As I’ve partaken in Startup Weekend Omaha these past two days, more than once I’ve thought about the idea of “pivoting” so often stressed by Eric Ries, author of the blog Startup Lessons Learned and creator of the Lean Startup methodology.
As an offensive player would in basketball, a startup “pivots” by keeping one part of its business glued to the ground while the other part makes a turn towards a new direction. Sometimes, in the corniest sense, that pivot can lead to a slam dunk. Other times, a defender will stop you after no more than a few dribbles and another pivot is needed.
As a recreational basketball player myself, this analogy speaks well to me and it’s been great to implement it these past two days. I’ve been working with an awesome team – Juan Vazquez, Carl Zulaf, and Luke Armstrong – and it’s been a very educational experience.
The video below is of Ries’ presentation at the most recent Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco (May 3-6, 2010), in which he gives an overview of his Lean Startup methodology.
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To learn more about Ries and see a video from a recent visit of his to Omaha, see our post: Eric Ries discusses Lean Startup methodology at Omaha meetup.
