The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

Most startups fail, though many of these failures could be prevented. The Lean Startup presents an approach now adopted globally that changes how companies are built and products are launched. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization created to build something new under extreme uncertainty—whether a single person in a garage or experienced professionals in a Fortune 500 company. All share a mission to navigate uncertainty and find a sustainable business path. The Lean Startup approach creates companies that are more capital efficient and use human creativity more effectively. Drawing from lean manufacturing principles, it emphasizes validated learning and rapid scientific experimentation. The method includes counter-intuitive practices that reduce product development cycles, measure genuine progress rather than vanity metrics, and reveal what customers actually want. Companies can shift direction with agility, adjusting plans incrementally and continuously. Rather than spending time on elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs of all company sizes a way to test their vision continuously and adapt before it becomes too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in an era requiring constant innovation.