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.
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.
In this book, Jonathan Haidt draws on twenty-five years of research on moral psychology to explain why people's moral judgments are driven by intuition rather than reason. He introduces the Moral Foundations Theory, which posits that human morality is based on six foundations: care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, and liberty/oppression. Haidt argues that liberals tend to focus on the care/harm and fairness/cheating foundations, while conservatives draw on all six. The book also explores how morality binds and blinds people, leading to social cohesion but also to conflicts. Haidt aims to promote understanding and civility by highlighting the commonalities and differences in moral intuitions across political spectra.
In 'The Unaccountability Machine', Dan Davies explores why large systems, including markets, institutions, and governments, often produce outcomes that no one intends. He draws on the work of Stafford Beer, a pioneer in management cybernetics, to explain how organizations can be seen as artificial intelligences making decisions independent of their members' intentions. Davies critiques the current state of management and economic systems, highlighting the concept of 'accountability sinks' where negative feedback is ignored, and discusses the consequences of these systemic failures, including the 2008 financial crisis. The book is a blend of part-biography and part-political thriller, offering a compelling narrative on the need for better accountability and decision-making processes.
In this book, Chip and Dan Heath explore the anatomy of ideas that stick and provide methods to make ideas more memorable. They introduce the SUCCESs formula, which stands for Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories. The book is filled with examples from urban legends, business stories, and personal anecdotes, demonstrating how these traits can be applied to make any idea stickier. It is particularly useful for anyone interested in influencing others, whether in business, education, or other fields.
Alistair Croll is the co-author of the best-selling book Lean Analytics and a longtime product manager, entrepreneur, and startup advisor. He was also instrumental in my starting a company, funding it, and helping us exit to Airbnb as part of his Year One Labs incubator. He’s chaired notable events such as O’Reilly’s Strata and UBM’s Cloud Connect and founded FWD50. In our conversation, we focus on lessons from an upcoming book by Alistair and his co-author, Emily Ross, Just Evil Enough, which is set for release in late 2024. We cover:
• The importance of subversive marketing strategies in most startups’ growth
• 11 specific subversive tactics that successful companies have used
• Examples of companies like Netflix, Airbnb, and Tesla that used clever tactics early on
• A framework for scanning your market for opportunities
• The importance of finding your “zero-day marketing exploit”
• How to apply these tactics ethically without actually being evil
• Much more
—
Brought to you by:
• WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs
• Hex—Helping teams ask and answer data questions by working together
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security
—
Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/just-evil-enough-alistair-croll
—
Where to find Alistair Croll:
• X: https://x.com/acroll
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@alistairish
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alistaircroll/
• Website: https://justevilenough.com/
• Substack: https://acroll.substack.com/
• Just Evil Enough on X: https://x.com/evilenough
• Just Evil Enough on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/just-evil-enough/
—
Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
—
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Alistair’s background
(02:00) The story behind Alistair and Emily’s book Just Evil Enough
(06:17) Examples of subversive tactics
(07:43) The importance of unfair advantage
(10:36) The origin of the title “Just Evil Enough”
(14:24) System awareness and novelty
(19:16) How to use this thinking successfully
(22:37) Normalizing disagreeable thinking
(25:49) Recon canvas and market scanning
(32:43) 11 tactics for subversive marketing
(57:01) Implementing subversive strategies
(01:05:01) Ethical considerations in marketing
(01:08:19) Lightning round
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career 
