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    Grasshopper Herder

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    Latest Posts

    • Fear and the Sandbox, Part II: Nurturing Innovation in the Workplace
    • Learning Culture Part II: How to Get the Best Out of Everyone
    • Paper Prototyping: How TenTune Harnessed the Power of the Pencil
    • Innovation Metrics – What Should Innovation Programs Measure?
    • Innovation Portfolio Management – Principles Before Tools

    Topics

    • Innovation Ecosystem
    • Lean Startup
    • Teamwork & Leadership
    • User Experience & Research

Lean Startup

Lean startup is the modern approach to developing new business models.

When starting a new business, there are a huge number of unknowns and risks. Will the distributor agree to carry our product? Can we overcome the technical challenges to build the solution? Does the customer even have a problem?

It is a philosophy rather than a step by step methodology. It’s an approach that systematically identifies risk in a business model and designs research and experimental methods to bring more certainty to the business. We do this through rapid iteration of our business model.

In simpler terms,

1) Try something
2) See if it works
3) If not, try something else.

This page contains posts on lean startup and practical lessons on how to apply lean thinking to real products and services.

Learning Culture Part II: How to Get the Best Out of Everyone

A successful leader makes sure their teammates are capable in their position and clear on their mission. Continue reading...

Paper Prototyping: How TenTune Harnessed the Power of the Pencil

A case study on how two entrepreneurs went from idea to MVP without writing a single line of code. Continue reading...

Innovation Metrics – What Should Innovation Programs Measure?

If you want your innovation program to be successful, you have to articulate clear objectives in advance, and then align them with your metrics. Continue reading...

Our New Lean Template (and Why You Shouldn’t Use It)

Every company is different and requires a unique business model. Our Lean Experiment template can give you something solid to build yours on. Continue reading...

Sprint Retrospective Ideas – Go with the Power of Retrospectives

How to use retrospectives so your entire team can get the most out of your experiments. Continue reading...

Elmo Acronym – The Majesty of Elmo

The Kromatic team has found a delightful and innovative way to make meetings more efficient. Continue reading...

How Asking Works: A Crash Course in Customer Discovery Questions

Interviewing strangers is a science as much as an art. Learning how questions actually work can give you fresh insight into the customer discovery process. Continue reading...

What a Journalist Can Teach Lean Startups about Customer Interviews

Customer discovery tips from a writer who’s interviewed everyone from astronauts to zookeepers. Continue reading...

User Interview Questions- How a Focus On Storytelling Can Solve OUR Pain Points

Interviewers have pain points too. Here’s how a focus on the elements of storytelling can make your discovery process rewarding and pain-free. Continue reading...

Customer Discovery Interviews Part 1: Focus on Storytelling

A list of questions and answers will only get you so far in a discovery interview. To truly understand your customer, you have to listen to their stories. Continue reading...

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Topics

  • Innovation Ecosystem
  • Lean Startup
  • Teamwork & Leadership
  • User Experience & Research

Free Resources for Startups

  • The Real Startup Book
  • Learn S.M.A.R.T Template
  • Product/Market Fit Storyboard
  • Cheat Sheets

Tristan Kromer

I help product teams go fast. My team at Kromatic and I coach teams on an ongoing basis and help design Innovation Ecosystems.

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Copyright © 2025 · Tristan Kromer
Thoughts from a Lean Startup Coach & Innovation Ecosystem Designer
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