Steve Blank

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Leverage Passionate Advocacy Groups

  Marketing

  Organize and empower local stakeholders who benefit from a project to lobby decision-makers on your behalf.

  Supporting quotes

  • “developers calculate that if they add a component to the project that the local community really needs, wants, and most important - can get passionate about - community support might overwhelm local elected officials.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Adapt discovery to the environment

  Customers

  Customer discovery does not always require physical presence; video conferencing can be an effective way to 'get out of the building' and gather data.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Hacking 4 Recovery 2, 2020  (opens in a new tab)

• Diversify Board Expertise

  Leadership

  A board should include experts in sales and strategy, not just technical advisors, to navigate complex market transitions.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Paradoxically, as your revenues and market share increase the risk of competitors damaging your company increases.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Monitor Cultural Wake Up Calls

  Team

  Small changes in policy often serve as a signal to early employees that the startup culture they loved is being replaced by bureaucracy.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Elves Leave Middle Earth – Soda’S Are No Longer Free, 2009  (opens in a new tab)

• The Co-founder Necessity Test

  Hiring

  Ask if the company can exist without the person and if they are easily replaceable; if both answers are no, they are a co-founder.

  Supporting quotes

  • “One of the hardest concepts for my students to grasp is that " an idea is not a company .”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Complementary Skills Over Convenience

  Team

  Build a team with diverse, complementary skills like a hacker, hustler, and designer rather than just hiring friends who are available.

  Supporting quotes

  • “One of the hardest concepts for my students to grasp is that " an idea is not a company .”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Build an Advisory Board Early

  Customers

  Engage industry experts as advisors to gain insights on necessary product features, critical applications, and how to sell to their peers.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Ardent War Story 5 The Best Marketers Are Engineers, 2009  (opens in a new tab)

• Respect the customer's pride

  Mindset

  When selling to technical teams who are forced to buy external solutions, acknowledge their expertise and past achievements to avoid making them feel defensive.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Convergent Technologies War Story 1 – Selling With Sports Scores, 2009  (opens in a new tab)

• Disruption through accessibility

  Product

  Innovation often succeeds by taking a complex process used by elites and making it simple enough for the mass market to use.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source Secret History When Kodak Went To War With Polaroid, 2024  (opens in a new tab)

• Execution validates the vision

  Mindset

  A founder must execute on their imagination to prove that their big ideas are real business opportunities rather than just fantasies.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Entrepreneurs Are Everywhere Show No 11 Pat Sullivan And Sebastian Jackson, 2015  (opens in a new tab)

• Anticipate Pivot in Deep Tech

  Strategy

  The ultimate commercial use of a breakthrough technology is rarely what the initial pioneers imagine it will be.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Quantum Technology Ecosystem Explained, 2022  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize Diverse Perspectives

  Team

  Building a team solely with friends or people from the same background limits success; diverse perspectives create better company cultures and outcomes.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source Entrepreneurs Are Everywhere Show No 2 Anand Sanwal And Chris Shipley, 2015  (opens in a new tab)

• Hire for Ambiguity in Sales

  Hiring

  Early-stage ventures need sales people who can invent a sales process on the fly rather than following a pre-established roadmap or price list.

  Supporting quotes

  • “A Sales Closer - a salesman who can make up the sales process on the fly and bring in deals without a datasheet, price list or roadmap.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Stop Waiting for Permission

  Mindset

  Entrepreneurs should take full responsibility for their own learning and growth without seeking external validation.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Year End Review What You Might Have Missed, 2021  (opens in a new tab)

• Look for patterns in failure

  Learning

  Reflecting on past experiences across multiple companies helps identify recurring patterns that lead to success or failure.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Retirement And Redemption, 2009  (opens in a new tab)

• Map New Vocabulary to Old Concepts

  Learning

  Understanding AI/ML becomes easier when one maps its unique vocabulary onto classic computing steps and job descriptions.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Explained, 2022  (opens in a new tab)

• Build a Reality Benchmark

  Management

  Doing the hard work yourself prevents you from being easily swayed by excuses and helps you set realistic expectations for execution.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Steel In Their Eyes Why Vc’S Should Be Startup Ceo’S, 2011  (opens in a new tab)

• Distinguish Innovation from Theater

  Strategy

  True innovation must impact the top or bottom line rather than just being a performative activity.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Startups operate with alacrity, agility and at times a death wish”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Align Vision with Resources

  Strategy

  Effective strategy roles ensure that a company's vision is supported by its budget, people, and the actual opportunities available in the market.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The larger the company, the more they'll separate out business development and sales, with business development focused primarily on lead generation and sales focused on sealing the actual sale of the product or service.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Solve Personal Pain Points

  Mindset

  Meaningful startups often originate from a founder's personal experience with a problem or a deep emotional motivation to fix a systemic failure.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Sometimes a startup results from a technical innovation. Or from a change in regulation, declining costs, changes in consumers needs or an insight about customer needs.”