Written by: Alix Rufas, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Perhaps you’re already doing this inadvertently, and it’s serving you.
I personally wasn’t aware I was applying Lean Start-Up-like ways of working to my life a few years ago. I was doing this rather unconsciously.
After spending 1.5 years developing a start-up idea within a start-up accelerator in the Netherlands, I quit everything and started a personal growth journey, working with mentors, coaches, travelling the world for 2 years as a digital nomad.
During this location-independent 2 year period, I started 2 personal growth businesses.
I noticed things speeding up for the better in my life, in different areas in parallel, all at once. I embraced the momentum fully, and loved it. And as I documented my journey on social media and developed my businesses, I realised something.
I was applying some of the notions I had *bathed in* at the start-up accelerator - to my own personal and business growth.
Even though I was not building a start-up anymore.
So, what is the Lean Start-up Methodology?
The Lean Start-up Methodology is a method of lean and rapid iteration that start-ups use, especially in their early stages of development, to figure out what works and what doesn’t, fast and efficiently. Until they reach product-market fit and market validation and are able to scale, at which point they stop being a start-up.
Some Lean Start-up Methodology characteristics potentially relevant as we speak of applying the method to our life:
It favors experimentation over elaborate planning (source: Harvard Business Review).
It favors putting things out there early so that it gives you customer information earlier. The earlier you learn if customers actually want what you’re building, the earlier you can optimize further. You can also discover key elements you couldn’t have predicted before testing.
It favors tangible external/customer feedback over one’s own personal assumptions coming from our own biases.
It favors iterative project development over traditional corporate “let’s plan everything upfront” project development.
It favors starting small and simple, to think in terms of “minimum viable products”, to resist the urge to plan or develop “more than is absolutely necessary.” [source: Lean Startup, by Eric Ries].
Applying the Lean Start-up ways of working to your life (personal and/or professional), even if you’re not building a start-up:
(Just to be clear: this is NOT about taking the methodology as it is and copy-pasting it into your life. It is rather -from my experience of what has been most beneficial about applying to your life some of the elements that come with this operational approach to growth).
Get started about new projects/endeavours in the easiest, simplest way by taking action in the world (outside of your head) so you can get external data/validation effectively and speed up efficient growth. Test your ideas in the real world as soon as you can, in the leanest way. Reach out to someone and schedule that coffee chat. Host your first test workshop with 4 people.
Get out of your head and stop overthinking for eternity. Be practical. Have concrete, achievable goals. Break them down into small, actionable steps, and take action daily/weekly towards them.
Stop over-engineering things. Trying to write the perfect business plan for your abstract idea that hasn’t been tested in the real world yet - goes against the Lean Start-up way. Trying to have the perfect script for that online Masterclass or online course before even having people who’ve signed up and paid you for it is a similar growth hijack.
Work in layers and small, concrete achievable steps. Write that article draft one day, the next day, with a fresh mind, revise it, and so on. Same if you want to build your website: 1h each day. Work in layers without losing perspective and sharpness in the process. Perfect doesn’t exist.
Be in action mode and forward-momentum. By testing things, talking to people, setting things up… you’re getting valuable feedback from the outside world that speeds your growth. You’re also building up your confidence because now, you’re doing something about your ideas, goals, and dreams.
Learn to keep moving without taking anything personally, looking at any type of results you get as feedback or data points that only serve you to optimize things further in the future.
Favor High vs, Low-impact moves. Prioritize on the daily the most crucial action for your most efficient growth and remove as much fluff or noise from your life as possible.
You can apply the above notions in different areas of life for lean development.
Be it organizing a vacation getaway with friends, or planning a social event, or figuring out what your dream business might be, or even growing it (without it necessarily being a start-up).
If you’d like to experiment with the Lean Start-up ways of operating in your life or think this really could serve you in developing your dream business, come message me on Instagram, I’ve got a digital Business School that just opened for enrollment.
Alix Rufas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Alix is a Full Potential Speaker and Coach, empowering women worldwide to build their most fulfilling professional lives. Before growing her current coaching business and its team, she started several other ventures; worked for the International Labour Organization (United Nations), several universities, and a start-up accelerator. To date, she has individually coached 300+ female leaders around the world. She has led 10 leadership retreats around Europe; and given 50+ public talks. She has also created multiple online programs and transformative digital experiences. Alix is incredibly passionate about and committed to empowering women worldwide to thrive on their full professional potential.
