Alistair Croll - Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster

Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster

Alistair Croll

Benjamin Yoskovitz

Beijing Cambridge Farnham Kln Sebastopol Tokyo

Praise for Lean Analytics

Your competition will use this book to outgrow you.

Mike VolpeCMO, Hubspot

Everyone has data, the key is figuring out what pieces will improve your learning and decision making. Everyone knows they need metrics, but finding ones that are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely is a huge challenge. In Lean Analytics, Ben and Alistair have done a masterful job showing us how to use data and metrics to peer through the haze of uncertainty that surrounds creating new businesses and products. This book is a huge gift to our industry.

Zach NiesChief Technologist, Rally Software

Lean Analytics is the missing piece of Lean Startup, with practical and detailed research, advice and guidance that can help you succeed faster in a startup or large organization.

Dan MartellCEO and Founder, Clarity

Entrepreneurs need their own reality distortion field to tilt at improbable windmills. But that delusion can be their undoing if they start lying to themselves. This book is the antidote. Alistair and Ben have written a much-needed dose of reality, and entrepreneurs who ignore this data-driven approach do so at their peril.

Brad FeldManaging Director, Foundry Group; Co-founder, TechStars; and Creator, the Startup Revolution series of books

Lean Analytics will take you from Minimum Viable Product to Maximally Valuable Product. Its as useful for product managers at todays multi-billion dollar companies as it is for entrepreneurs who aspire to build those of tomorrow.

John StormerSenior Director of New Products, Salesforce

The bad news is, there will always be people out there smarter than you. The good news is, Alistair and Ben are those guys. Using Lean Analytics will give you the edge you need.

Julien Smith New York Times bestselling author of Trust Agents and The Flinch

At Twitter, analytics has been key to understanding our users and growing our business. Smart startups need to embrace a data-driven approach if theyre going to compete on a level playing field, and this book shows you how.

Kevin WeilDirector of Product, Revenue, Twitter

A must-read on how to integrate analytics deep into an emerging product, and take the guesswork out of business success.

Peter YaredCTO/CIO, CBS Interactive

Lean Analytics is a detailed explanation of the data-driven approach to running a business. Thoughtfully composed by two experienced entrepreneurs, this is a book I will make part of my training materials at Sincerely, Inc., and all future companies.

Matt BrezinaFounder, Sincerely, Inc., and Xobni

Pearsons Law states, That which is measured improves. Croll and Yoskovitz extend our understanding of Lean management by bringing rigorous measurement techniques to a new frontier: the earliest stages of new product development and launch. If entrepreneurs apply their frameworks, they should see reduced waste and big improvements in startup success rates.

Thomas EisenmannHoward H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

This isnt just a book about web analytics or business analyticsits a book about what organizations should and shouldnt measure, and how to transform that data into actionable practices that will help them succeed. Alistair and Benjamin have compiled a robust set of case studies that illustrate the power of getting analytics right, and, if taken to heart, their tips and takeaways will make entrepreneurs, marketers, product and engineering folks better at what they do.

Rand FishkinCEO and Co-founder, Moz

I bet youd never imagined that success depends on your ability to fail. Fail faster, fail forward. And the secret to that success is your ability to learn and iterate quickly using data. Qualitative and quantitative. Let Alistair and Ben show you how to get to startup nirvana smarter!

Avinash KaushikAuthor, Web Analytics 2.0

Lean Analytics shows you how to move insanely fast by getting your metrics to tell you when youre failing and how to do something about it. Tons of honest, meaningful advicea must-read for Founders who want to win.

Sean KaneCo-founder, F6S and Springboard Accelerator

There are only two skills that are guaranteed to reduce the chances of startup failure. One is clairvoyance; the other is in this book. Every entrepreneur should read it.

Dharmesh ShahFounder and CTO, HubSpot

First you need to build something people love. Then you need to attract and engage people to find and use it. Having a deep understanding of your data and metrics is fundamental in achieving this at scale. Lean Analytics is a detailed, hands-on approach to learning what it means to track the right metrics and use them to build the right products.

Josh ElmanVC, Greylock Partners

Lean Analytics is the natural evolution of the Lean Startup movement, which began as a humble blog and has blossomed into a global movement. This book delivers concrete, hard-won insights spanning all business models and company stages. Its a must-read for any business leader whos looking to succeed in an increasingly data-driven world.

Mark MacLeodChief Corporate Development Officer, FreshBooks

A vital part of the founders toolkit. If youre starting a company, you need to read this.

Mark Peter DavisVenture Capitalist and Incubator

Lean Analytics is packed with practical, actionable advice and engaging case studies. You need to read this book to understand how to use data to build a better business.

Paul JoyceCo-founder and CEO, Geckoboard

Get this book now. Even if youre only thinking about starting something, Lean Analytics will help. Its a dose of tough love that will greatly increase your chances of survival and success. Start off on the right foot and read this book; you wont regret it.

Dan DebowCo-CEO and Founder, Rypple; SVP, Work.com

Stop thinking and just buy this book. Its the secret sauce. If youre an entrepreneur, its required reading.

Greg IsenbergCEO, fiveby.tv; Venture Partner, Good People Ventures

This is a treasure for the Lean Startup movementa dense collection of actionable advice, backed by real case studies. Lean concepts are easy to understand but often difficult to put into practice, but Lean Analytics makes the path clear and gives you the tools to measure your progress.

Jason CohenCEO, WP Engine

With this book, Alistair and Ben bring a framework and lessons together for the thousands of new startups looking to do things fast and right. Time is everything as markets get continuously more efficient, and even over-capitalized quickly. Lean Analytics is great learning material for this generation of web and mobile startups.

Howard LindzonCo-founder and CEO, Stocktwits; Managing Partner, Social Leverage; Creator, Wallstrip

Alistair and Ben are trusted leaders in their field already. With this book, they let you see how they got there.

Chris BroganCEO and President, Human Business Works

With Lean Analytics, Ben and Alistair have, for the first time that Ive seen, put real case studies and numbers together in an easy-to-read form, with actual successful startups as examples. These insights are hugely powerful for both early-stage founders and those at a later stage. Its one of the few books that I know Ill be going back to time and time again.