033: How to Test Business Ideas with David Bland

Enterprise Product Leadership

I have a fantastic conversation for you all on today’s episode of Enterprise Product Leadership! I am joined by David Bland, an experienced Product Consultant and best-selling author of the book, Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation.

Product leadership is all about reducing the risk of building the wrong product. That’s why testing business ideas is a critical skill that every product team should have. In this episode, David and I dive into the importance of validating your product and business ideas and the best practices on how to do this. We also discuss the role of the Product Leader in building a culture for testing business ideas as the norm, not the exception.

Episode Details: How to Test Business Ideas with David Bland:

“What I’ve noticed over time [is that corporations] … get frustrated. They’re like, ‘I’m telling people to experiment and they’re not doing it and I don’t know why.’ … Quite often, it’s [the] actual processes and procedures they hit up against [that] prevent them from doing the thing they want to do.” — David Bland

About David Bland:

David J. Bland is a founder, author, speaker, and advisor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. David helps companies find product-market fit and growth using lean startup, design thinking, and business model innovation. In 2015, David created Precoil to help companies validate new products and services. He's worked with companies such as GE, Adobe, Toyota, HP, Behr, and others all around the world. Prior to Precoil, David was a Principal at both Neo and BigVisible. He continues to give back to the startup community by teaching at several startup accelerators in Silicon Valley.

Topics We Discuss in this Episode:

• David Bland’s career journey with career-scaling and advising corporations

• About his 2019 book in collaboration with Alexander Osterwalder, Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation

• The main concepts discussed in the book

• The “Desirability, Feasibility, Viability” framework, why it is important, examples, and best practices for experimentation

• Stories, tips, and advice on how to approach internal challenges as an organization

• How to approach new business ideas, identify the barriers, facilitate conversations, and prioritize

• How teams and leadership can more effectively work together in implementing new initiatives, experimentation, and removing hurdles

• Tips for product teams and Product Leaders

• The role of the Product Leader

• The importance of having a repeatable process

• How to start the conversation around rapid experimentation and innovation

Product Leader Tip of the Week:

The business model and the product need each other. You can’t have an amazing product and a terrible business model or have an amazing business model with a terrible product. Include the business early on in the conversation and test your way through together.

To Learn More About David Bland:

• David Bland’s LinkedIn

• David Bland’s Twitter

• Precoil.com

Related Resources:

• Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation, by David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder

• Alexander Osterwalder’s Books

• Stanford d.school

• Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams, by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden

• The Startup Way: How Modern Companies Use Entrepreneurial Management to Transform Culture and Drive Long-Term Growth, by Eric Ries

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