“Do you remember the days
We built these paper mountains
And sat and watched them burn?
I think I found my place
Can’t you feel it growing stronger?
Little conquerors

I’m learning to walk again
I believe I’ve waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I’m learning to talk again
Can’t you see I’ve waited long enough?
Where do I begin?”

Well, I am happy to say that the last two years of concerted effort have finally resulted in having found my place. I am happy to say I have found some balance between what matters to me and what is within my reach to impact. You may recall I don’t do little stuff – I eat elephants – so it took me a while to find a place that I could 1) make a difference, 2) create a satisfying life. Though there has been a lot of startup activity here in NYC – it is not really my space, digital media (ad buys and that sort of stuff). In fact, I even spent time learning about email marketing / ad based web 2.0 model stuff and I just don’t love it.  So – not the spot for me. Here, in this new place I can make a meaningful contribution, work with a team of people I can trust, and target a market of people I admire and respect. For the first time in a long time I can am really looking forward to the work…and that is really what satisfies, isn’t it?

The last two years have been spent learning – mostly about lean philosophies and techniques – thought leaders and players – and I continue learning everyday. Last year I was invited to write the curriculum update for Iridescent Learnings’ Technovation Challenge, and when I did something clicked. For those that don’t know – Iridescent Learning has programs to teach girls to code.  I participated last year and was so moved, that I have done everything I can to be associated because it was important to me!  I found a group that really needs my help!  And suddenly I realized that the struggle I had finding relevance in the new work economy is the same trouble many students have as they exit university into a world they are not quite prepared for, often with a “relevance” disconnect with parents who have no idea how to help their kids on the road to success.

That spark found oxygen and has become a warm little fire – now in development and know as Applied Lean™. I am committed to the right care and feeding so that this little fire will grow and illuminate a clear path for the modern entrepreneur. Stay tuned for all that is modern lean!

The last 18 months has allowed me to dig really deep into the lean startup space – specifically the principles and techniques conjured by thought leaders Steve Bank and Eric Ries, Ash Maurya, Alexander Osterwalder and some lesser known names but really smart folks none-the-less. I am a long-time supporter of organizational effectiveness techniques – my exposure reaches back to TQM and ISO 9000 – and that only matters when it comes to the hole in the current lean movement.

Here is what you have – youv’e got your books – Eric, Steve x2, Ash x2. Youv’e got your canvas’s – BMC, LeanLaunchLab, Youv’e got your cusdev techniques and case studies with EGCD guys, and you got your startup weekend proper and the iterations LUXr and the like. All BONUS! Love them. Where we are falling short is in the problems we are trying to solve. Unless you get into a good incubator I am not sure that applying lean will push you to build a meaningful company…and then because of that, the jobs that are created may be on the very small scale.  I am not the first to notice this, but in noticing, I found that filling that void is something I am passionate about. It really boils down to righting the disconnect between the disruption of work and the innovation of business so that the engine of our economy – our middle class – can find solid footing again. I believe innovation in entrepreneurship is the crux of the solution. And surely that innovation can push past a new monthly subscription site – though, there is NOTHING wrong with that!  I just think that space will be “vewy vewy cwowded”  ;>)

Having presented, instructed, mentored, advised, organized, signed up for and tested several online “lean helper tools”, having read all the books – really dog eared some pages of each, last year I took on the challenge of updating a curriculum for a national program focused on teaching high school girls application development with agile/lean. As I was preparing the core content of lean – and adding in the BMC piece, I was overwhelmed by the notion of how to get them to do this without being confused and upset. I had all the best tools available and it still felt too hard. It could not feel that hard or the girls would not do it and if they don’t do it they will have lost a really valuable learning opportunity, one that could really change their working-life options in a meaningful way. I was not willing to have that happen (again, past blogs tell that story) so, I dusted off my old org/dev brain and built a workbook. It correlated to their lessons – 10 weeks of them from project management to cusdev to BMC and finally to pitch decks. It is rolling out at 20 + campuses now and we are just beginning to get feedback from those groups.

Also, I began showing it to a few people that lead the lean space and from their feedback I realized this tool would be useful to a broader population. From those just being admitted to “startupschool” and for those who have been here awhile.

Stripped down to bare essentials – Applied Lean™ focuses on the core steps of lean – ideation / problem / solution / market research / cusdev / validation. The process is not linear – and it can take a while to figure out what direction to head in, but once you do – you can execute against the framework and have increased your chances of success by…well, I don’t know the percentage – or when one will be available – but shorter.  I am saying shorter and less painful.
The structure of Applied Lean™ supports the application of lean technique so that as you evolve your idea you can more easily recognize the new patterns and opportunities. If you do that as you go along it is so much easier to know what to pursue. While the initial reviews have been good, how well it works and how awesome it is going to be is up to who uses it and how – so to that end, I am looking for a few beta users. Any stage but just know where you are of these three categories. I use these three columns – 1) Idea, 2) Doing the Work 3) Product no Users/Customers.

These beta users will work with me one on one using the tool to set the tone for your lean startup. These startups can be in any stage as this will be one on one coaching for three weeks. There is flexibility on when this coaching takes place – but it will most likley be virtual. This means that I will be coaching you on the tool and helping you to make the most of the lean principles to build the best solution anyone wants to buy. There are some parameters – but if you are building a startup and you are looking to go from zero to 60 in terms of understanding what you are building, who you are building it for, how you will sell it and whether it is worth it – Applied Lean™ can help you do that.

My goal is to make Applied Lean™ a tool that will ease the integration of modern entrepreneurship and innovation into academic and business environs and to do so in such a way that all ships rise. If any of that matters to you – perhaps you will contribute to this effort by becoming an early user – buy something now to support the effort! Or just sign up for early access! There is a box – at the top of my page – put your email in the box and you will start to get comms about program options as they evolve.

Among them, Sal and Nicky, founders of LeanCamp. Nicky told the story of why they built leancamp. She and Sal met as community citizens in London, and sparred for sometime over their perspectives on lean. At some point, they realized they were not so much as disagreeing in principal, but rather, were really struggling to find the right words to bridge the gap between their viewpoints.

Though I had been to and presented at a leancamp before I am far more familiar with the startup weekend format, Friday to Sunday learning by doing. Lean Camp is more cerebral…and though the 30 minutes per session at first feels restrained once you grasp that the purpose is begin a conversation, or a collaboration, rather than learning, it  turns out 30 minutes is just perfect.

I spent my first session with the incomparable Stu Eccles – talking about Dave McClures Pirate Metrics, and what metrics tell you…the what – not the why. Important is to solve for “why”.  My next session was my session on Applied Lean™. Though useful, I can see how my stuff was less thinking and more learning, and not even that – more lean ops – but I guess it is ok to have a little of that. People said nice things. Thanks for that.

Next I went to Design the Box – and it was super useful. It was on my list to get an image to represent Applied Lean™, so this was my chance to be introduced to what to think about, and gave me 20 focused minutes to actually do it! Yay – “Lean in a Box”.

Then a group exercise doing BMC in 3 minute bursts per directive. That was messy – which is unsettling for me and my OCF (obsessive compulsive [as a] feature) – but it needed to be because it wasn’t about getting it right – it was about just getting started using the canvas. Sal is good at pushing groups through that.  Next a couple of groups set up around canvas’ and worked in a bit more depth – well, we tried to. Turns out Rob led the other teams but the guys and I soldiered on. It is really hard to do on the fly – particularly when you swing from mapping the canvas for a “poo bag” business and minutes later change your brain to map the business of search at Google.  We probably should have watched Rob to get more out of it but I did enjoy working with the guys I grouped with. Thanks Luke and other guy.

Next was Selling Lean, again with Stu Eccles, but contributing were Farrah Bostic, Giff Constable and Nicky Smyth. Again, a reference to the language we use when we explain the principles, concepts or value proposition – Farrah said it well when she said finds success easiest when she “tell(s) them in the language they understand”.

Each industry has a vernacular all its own, and the language of lean touches many movements.  Originating with manufacturing, on to Taylor, Demming, TQM, ISO 9000 – pursuit of quality (in our vernacular “qualified”) has been around a long time, and has taken many forms.  It is our challenge, as practitioners, to find the right words to get engagement from the business side of the house, so that the result of any application of lean (improving efficiencies) is meaningful positive change. If it isn’t going to be – we should already know that – right?

LeanCamp is a format that fosters collaboration and contribution from the general population to the way that we know that – techniques described as lean.  I think that is a good thing – I like the stuff I am contributing, happy to have opportunities to do that, and I hope it is helpful for those struggling to practice lean.

I do it because I am passionate about leveraging this extraordinary time in global evolution in hopes of having a transformative impact on what the next version of web does for, rather than to, our culture. I think more collaborative and community events like Leancamp will assure that everyone that cares to, can contribute.

PS: Actually my first session was a design workshop! YIKES, so much in my head I completely forgot. I look forward to watching it again for a better grasp of the takeaway – you can too!  Catch LeanCamp NYC online when they are posted, until then, check out some great past sessions there. TIP: Find Johanna Kollman session in TelAviv.

Often, we're hesitant to identify a problem out of fear we can't solve it. Knowing that we have to live with something that we're unable to alter gives us a good reason to avoid verbalizing it–highlighting it just makes it worse.

Saturn's Rings in Ultraviolet Light. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

While this sort of denial might be okay for individuals (emphasis on might), it's a lousy approach for organizations of any size. That's because there are almost certainly resources available that can solve a problem if you decide it's truly worth solving.

Put yourself and your people on a path to finding problems without regard for whether or not they are capable of solving them. Queue them up, prioritize them and then go find the help your organization needs to solve them.

Just because you don't know what to do about it doesn't make it less of a problem.

Courtesy of Seth Godin.

We've got you covered. Experience the process of Lean by "Try-Storming". Join Jessie Shternshus of The Improv Effect and Kelley Boyd, Lean Practitioner to apply improvisation techniques as a catalyst for creative problem solving - challenging your assumptions, validating your hypothesis, Goobin'-it – yea, I said it!

Come Unstick your Startup - Get out of your own way and get where you need to be. Yea boi – UP and to the RIGHT! 

Bernard Meltzer, American Law Professor

The early days of starting something is rife with the need to figure it out.  Whether it is a startup, a deal, a relationship, whatever – there are daily opportunities to walk away from a situation that is hard to figure out.  Sometimes multiple times in a day – but when it really matters – when you are really passionate about something there will be conflict.  

Compromise is a good thing. In a startup – CONFLICT – and learning how to process it – is key.

I am privileged to be contributing to the startup ecosystem in NYC by mentoring teams at the last two "weekend" startup events.  Hosted at the amazing "urban campus" known as General Assembly (dot.ly please) the weekends are spirited and competitive. The first opportunity to mentor was at The Lean Start Up Machine – held during Eric Ries week in NYC it was really impressive.  Trevor Owens has really BAMM'd it with LSM.  I attended the first LSM (my first effort to get involved in the startup space here in NYC) and was on the winning team – along with Trevor and other cool people.  ScootScooters.  Never loved the name – but loved the business. Love it as a lifestyle business – scooter rentals.  If I have the money one day to open it – that is what I will do. But, I digress.  

Even then I was all over the concept of LSM – and I did not yet know about StartupWeekend at all.  

All that to say – I have participated in both and am very happy to be contributing to the ecosystem via the outlets.  As a matter of fact – I am pretty altruistically active now that I am not "working" for Movable Ink anymore.  I am working harder than ever though!  See my recent Involvement and Contribution.  But really, enough about me.  This post is about my favorite products / companies / businesses born over the last weekends. LSM NYC reblogged from Lessons Learned with comments by Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits ( co-authors of Entrepreneurs guide to Customer Development and key mentors for LSM globally): 

The Winner

Brant: "Love Your Layover" won the "Best MVP" award. They actually built and tested several MVPs, the last of which was a web-based prototype of their mobile app that used real airport data.

Brant: It's not often we get to see a demo in the final presentation. Make that never. Until Unbrokered. That was pretty awesome.

The last few months have been very exciting, and very tenuous.  I have had to simply just show up and prove myself again, and again. First in working with Women 2.0.  A long time brand which had reached a time to either go big…or go home.  The months spent consulting and helping shape a new vision for the organization and demonstrating that there IS a model that will scale has been exciting and thrilling. Working with Shaherose Charania nothing short of exhilarating and VERY exciting things ahead!  More about that later.

But the big news is the opportunity to work with Movable Ink.  A cutting edge technology being born by two exceptional men who have had the vision and the audacity to bring me into the fold.  I know, shocking but true. The first few days were one of discovery and cautious optimism…but the last few days have been ones of unbounded confidence that this is the show.  The list of companies to target for this technology (real-time content in email) has all the biggest names, and the skills to work with such organizations are where???  They are IN MY BAG!  I am reminded how valuable my skills are, and really, how rare.  

Though it was my unique journey, one I had to take, it really is unfortunate that I lost touch with the value of my gift for sales simply because there was more that I can do.  I am a great salesperson, and no matter the list of targets, until you have someone that can close them, and deliver them, it is all just prospecting.  There is more that I can do and I hope to add lots of value in many areas at Movable Ink as we grow.  

I am an elephant hunter there is no doubt,.  I have met many in that category…but I know how to EAT AN ELEPHANT, and that my friends, is rare.  Let the feast begin!!!

“While this is a remarkably honest rendering of the challenges involved in bursting through what can sometimes be a closed ecosystem, it also highlights a bit of the dysfunction in the startup scene. Blogging and commenting seem to be woefully inept ways to assess value + talent. Acquiring acknowledgment in the start-up community easily descends into a popularity contest which we know has no positive correlation with substantive value. I'm intimately familiar with some of the pitifully floundering start-ups on the scene and it's amazing to me that someone has not done a better job of capitalizing on the skill set Kelley brings to the table. It also makes me wonder how much talent is fleeing NYC for more open arms.  SF”

Though I do not agree with the assertion that blogging and commenting are "woefully inept ways to assess value + talent", at worst you are able to control your own reputation.  At best, someone who is aligned may value your opinion.  Those who disagree have a platform to say so and the ensuing conversation can result in a move forward on a topic or greater understanding of a market.  

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I do think the downside of this methodology is that there is a lot of talent undiscovered.  Someone recently commented on A VC with some frustration that she got no attention because she did not comment.  Whaaa?  How can anyone hear you if you are not speaking?  If you cannot express yourself for fear of what others think, then work on that.  I know what I think and why I think it.  I am ALWAYS open to new information, and might change what I think based on that.  I love that about me. 

Further, to the job search issue, I think that the search mechanisms today are so broken, there is hardly any other way to measure the value of someone to your team.  Think about all the factors that influence a hire.  For the most part, it is all about what other people think of you, not what you think.  Unless you get to have a meaningful conversation with someone they will never know what you think, or more importantly, how you think.  

Then, as it relates to your work history; the litany of sociological touch points that influence what other people think of you.  If you are successful at your job, then there are those that are envious.  If you bring new ideas and opportunities for revenue to a company, your boss gets nervous that you will get the kudos, so you are the “management challenge”.  Egos play such a large role in a persons success at a company…particularly a big company.  One supervisor once told me with disdain, “I hear stories about you from all over the country”.  I thought, hmm, I have never heard a story about you.  The way I have lived it, if someone is talking about you, it is because you did something interesting enough to talk about.  

I think that is why we have this current wave of embrace for the “entrepreneur”.  It is not that they are particularly brighter than  non-entrepreneurs, it is just that by virtue of the barrage of information in the stream, we have direct sight onto their activities and the impact that their ingenuity has on a business or market.  

To your point, we also have direct sight on the lack of activity.  There are so many “living dead” in this ecosystem.  I think mostly because of the lack of understanding of what it takes to build a successful business.  The entrepreneur has been seduced into thinking that building a product is building a company.  They are also deceived into thinking you can begin at the end.  The importance placed on the “pitch” at the expense of the message is example and evidence.  

The  current crop of incubators lacks true mentorship it seems.  They do not advise young teams of “techstars” to get serious about the business not do they groom them for sustainability.  After product, there is the operations side of business, customer service, partnerships etc.  One only has to look at the gameshow mentality the announced “incubators” coming to NYC to wonder about  value proposition or the strategy to empower new businesses that are sustainable.  Rather, the incubators themselves ring of delivering cache’ for a team of founders, or people who are “angels”, simply for the purpose of being known.  Not being known for having accomplished something useful, or impacting a market in a positive (“read” revenue producing) way.  

For this reason I like Lean Startup stuff and Women 2.0.  I like the early and often mentality at the "pre-incubation" stage.  The associations with Steve Blank, his "Four Steps to the Epiphany" (as well as  litany of other books about entrepreneurship and lessons) and the businesses germinating that assist in that movement are giving a bit of a framework for the emerging crop of entrepreneurs. Fred Wilson recently blogged about the "Birthrate of Start-ups" and his concern about the care and feeding of them.  I share that concern.  Failing does not mean there was no talent and certainly is the bedrock of learning.  I am not sure how we will capture that back into the talent pool without a framework in which failing, pivoting, iterating, ideating are not encouraged and the experience integrated into a new opportunity..

Another consideration is what kind of “businesses” is started.  There are lifestyle businesses and growth businesses.  Both are good if they provide sustenance for the people who run them.  "Passive income" is a really cool phrase making its way around these days. Which has led to a whole group of technologists, writers etc, called the "Fun-employed".  I don't have any problem with that at all.  In fact, I like that!   But, I take issue with being conditioned to admire just the effort to start a business.  I have a company name, therefore I must have an admirable business.  Kind of reminds me of “I have checks, so I must have money”.  Or getting a trophy for showing up.  That sucks.  

Fueling this may actually be the current crop of “social layer” businesses that cater to our egos.  Encouraging recognition and validation short of contribution.  These observations are not blanket.  There are the outliers, really great ideas that impact the ecosystem in meaningful ways.  The current marketplace uncomfortably reminds me of the “go-go 00’s”.  Companies were measured on the funding they got, not on their solution to a problem, or opportunity around an un-met need.  

But that is just me…and I get to say it here.  Thanks for making me think about “30 Meetups” in a different way.  So glad you engage.