Lean Analytics is a guide for startups on effectively using data to build successful products. It emphasizes iterative testing and data-driven decision-making, helping entrepreneurs avoid wasting resources on features users don't want. The book provides practical strategies and frameworks for measuring key metrics, understanding customer behavior, and making data-informed choices throughout the product development lifecycle. It's a valuable resource for founders and product managers seeking to optimize their product development process and achieve sustainable growth. The book's focus on lean principles and actionable insights makes it a practical guide for navigating the complexities of data analysis in the startup world. It has significantly influenced the way startups approach data-driven decision-making.
This book, written by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss and co-author Tahl Raz, provides a masterclass in influencing others through negotiation. It distills the Voss method, revealing skills such as establishing rapport, creating trust with tactical empathy, and transforming conflict into collaboration. The book is filled with real-life examples from Voss's career, illustrating how these techniques can be applied in both professional and personal life to achieve goals and defuse potential crises.
In 'How Minds Change,' David McRaney delves into the latest research from psychologists and neuroscientists to explain why people believe what they do and how those beliefs can change. The book examines various methods such as deep canvassing and social epistemology, and features stories of individuals who have dramatically changed their minds, including a former 9/11 conspiracy theorist and a member of the Westboro Baptist Church. McRaney emphasizes the importance of empathetic conversations over debates and provides practical advice on how to influence others by focusing on their personal experiences rather than presenting facts alone.
Just Evil Enough is a book that focuses on the importance of subversive marketing strategies in startup growth. It provides over 200 case studies and proven frameworks to help readers uncover clever, unexpected tactics that can give them an unfair advantage. The book covers examples from companies like Netflix, Airbnb, and Tesla, and includes historical and business examples to illustrate how to think differently and subvert industry norms. It emphasizes the need to understand the norms of your system to subvert them effectively and includes ethical considerations in applying these tactics.
What if the biggest risk in your business isn’t building the product but realizing no one wants it? In this Unlearn episode, I’m joined by Alistair Croll, technologist, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of Lean Analytics, for a candid and clever conversation on rethinking product development, marketing, and demand generation.
Alistair’s work focuses on data-driven innovation and human behavior. He co-authored Just Evil Enough: The Subversive Marketing Handbook, a playbook for bending the rules to win in the attention economy. He has chaired global tech conferences like O’Reilly’s Strata and currently leads Startupfest, where he helps founders turn clever ideas into competitive advantage.
Known for blending insight with humor, Alistair unpacks why subversive creativity, not perfection, often wins. From the “fluency equation” to Burger King’s clever customer acquisition tactics, he reveals how unconventional strategies generate meaningful traction. This episode explores the science of subversive marketing, reframes how we think about product launch risk, and dives into the mindset shifts leaders need to stay relevant in the AI era.
Key Takeaways
- Start with Attention, Not Execution: The first job is proving demand, not building features.
- The Fluency Equation: Adoption is driven by desire, but also requires lowering inexperience, complexity, and perceived consequence.
- Redefine Product-Market Fit: Medium fit — how people find, try, and pay — is just as important as what you offer.
- Reverse Your GTM Strategy: Work backward from demand instead of forward from the product.
Additional Insights
- Test Before You Build: Demand validation should come before development or scaling.
- Have a Disagreement with the World: Bold startups are born from challenging norms, not just meeting expectations.
- Use Familiar Behaviors to Drive Adoption: Anchoring new tools to existing habits lowers friction and boosts engagement.
- Practice Ethical Persuasion: Subversive tactics work best when they respect users and build long-term trust.
Episode Highlights:
00:00 – Episode Recap
Alistair reframes startup risk with a clever hand-raising test: building isn’t the danger, indifference is.
03:16 – The Beach-Read Business Book
Why Just Evil Enough was built to entertain and educate, and how surprise fuels learning.
07:30 – The Real Startup Risk
Most teams focus on building because it feels safe. But the real risk is customer indifference.
08:41 – Subversive Marketing in Action
The Whopper Detour: How Burger King used playful tactics to achieve strategic goals.
13:20 – The Fluency Equation Explained
A new way to understand user hesitation and remove behavioral friction.
19:14 – AI, Fluency, and Leadership Gaps
Why executives aren’t using AI, even when they know they should.
26:00 – Decision-Making Matrix for Innovation
A two-by-two framework to help teams run smarter experiments with lower risk.
31:01 – The Fourth Miscapitalization
Why companies are still over-investing in engineering in an AI-native era.
35:55 – How to Start with Demand First
Real-world examples of flipping the build-first model by validating before committing.
39:14 – The Subversive Mindset
Disagreeability, creative risk, and how to spot the systems you're trapped inside.
41:36 – Ethical Persuasion
How to avoid crossing the line from clever to manipulative.
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