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Living your life like a startup
Every day you wake up with a set of things you need to do, in a world that is uncertain. There is constant change and the only things that are absolutely assured are that you need food, water and sleep to get the best out of yourself. You learn as you go along, figuring out life one piece at a time, and reaching milestones along the way. If you get this right you might achieve your goals. You are constantly managing your life. This is your life, but the parallels to a startup are very much present.
What is a startup?
In ‘The Lean Startup’ Eric Ries defines a startup as ‘a human institution designed to create new products and services under conditions of extreme uncertainty.’ It is a business and the purpose may be to add value to others or solve their problems. As a business, money is obviously a central focus, but it is the process rather than the outcome that resembles life.
The concept of a ‘lean’ startup is based upon the production process at Toyota. With emphasis on fast development and customer insight at the earliest stage possible, it is about an ongoing learning process of understanding what works and what doesn’t. A startup needs a clear vision of where it is going, a strategy for getting there, and ultimately a product (or service) which the customers receive.
