The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Chapter 9

Building the Business

There will come a time when your business emerges from the feasibility madness and you’ll have to start building the business. This happens when you stumble upon a successful business model, and you actually start making money. Often, you’ve been searching for the right product—market fit for so long that it doesn’t feel natural to pursue only one business model, even if it’s working. Consequently, you have to be very careful—if you keep searching when you should be building, you’ll run out of cash.

What makes this transition even harder is that building the business calls for a completely different skill set as a manager. Just as your products have to cross the chasm with customers, your focus as a manager has to cross the chasm with internal operations.

In this chapter, you’ll learn what new skills are required as a leader, how meetings kill startups, and why it’s sometimes important to fire clients.

Nail It Before You Scale It

Tipping Point

Think on Paper

The First Question to Ask

Make Meetings Matter

Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst

Expect the Unexpected

Be Your Own Customer

Think Big, Execute Small

Forget the Mission Statement

Metrics Matter

Your Network Is Your Net Worth

Who’s the Bad Guy?

Your Reputation Precedes You

Build It Like You’re Going to Sell It

Be Frugal, Not Cheap

When the S#!t Hits the Fan (and It Will)

Know When to Fold ’Em