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

Since its release in 2011, The Lean Startup has sold over a million copies and has been translated into over 30 languages. As businesses moved toward startup culture in the 2010s, The Lean Startup’s method quickly gained popularity among entrepreneurs looking to avoid the pitfalls of innovation: “Although the methodology is just a few years old, its concepts—such as ‘minimum viable product’ and ‘pivoting’—have quickly taken root in the start-up world, and business schools have already begun adapting their curricula to teach them” (Blank, Steve. “Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything.” Harvard Business Review, May 2013). It became a new strategy for organizations that wanted to move away from the hierarchical decision-making and slow progress of traditional business models.

One of the book’s most popular ideas is “validated learning,” which reframes failure as an opportunity for growth and refinement. Because validated learning comes from direct experience, “It is more concrete, more accurate, and faster than market forecasting or classical business planning. It is the principal antidote to the lethal problem of achieving failure: successfully executing a plan that leads nowhere” (38). This shattered the illusion of a simplistic business plan and encouraged entrepreneurs to be dynamic and not fear setbacks. The Lean Startup references the many startup companies and organizations that used its method for success as examples proof of concept. These include Aardvark, Alphabet Energy, General Electric, Food on the Table, and Village Laundry Service, among others. Moreover, Ries associates his startup model with the lean manufacturing methods developed by Toyota Production Systems to prove the soundness and efficacy of his methods.

The author’s self-representation in the text is another reason for the book’s popular appeal. Although the popularity of The Lean Startup may correlate to the success of the startups described in the text, Ries’s acknowledgment of his own failures, as well as the subsequent dissection of why he failed, depict the ups and downs of startups in an accessible, relatable manner. This honesty, accompanied by practical advice, provides a realistic representation of a startup’s lifecycle. Ries also provides a behind-the-scenes look at the minutiae of product development, business strategy, and marketing that otherwise goes unmentioned in conventional conversations about startups. Ries thus positions himself as an insider who leaves the publicly inaccessible offices of Silicon Valley to share the secrets of startup success with a general audience. This Promethean persona positions Ries as in touch with the motivated entrepreneur who needs an extra edge to innovate in their organization. The Lean Startup resonates with readers who feel stuck in orthodox and unproductive modes of business. Ries presents his text as an insider’s guide to fostering new business methods and culture.