Go from Idea to Paying Customers
in Less Than 8 Weeks

Do you have a business idea that is gathering dust because you don't have the resources to bring it to life? You don't have the funding. You don't have the team. And you are scared to take the next step. It doesn't help to be constantly reminded that most products end up failing anyway.

What if you could test the viabilty of your business idea before committing yourself fully? What if you could find paying customers for your product even before building it? What if you could use this early validation to build a team, fund your project, and implement your vision?

That is what the Running Lean Bootcamp is all about: an eight week course for systematically moving your idea forward.

The #1 reason why products fail

The #1 reason why products fail is not because we fail to build what we set out to build, but because we waste time, money, and effort building the wrong product.

When entrepreneurs get hit by an idea they either rush towards building out their solution or rush towards finding investors. Both of these approaches take a lot of time and energy, and can be overwhelming. They are also backwards.

I attribute the entrepreneur’s, often unbridled and singular, passion for the solution as the top contributor to this failure. People place too much emphasis on the original idea but studies conducted on product success and failure tell a different story. It has been statistically shown that most initial ideas don't work as anticipated. Rather, what separates successful entrepreneurs isn't starting with that perfect idea (or Plan A) but finding a plan that works before running out of resources. That last part is key.

"Okay", I hear you saying, "while that makes sense, how do I do that?"

The true job of an entrepreneur

Building a successful product is fundamentally about risk mitigation. Investors don't care about your solution but the viability of your business model. Customers don't care about your solution either but solving their problems.

The true job of an entrepreneur then is not just building out your solution, but rather systematically de-risking your idea over time. The true product is NOT the solution, but a working business model.

The first step is finding a problem worth solving even before committing yourself to implementing a solution. Yes, it is possible to test your idea with customers and even get them to want to pay before building the actual product.

Hard to believe? I started writing my book only after I got a thousand people to say they'd buy it. I started building my last SaaS product, USERcycle, only after I got ten people to write me a check based on Illustrator mockups. See the pattern?

That's exactly what this bootcamp will show you how to do.

How is this bootcamp organized?

The bootcamp lasts 8 weeks and is delivered as a weekly live webinar plus personalized 1:1 coaching. You will receive comprehensive content, worksheets, and exercises that you will be required to complete and report on each week.

The bootcamp is organized around completing key learning milestones which we will review and fine-tune during our weekly 1:1 sessions. The 1:1 sessions are 30mins long and run over skype. In between these sessions, you'll also be able to ask questions drectly over email.

Here are some of the things you'll learn:

• how to break your big idea into manageable pieces
• how to systematically test your idea starting with what's riskiest
• how to find early customers and get them to want to pay
• how to build just enough and no more
• how to learn from customers
• how to effectively communicate progress to customers, advisors, and potential investors
• and more...

Is the bootcamp like an accelerator?
Will you help me raise funding?

No, we are not an accelerator. Our success metric is based on building better entrepreneurs who can make the appropriate "right action, right time" decisions for their product. If the right action at the end of the bootcamp is to raise funding, we will happily introduce you to the accelerators and investors we work with.

Not all ideas are fundable or need funding. Definitely at the earliest stages, I encourage all entrepreneurs to first gather sufficient evidence to prove to themselves and then to others that they have uncovered a problem worth solving. You don't need funding to do this.

In fact a number of accelerators and incubators recommend this bootcamp as a pre-requisite to applying to their program because it raises the quality of your application and your chances of getting in.

What exactly is Running Lean? Where did it come from? Who am I to teach this?

I am an entrepreneur, just like you. I started my last company, WiredReach, with just a spark of an idea. Before I knew it, years had passed and while I had moderate success with my products, it wasn’t to the level I had originally anticipated.

I realized back then that while ideas are cheap, acting on them is quite expensive. This prompted my own search for a better and faster way for vetting new ideas and building successful products.

The result of that search was Running Lean.

Running Lean was developed through years of first-hand experiential learning gained from building dozens of products. It is a synthesis of many other methodologies and best practices – three of the most significant being: Lean Startup, Customer Development, and Bootstrapping.

I have used Running Lean to:

• successfully sell and exit my last company
• launch a number of revenue generating products more quickly than I've ever done before
• write and self-publish an e-book (on the Running Lean methodology) which has sold over 15,000+ copies and is now published as an O'Reilly business book with over 150+ reviews and a five star rating on amazon

Will this process work for YOU?

I have spent the last two years teaching and refining this methodology through numerous workshops around the world in places like Austin, Boston, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Toronto, Halifax, Montreal, Vancouver, Rio de Janiero, and Sao Paulo. I have also advised many startup teams at accelerators like TechStars, Capital Factory, MaRS, Year One Labs, and Extreme Startups, and worked with larger organizations like Dell, Amazon, and Sonatype.

Previous bootcamp alumni have spanned the globe from the U.S, Canada, Dublin, Germany, Spain, Norway, South Africa, New Zealand, and India.

Here is what they have to say:

Why should you join the bootcamp?
Can't you just buy the book?

For the same reason that people attend universities instead of simply buying the text books OR athletes hire coaches instead of training themselves - for experience, support, and accountability that drives results.

The Running Lean Bootcamp is NOT learning by reading but learning by doing: A lot of the principles we'll cover resonate with people at a visceral level. I've seen this first-hand in my workshops where people get inspired and commit themselves to taking these principles to practice. But the next morning, it's business as usual. Old habits die hard. While the principles are simple to understand, they are hard to put into practice. The bootcamp does not focus on theory but rather on the reduction of these principles into daily, weekly, and monthly habits that have been field-tested with other entrepreneurs.

The Running Lean Bootcamp builds an external accountability system for yourself: Reasonably smart people can rationalize anything, but entrepreneurs are especially gifted at this. That is why it's critical to create an external accountability system that prioritizes facts over unchecked passion. You will be externally accountable to me and my team at Spark59. We will serve as your advisors, your coaches, throughout the course.

And finally, the Running Lean Bootcamp is constantly evolving: Even if you've already read the book, attended a workshop, or consider yourself well versed in Lean Startups, all of that is just the tip of the iceberg. I am first and foremost a practicing entrepreneur. We practice these principles everyday at my company, Spark59, and are still constantly tweaking and refining these techniques. The bootcamp will no doubt also be tweaked and refined over time. As a bootcamp participant, you will always have access to the latest materials and resources (me, my team, and the alumni mailing list) - forever.

Is this bootcamp right for YOU?

Do you want to bring your idea to life? Are you committed to investing at least 15-20 hours a week? If so, then this bootcamp is for you.

Note: The concepts we'll cover can appear to be deceptively simple, but that doesn't make them necessarily easy. Running Lean is a rigorous process. It requires discipline and a willingness to go outside your comfort zone. That is where true learning happens.

If you are NOT willing or able to put in the work, please DO NOT enroll in the program. It will be a waste of your money and everyone else's time.

How to enroll?

To keep quality high and ensure the right level of 1:1 attention, this bootcamp is limited to just 10 people and you have to apply to get in.

The bootcamp is priced at $2,450/person.

Team pricing is $2,950/team.
A team can include up to 3 people working on the same business idea.

While this may sound high, this is less than the cost of a single class at a good business school where you'll mostly learn theory. And, unlike accelerator and incubator programs, you don't have to give up any equity. But most important of all, this bootcamp maximizes the amount of progress you make on your business. Participants frequently report having shaved off months of effort as a result of participating in the bootcamp.

The 1:1 sessions alone are worth the price of the bootcamp.

100% money back guarantee

Our success metric is based on building better entrepreneurs. I want you to succeed. If at any point during the bootcamp, you're putting in the work and still feel like you're not learning how to move your business idea forward, I'll gladly refund your entire ticket price.

Looking forward to seeing you in class,

Ash Maurya
Author of Running Lean and Founder of Spark59

P.S. If you have any questions, email me at ash@spark59.com

P.P.S. If you have any hesitations, call me personally: 512-524-7539