👉 Who would you like to see next on The Indian Business Podcast: https://forms.gle/37daEPEy7mAzhvv29
👉Workbook: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18KDFSNx-tCbslDuhJ4EqJ5U5wfNk_NSD/view?usp=sharing
👉 Follow Our Guest LinkedIn:
Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eries/
👉Check out his books:
Lean Start-up:https://theleanstartup.com/book
The Start-up Way:https://www.thestartupway.com/
Incorruptible:https://www.incorruptible.co/
👉 Video Introduction
Your startup can have 10,000 customers and STILL have zero Product-Market Fit.
In the age of Meta ads, vanity metrics and AI, it has never been easier to convince yourself that your startup is working.
But according to Eric Ries, the creator of the Lean Startup, most founders are measuring the wrong things.
In this episode, we sit down with Eric Ries to break down what actually separates a startup with real Product-Market Fit from one that is simply buying growth, why Anthropic chose to move slower than OpenAI, and why some of the world's biggest companies are built around engines of growth that most founders completely ignore.
From fake PMF and vanity metrics to hiring, culture, mission, customer validation and the skills every 21-year-old needs in the AI era, this conversation is a masterclass in building companies without fooling yourself.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How Meta ads can make a startup look like it has Product-Market Fit when it doesn't
- The exact metrics Eric Ries uses to separate real growth from vanity metrics
- The 3 Engines of Growth that can determine whether a company actually scales
- Why Amazon has made one of the most important startup metrics almost impossible to measure
- Why hiring for "culture fit" can secretly create groupthink
- Eric Ries' biggest startup mistake and how it cost years of work and millions of dollars
- The 3 skills every 21-year-old should build in the age of AI
Chapters
00:00 - The Mistake That Kills 90% of Startups!
03:27 - Why Being Young Is Actually Your Biggest Advantage
07:40 - How to sell Products without actually making any Product
09:30 - The Lie 1,000 Customers Tell You
13:59 - The Question That Proves You Haven't Made It
17:09 - Why Your Ad Spend Is Hiding a Dead Business
24:36 - The Trick to Turning 1 Customer Into 10
27:16 - Why Do Some Products Get People Hooked for Life?
31:30 - The Hidden Way to Track Repeat Buyers & Churn on Amazon
34:17 - What Are DTC Brands Getting Dangerously Wrong About Customers?
38:07 - Can You Really Build Trust Without Losing Profits?
41:16 - The Smartest Way to Test Your Idea Before You Waste a Rupee
1:01:15 - The One Thing Great Founders Understand That Others Don't
1:02:10 - The 3 Skills That Actually Separate Great Entrepreneurs From the Rest
If you've ever wondered whether your startup is actually growing, whether your customers genuinely want your product, or whether you're simply getting better at convincing yourself that you're winning, this conversation will force you to rethink how you build a company.
Because the biggest startup mistake isn't moving too slowly.
It's building something nobody actually wants.
Must watch episodes
1. Nir Eyal, Author | How to Build Products People Can't Quit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft45pH3fYok
2. Mohit Yadav, Co Founder Minimalist | FREE MBA: How Minimalist Conquered India's Skincare Market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGIwnkU01X4
3. Nikunj Biyani, SuperYou | Super You's EPIC ₹100 Crore Blueprint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8UK7WcdF1Y
4. Tarun Sharma, mCaffeine | I Burnt 300Cr to Teach You This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qms7gUSTj4
5. Chris Voss, Ex FBI Agent | How to WIN Any Argument & Spot a Liar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfbCbk54XeE
#EricRies #LeanStartup #ProductMarketFit #Startup #Entrepreneurship #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #StartupIndia #BusinessStrategy #ProductDevelopment #GrowthStrategy #BusinessGrowth #Founders #Entrepreneur #ProductMarketFit