Jelenjev Netherlands https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanajelenjev/
Lucas Sauberschwarz Germany https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-sauberschwarz-14861123/
Lysander Weiss Germany https://www.linkedin.com/in/lysanderweiss/
Martin Gaedt Germany https://de.linkedin.com/in/martingaedt/de
Nicolas Deturck Belgium https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasdeturck/
Perry Knoppert Belgium https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryknoppert/
Reinhard Ematinger Germany https://www.linkedin.com/in/ematinger/
Sanmitra Chitte India https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanmitra/
Sergio Pereira Portugal https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergiomcpereira/
Simon Vanhoucke Belgium https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvanhoucke/
Stoyan Yankov Denmark https://www.linkedin.com/in/stoyanyankov/
Tony de Bree Netherlands https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonydebree/
Urs Rothmayr Spain https://www.linkedin.com/in/ursrothmayr/
Ursula Teubert Switzerland https://ch.linkedin.com/in/ursulateubert
Wade Milek USA https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-milek-72883140/
Yuri Kruman USA https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurikruman/
For more information, and more tools visit: www.cyclesbook.com
www.cyclesbook.com
Cycles