Running Lean
Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works
by Ash Maurya
“This is a must-read for entrepreneurs who are looking to create products that customers actually want and need. Ash Maurya provides a practical and actionable framework for building successful products through continuous iteration and feedback.”
The Startup Scientist: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding a Business That Works
Every entrepreneur starts with "Plan A"—a brilliant, world-changing idea that seems destined for success. They map it out, write a business plan, and spend months, or even years, building their perfect vision in isolation. The problem? This "Plan A" is little more than a collection of untested guesses. And when it finally makes contact with the real world, it often shatters on impact. The #1 cause of startup failure isn't a lack of passion or a bad product; it's spending all your time and money building something nobody wants.
What if you could treat your startup like a science experiment? What if you could systematically de-risk your idea, find a plan that actually works, and achieve success before you run out of resources? This is the core mission of Ash Maurya's Running Lean, the essential, in-the-trenches field guide for applying the principles of the Lean Startup movement. The book provides a clear, actionable, and repeatable process for iterating from your flawed initial vision to a validated business model that is built on evidence, not just hope.
What You'll Learn
A powerful one-page tool—the Lean Canvas—to map out your entire business idea in under 20 minutes.
How to identify the single riskiest assumption that could kill your startup before you even start.
A step-by-step process for validating your idea with real customers before you write a single line of code.
The crucial difference between a "Problem Interview" and a "Solution Interview" (and why the order matters).
How to use validated learning to "pivot" your way from a flawed plan to a successful business.
Your Business on a Napkin: The Lean Canvas
The old way involved a 50-page business plan that was obsolete the moment it was printed. Running Lean champions a faster, more dynamic tool: the Lean Canvas. This is a one-page business model that forces you to concisely map out the most critical assumptions of your business. It's designed to be a living document that you constantly update as you learn.
While based on the popular Business Model Canvas, Maurya’s version is specifically tailored for the high-uncertainty environment of a startup. It replaces some of the original boxes with more pressing concerns for a new venture:
Problem: Instead of focusing on partners and resources, you are forced to first define the top 1-3 problems your customers face.
Solution: This box is intentionally kept small to discourage you from falling in love with a complex solution before you've validated the problem.
Key Metrics: This forces you to identify the few actionable numbers that truly measure your progress, steering you away from "vanity metrics."
Unfair Advantage: What is your unique, hard-to-copy differentiator?
Your first Lean Canvas is your "Plan A." Your job is now to systematically test every box on it.
The Scientific Method for Startups: Document, Identify, Test
The core loop of the Running Lean methodology is simple and powerful.
Document Your Plan A: Fill out your Lean Canvas. This captures all your initial hypotheses in one place.
Identify the Riskiest Parts: Don't test everything at once. Find the part of your canvas where you are making the biggest leap of faith. For almost every new product, the riskiest assumptions are in the Problem and Customer Segments boxes. Are you sure this problem is a top priority for these customers?
Systematically Test Your Risks: This is where you follow the lean mantra and "get out of the building." You test your assumptions through a series of structured interviews with potential customers.
A startup founder I know wanted to build a complex app for home chefs. His Lean Canvas revealed his riskiest assumption: that home chefs saw "finding interesting recipes" as their biggest problem. After conducting a dozen Problem Interviews, he discovered that their real problem wasn't finding recipes, but planning their weekly meals and creating a shopping list. He hadn't built anything yet, but he had already saved himself a year of wasted effort. He "pivoted" his canvas to focus on the real, validated problem.
The Interview Playbook: Problem vs. Solution
Maurya provides specific scripts and strategies for two different, crucial types of interviews. Confusing them is a classic startup mistake.
The PROBLEM Interview
Your Goal: Validate the problem. Is it a real, significant pain point? How do customers solve it today?
You Talk: 20% of the time (you are there to listen).
Key Question: "Tell me about the last time you struggled with [the problem]. What was that like?"
What You DON'T Do: Mention your idea or solution. You are only there to learn about their world.
The SOLUTION Interview
Your Goal: Validate your solution. Is your proposed fix compelling? Will people pay for it?
You Talk: 80% of the time (you are demoing your solution).
Key Question: "Based on what you've seen, would you be willing to sign up for our pilot program for $X?"
What You MUST Do: Show them your MVP (a demo, mockups, etc.) and ask for a real commitment (money or time).
From Problem/Solution Fit to Product/Market Fit
The Running Lean journey has three major stages, each with a clear goal.
Stage 1: Problem/Solution Fit
The Goal: Prove you have found a problem worth solving and that your proposed solution resonates with early adopters.
The Method: Use Problem and Solution Interviews to validate the top-left side of your Lean Canvas (Problem, Solution, Customer Segments, Unique Value Proposition).
Stage 2: Product/Market Fit
The Goal: Prove you have built something people want and that you have a viable path to reaching and acquiring them profitably.
The Method: Use your MVP to test pricing, marketing channels, and your customer acquisition strategy. You are now validating the right side of your canvas (Channels, Revenue Streams). This is where you focus on your Key Metrics and see if you can move the needle.
Stage 3: Scale
The Goal: Step on the gas.
The Method: Only after you have validated your entire business model do you shift your focus from learning to growth. Now is the time to optimize and scale your marketing and sales channels to accelerate your success.
Your First 'Running Lean' Sprint
1. Draft Your Lean Canvas (20 Minutes): Don't aim for perfection. Grab a free template online and fill out your "Plan A" based on your current best guesses.
2. Identify Your #1 Risk: Look at your canvas and circle the single biggest assumption you are making. For 99% of new ideas, the risk is: "Do enough people care about this problem?"
3. Schedule 5 Problem Interviews: Find five people who you believe are your target customers. Your only goal is to get them to tell you stories about their problems. Use the script. Do not, under any circumstances, pitch your solution.
4. Analyze and Iterate: After the interviews, look at your canvas with fresh eyes. Was your "Problem" hypothesis correct? Did these people match your "Customer Segment" profile? Update your canvas based on what you learned. Congratulations—you have just completed your first, and most important, learning loop.
Final Reflections
Running Lean is an indispensable field manual that takes the high-level philosophy of the Lean Startup and translates it into a concrete, step-by-step process. Ash Maurya provides a clear, disciplined, and efficient methodology for any entrepreneur, innovator, or product manager looking to build something new. It is a powerful guide to moving from guesswork to evidence, from a beautiful "Plan A" to a business that actually works. It teaches you how to de-risk your venture, conserve your most precious resources—time and money—and dramatically increase your odds of success.
Business Floss is reader-supported. When you use our links we may earn an affiliate commission that helps us keep the site running. Thank you for your support!
