Lean B2B: Build Products Businesses Want (Second Edition)

Get from idea to product/market fit in B2B
Startups don’t have infinite runway.
To reach product/market fit, they need a solid roadmap, effective strategies to learn from their market and customers, and a framework for deciding when to pivot, and when to persevere.
The issue is that most of the advice they get is either incomplete, unrealistic, misguided, or it’s just not catered to the enterprise or B2B journey.
Founders can create their own processes through patchwork at the cost of trial and error, but this can easily send them sideways.
What startups really need is…
A proven playbook
Thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators have already used Lean B2B (the first, or this second edition) to quickly get from idea to product/market fit in B2B.
Startups like Loopio, Knoetic, Flutura, Cobrainer, and Jupl were able to leverage the methodology to learn, test, validate, and build sustainable businesses.
Intrapreneurs, corporate innovators, and innovation consultants in companies like Altran, the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), and ING leveraged the methodology to shortlist their ideas, improve their innovation practices, and build innovative products.
Incubators, accelerators, investors, educators, and government officers have also used the methodology to increase the success rate of the startups (and founders) they work with.
Lean B2B has everything you need to get from idea to product/market fit
With the book, you’ll learn:
How to think through different ideas and company structures to set your venture on the right path How to find early adopters, establish your credibility, and convince business stakeholders to work with you How to learn from stakeholders, identify a great opportunity, and create a compelling value proposition How to get initial validation, create a minimum viable product, and iterate product value until you reach product/market fit How to stress-test the progress you’re making, keep your sanity, and evaluate alternate paths when things aren’t going the way you’d like How to identify and avoid common challenges faced by entrepreneurs, and learn advanced techniques to speed up product/market validation
An entirely new & updated version for a new reality
Today, there are more companies building B2B products than there has ever been.
Products are entering organizations top-down, middle-out, and bottom-up. Teams and managers control their budgets. Buyers have become savvier… but also more impatient. The case for the value of new innovations no longer needs to be made.
The updates made to Lean B2B reflect the growing importance of differentiation, rapid value delivery, and market positioning.
The new edition adds content on:
Why companies look for new products, and why they agree to buy from unproven vendors like startups The 4 type of opportunities that can increase the chance of building products that get adopted by companies How to create a very specific wedge, and think about market opportunities The iteration process from initial MVP to delivering a product that exceeds customer expectations (and is at product/market fit) Service/consulting firms transitioning to products, corporate innovation, and much much more
This second edition is the result of years of research into B2B entrepreneurship. If you’re an early-stage founder in B2B, this is where you start.