An overview to the Lean Startup methodology and Lean Canvas tool, meant for an audience with little previous exposure to entrepreneurism or strategic project development. This overview can be provided in a 1-hour time slot, then follow-up can happen with an extended Lean Startup workshop or consulting session.

1. LeanStartup
Roadmap
Matt Rutter
CCI Gagauzia

2. Matt Rutter
CCI Gagauzia
Small Enterprise Advisor
matt@mattrutter.com

3. Entrepreneurial

4. The reason most startups fail
is not because they build a
bad product, it’s that they
build a product nobody
needs.
-Eric Ries

6. “A startup is not a ‘doll
house’ version of a large
company.”
- Eric Ries

7. What is а “Lean Startup?”
• “Startup” – a temporary organization
designed to search for a repeatable
and scalable business model.
• Tradition
– Write and Execute
– Assumptions
– Static (Unchanging)
• Lean
– Model and Test
– Customer Development
– Agile (Iteration, Pivots))

8. “Startups that succeed are
those that manage to iterate
enough times before running
out of resources.”
- Eric Ries

9. Eric Ries, The Lean Startup

10. LeanStartup Roadmap
• Idea
– Problem Interviews
– Market Research

11. Need
TalentInterest

12. IDEA
Customer/Problem Fit
Determine if the problem exists and is worth solving
• Problem Interviews
• Market Research

13. Customers care about
their problems – not
your solution.
IDEA
- Dave McClure

14. Problem Interview
Goal: To understand…
1. What is the problem? Why is it a problem?
2. Who has the problem?
3. How do they currently solve the problem?
Ash Maurya, Running Lean 81

15. Problem Interview
• Example Script
1. What’s the hardest part about [problem context]?
2. Can you tell me about the last time that
happened?
3. Why was that hard?
4. What, if anything, have you done to solve that
problem?
5. What don’t you love about the solutions you’ve
tried? Justin Wilcox – How I Interview Customers
http://customerdevlabs.com/2013/11/05/how-i-interview-customers/

16. Market Research
• What current solutions/alternatives exist?
– Cost
– Function
– Revenue model
• What barriers to entry exist?
• Is this a rising or dying trend?
Resources:
– google.com/trends, google.com/think
– entrepreneur.com/businessideas/index.html
– hbr.org, forbes.com, wsj.com, techcrunch.com

17. LeanStartup Roadmap
• Idea
– Problem Interviews
– Market Research
• Model
– Lean Canvas
– Solution Interviews

18. MODEL
Problem/Solution Fit
Determine if your model solves the problem
• Lean Canvas
• Solution Interviews

19. Why Lean Canvas?
• Fast
• Concise
• Dynamic

20. “Your Product is not The Product”
- Ash Maurya

21. A business model describes the
rational of how an organization
creates, delivers, and
captures value.
-Alex Osterwalder, Business Model Generation

23. Customer Segments
• The specific group of people
or organizations a business
intends to serve.
– Who has the problem?
– For whom are we creating
value?
– Who must we sell to or make
happy?
• Early Adopters: The
characteristics of the first
group of people who will
purchase your product.
• Sketch:
– Title
– Age
– Family Details
– Income Level
– Amount of Free Time
– Location
– Their Values/Morals
– Social Groups
– Professional
Associations
– Hobbies
– Where They Shop

24. Problems
• The top 1-3 problems your
Customer Segments need
solved.
– What problem are we
curing?
– How strong is this problem?
– Will the customer pay to
have this problem
removed?
• Existing Alternatives: How the
problem is currently solved by
the Customer Segments.
• Sketch:
– Frequency
– Expense
– Awareness
– Reaction
– Newness

26. Solution
• The minimum activities or
features needed to solve
the Customer Segments’
top 1-3 Problems.
– Outline a feature set to
solve each problem
(description of your product
or service)
– Only include what is
necessary (according to
Solution Interviews)
• Sketch:
– How problem is solved
– Time needed for
solution
– Resources needed
– Partners needed

28. Unique Value Proposition
• A clear and short message
stating the business’ unique
Solution to the Customer
Segments’ Problem.
– The value you create for the
Customer Segment
– How are you improving the lives of
our customers?
– How are you different?
• High-Level Concept: Brief relation of
your UVP to something commonly
understood
(i.e. ВКонтакте: “Facebook for
Russians”).
• Sketch:
– How your solution
relates to the customer’s
#1 problem
– Finished story benefit of
purchasing your product
– How the solution will
make your customer feel
Note: The UVP
represents the emotional
trigger that will convince
your customer to
purchase your
product/service

30. Channels
1. Product: How a company
delivers its Value Proposition
to the Customer Segments.
2. Marketing: How a company
attracts the interest of its
Customer Segments.
• Customer Relationship – The
closeness and frequency of
the relationship developed
with the Customer Segments.
• Sketch:
– How will you deliver your
solution?
– How will your customer
make a purchase?
– How will you find your
first 10 paying
customers?
– What is the most
resource efficient way to
attract Early Adopters?

32. Revenue Streams
• The various income-
generating activities of a
business.
– Customer Segment paying
money to receive the
business’ Value Proposition
– Charge as early as the
customer will permit
– Determine price based on
the value you add, not the
cost of production
• Sketch:
– For what features will
the customer pay?
– What features will be
free?
– How will you position
your business against
alternative solutions?
– Are you adding value to
non-customers who
would be willing to pay?

33. Cost Structure
• All operational expenses
of running your business.
• Sketch:
– Immediate fixed costs
– Immediate variable
costs (including your
labor)
– Break-even point

35. Key Metrics
• The 3-5 indicators of a
business’ health
(success).
– How you track your
customer’s behavior and
preferences
– Monitoring the
implementation of your
business’ key activities
– Informs a business whether
or not it needs to
pivot/iterate
• Sketch:
– Customer Segment
Awareness
– New Customer
Acquisition
– Inventory Turnover
– Time Needed to
Complete Job
– On-Time Payments
– Customer Retention
– Customer Referral

36. Unfair Advantage
• The features of your
business that are difficult
for competitors to copy or
buy.
– What keeps new
competitors from taking
your customers?
– If someone “steals” your
idea, how will you continue
to exist?
• Sketch:
– Current advantages (often
based on existing
relationships or networks)
– Advantages your business
could develop over time
– Note: passion, existing
resources, and being “first
to market” are not
sustainable competitive
advantages.

38. MODEL
• Lean Canvas
• Solution Interviews
– Return to the earlier interviewees and
propose the Solution and UVP you sketched
• Do you have the right feature set?
– Discuss your business model (the interaction
of all 9 boxes) with mentors or fellow
entrepreneurs
• Do you have a realistic path to profit?

39. LeanStartup Roadmap
• Idea
– Problem Interviews
– Market Research
• Model
– Lean Canvas
– Solution Interviews
• Test
– MVP
– Early Adopter Sales

40. TEST
Solution/Product Fit
Determine how to effectively offer your
solution in a minimal product
• Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
• Early Adopter Sales

41. Minimum Viable Product

42. Minimum Viable Product
• Strategy used for fast and qualitative
market testing of a product or product
feature
• The most resource-efficient (time, money,
energy) method of creating and capturing
value from the Customer Segment
– MUST solve the problem of customer
– Should not require a loan or long timeframe

43. Early Adopter Sales
• Begin selling to very specific Customer
Segment (10-15 people)
• Learn which features are “must-have” and
which are unnecessary
• Determine price point
– High enough the customer must contemplate the
purchase, low enough the customer will buy
Goal: Validate business model not # of sales

44. LeanStartup Roadmap
• Idea
– Problem Interviews
– Market Research
• Model
– Lean Canvas
– Solution Interviews
• Test
– MVP
– Early Adopter Sales
• Scale
– Product 1.0 Launch
– Business Plan
– Investors

45. SCALE
Product/Market Fit
Determine if your product will attract demand from
regional / national / international markets
• Product 1.0 Launch
• Business Plan
• Investors

46. What is Success?
Know the impact you
wish to make in the world
and scale accordingly.

47. Discussion
Matt Rutter
Entrepreneurial Development Consultant
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of
Gagauzia
+(373) 60 735 102
matt@mattrutter.com
Skype: matthewlrutter