Lean Startup

The Lean Startup Process

Lean Startup Process

The internet revolutionized how businesses start and grow. Since Steve Jobs introduced the smartphone in 2006, over 70% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. Silicon Valley used this shift to create a faster, evidence-based method for launching startups—lean startup methodology.
Inspired by Toyota’s just-in-time system, lean startup simplifies idea testing and customer feedback. In 2013, Steve Blank, a key figure in this movement, introduced his customer development model in Four Steps to the Epiphany, emphasizing real user input to guide product design.
A key tool in this process is the Business Model Canvas (BMC)—a one-page, 9-block framework. Its core focus is product-market fit, combining value proposition and customer segment. Entrepreneurs can start from either side—idea or market—and build out the rest of the model, ending with operations.

The Lean Startup process, born in Silicon Valley, replaced the traditional business plan by leveraging the internet and real user feedback. Instead of relying on guesses, startups now build around data from end-users—the people willing to pay for the product.

Key Tool: Business Model Canvas (BMC)

This one-page framework has nine components. Entrepreneurs fill it out clockwise, focusing on the value proposition and customer segment—the core of product-market fit.

Customer Development

Within each section, founders engage their target market to uncover real needs and pain points. Lean startup shifts planning from assumptions to facts, including simplified financials focused on revenue and expenses.

For a deeper dive, The Lean Startup book pairs with the Lean Entrepreneurship Guide—the only resource covering all 14 evidence-based startup methods.

BMC, The Primary Lean Start Up Tool

Lean Startup grew from Steve Blank’s customer development model, outlined in his 2013 book Four Steps to the Epiphany. To structure new ventures, he used the Business Model Canvas (BMC), a one-page, nine-block framework that covers all key elements of a successful business.

The core of the BMC is direct input from the target market—real end-users who will pay for the product. Their feedback is critical in shaping the value proposition, as they define the problem to solve. By making the customer a partner in the design process and understanding their persona, startups can build more effective, market-driven solutions.

At the heart of the Business Model Canvas is product-market fit, the alignment between the value proposition and the customer segment. Startups can begin with either a new idea or a customer problem, then build out the remaining components clockwise—ending with operations.

The most critical skill is identifying the right target market and using customer interviews to uncover “pains and gains.” These insights reveal what customers need, the challenges they face, and how your solution improves their lives.

A strong value proposition clearly explains how your product solves a key problem (pain) or delivers meaningful benefits (gain). It’s the foundation of customer-driven design and the core of a successful startup.