Nail It then Scale It
by Nathan Furr, Paul Ahlstrom · first published 2011
78% recommend11% neutral11% critical
Why HN recommends it
Practical guide to validating a startup idea and finding product-market fit, with concrete tools like call and email scripts for customer interviews. Readers rate it above The Lean Startup for entrepreneurs.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Why do most new businesses fail, yet a few entrepreneurs have a habit of winning over and over again? The shocking discovery of years of research and trial is that most startups fail by doing the "right things," but doing them out of order. In other words, human nature combined with our entrepreneurial drive puts us on autopilot to become part of the 70% to 90% of ventures that fail. From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs, the Nail It Then Scale It method is based on pattern recognition of the timeless principles and key practices used by successful entrepreneurs to repeatedly innovate.
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For practical advice, I'd strongly recommend Nail it, Then Scale It. They go as far as including exactly call scripts / emails to send, for example. Eric's book seemed more like marketing material for lean targeted at big cos who have no idea what it is.
on “Steve Blank hands a new owner's manual to startup founders” ↗This book is going to help you a lot with establishing whether you really can do it or maybe only have been fooling yourself: Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation, Nathan Furr & Paul Ahlstrom It's basically a unique primer on the exact topic you've been struggling with. I would buy it even…
on “Ask HN: I think I can take over an entire market; change my mind.” ↗Echoing what I have learned myself. If you are an entrepreneur and you haven't read "Nail It then Scale It", do so now. No, really. There are few books I solidly recommend, particularly for business, but this book is the one I have found most valuable time and time again. When you finish reading it, go back…
on “Things about being a founder I wish I knew years ago” ↗Nail It Then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation Book by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗…(WWW), "The SEO Periodic Table", Google Webmaster / Search Console (or whatever it was called). Business Model Canvas. Customer Development (marketing materials speak in the customers' own language). Book "Nail It then Scale It" by Nathan Furr. Pirate metrics, AIDA. Customer Experience, and in particular Customer Journey and touchpoints. Late 2010s: Features/Advantages/Benefits (FAB). Importance of positioning & declaring your…
on “Ask HN: Pls critique my product landing page marketing” ↗> If that’s what you’re looking for, we recommend Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup, a must-read in our opinion. There are better books, I think. I've just read Nail It Then Scale It, which is mostly better than Ries' book. Steve Blank's new book also comes to mind, and Running Lean also comes highly recommended from others I know. Ries' book is too generic and leaves you without…
on “Show HN: Boost your productivity with Trello, Hipchat and Github” ↗I highly recommend the book Nail it Then scale it. http://www.amazon.com/Nail-then-Scale-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp... There's some interesting discussion in there about cold emails and cold calls. It proposes that you should be emailing/calling prospects…
on “Experiment: Cold emailing businesses” ↗Just finished "Nail It Then Scale It" as well ... some great info and examples in there ... definitely worth a look.
on “Show HN: Boost your productivity with Trello, Hipchat and Github” ↗I'd read both Nail it then scale it and Running lean. They are both readable and to the point. They have slightly different approaches that both have been very valuable to me.
on “Steve Blank's Lean LaunchPad Course is Live” ↗…-- Hopefully this just scratched the tip of the iceberg for you and gives you some direction! Just to clarify, qualitative research is less costly per dollar but does cost time. Check out the book "Nail it then scale it".
on “Ask HN: How do you validate your startup idea when you've no distribution?” ↗…into the product teams to help them build things people want. Then, through iterative feedback, products can be improved to achieve product-market fit. Anyway, plenty of books on the subject. I like "Nail it then scale it". Good luck.
on “Ask HN: As a dev: learn marketing? Or start side project? (startup skills)” ↗I'd start with Nail it, Then Scale It. Specifically for customer development, I'd check out The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development: A cheat sheet to The Four Steps to the Epiphany.
on “Steve Blank hands a new owner's manual to startup founders” ↗Don't quit. Validate your idea first, then implement it. Read "Nail It Then Scale It" and "The E-Myth Revisited". You'll save time and money. You might also study business strategy (free courses on Coursera) so you can evaluate your idea from business fundamentals first. The more you…
on “Ask HN: Leaving my job to boostrap my projects. Advice?” ↗Seems we’re on the same wavelength, so I’ll as “Running Lean” and “Nail It then Scale It” as books you’ll likely find useful.
on “Ask HN: Books giving practical advice on starting a solo SaaS business?” ↗Atlas shrugged, Minto Pyramid Principle, Nail it then Scale it
on “Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?” ↗