A New Definition of Lean Startup

Like many entrepreneurs, coming up with great ideas happens too often.  And the great idea of getting back in shape to become a better entrepreneur was not only was a great idea, but one that seemed like it wouldn’t be too difficult to achieve.  But like many other great startup ideas, this one was deceptively hard.  Execution is everything, right?

Today, Micah Lacerte of Hitch Fit showed how hard it can be to execute my whole new definition of LEAN STARTUP—or more fittingly, LEAN ENTREPRENEUR (yes, pun intended)!  In this case, what he had in store for me was a very conveniently placed hill nearby his facility. It looked fairly innocuous, but when you run backwards up the cobblestone street...it really is pretty tough. In fact, it really inflicted some torture on my legs. It’s amazing, that like many other great skills in life, something that looks deceptively easy, when done properly to achieve results, can actually be very, very hard.

Unfortunately, these results might be sometime in the future, but hopefully not too distant future to keep me a believer. As I venture into my fitness challenge, I realize the value of not only expertise, but advice. Micah has the ability to explain to me why I am doing what I am doing, not just telling me what to do.  He caters to my deeply-rooted belief system of “teach me how to fish”.

Perhaps I’m just wired this way, but if I can understand why I’m doing something, I buy into it even more and it helps me understand what needs to be done in order to be successful. Hmmmm...this sounds a bit like entrepreneurship and starting a company.

A combination of hills, weights, other cardio exercise and other things that are deceptively simple looking, when used properly under the skill and care of a good advisor and coach, makes a world of difference.  I am confident that these activities will produce the results that I could not achieve on my own.

So even though I should thank Eric Ries for the lean startup concept (and I do embrace it), my lean entrepreneur mentality has a different spin to the definition of lean startup. The “startup” for me (in this case) is getting back in shape and certainly getting lean.

Stay tuned next week to see exactly how my Hitch Fit training is going and to see if the value of advice and expertise is beginning to pay off. And by the way...this week I can actually lift my arms above my head as I leave today’s workout. But just barely!