Ash Maurya, Author of Running Lean

Ash Maurya

Ash Maurya has through first his great posts at blog and then his new book, Running Lean become one of the “three amigos” spearheading the evangelism, communication and formalization of Lean Startup (along with Eric Ries and Prof. Steven Blank).

What is Running Lean?

Running Lean is a workflow for building web based software that was developed by rigorously applying and testing Customer Development, Lean Startup, and Bootstrapping techniques.

The content for this book has been tested and refined with dozens of startups and products.

In this book, you’ll learn:
– How to first find a problem worth solving, before defining a solution
– How to find early customers
– How to test pricing
– When is the ideal time to raise funding?
– How to decide what goes into Release 1.0
– How to build and measure what customers want
– How to maximize for for speed, learning and focus
– What is Product/Market Fit?
– How to measure and iterate towards Product/Market Fit

Is this book for you?
If you are an entrepreneur considering building a new web application, or already have one, and want to maximize your chances of building something customers want, this book is for you.

While several of the techniques described here pertain to web based software, the core principles behind Running Lean are applicable to many other types of projects such as writing a book, starting a blog, even finding a co-founder.

Videos

DC Lean Startup Circle with Ash Maurya from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

Contact Info

The Running Lean site

Ash Maurya’s blog

Follow Ash Maurya on Twitter

Interview questions:

• Let’s start at the end: what does using the Lean Startup and specifically the methodology laid out in your book get you if you are creating a startup?
• You divide the lifetime of a startup into three very distinct phases – Problem/Solution Fit, Product?Market Fit and Scaling. How does this help a startup? What do they get out of this conceptual model?
• What do you mean, “right action, right time?”
• You definitely urge founders to go out and test that there is a problem worth solving and that they do indeed have a solution people will buy. Walk us through how you test both of these assertions and the differences in approach.
• How do you brainstorm a customer? Does it hurt?
• How Does Lean Canvas work, and how does a founder progress through it?
• Let’s talk about building the initial pre-launch landing page. What is that in your book and how is it different from every landing page and landing service out there?
• Interviewing a customer to understand the problem, and then to find out if your solution fits. How do you get people to talk to you? What’s with the use of stories?
• Metrics: is AARRR! the sound founders make when they try and figure out what A/B tests really mean?
• When should a startup go after funding if they’re following a Lean Startup trajectory? Why then?
• Tell use about the Sean Ellis Test.
• Your book has two great appendixes I want to point out: So how do you achieve Flow in a Lean Startup (and what is that)?

(Interview set for March 28, 2011, Show date: TBD)

What would you like to ask Ash?