I left GROWtalks, a one day bootcamp/extension of GROW 2012 for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, feeling like my brain hurt in the best way and eager to start testing hypotheses and experimenting. The event aimed to teach entrepreneurs how to create actionable metrics and make better product and marketing decisions for startup success, and that it did. The speaker lineup was awe inspiring, not to mention thoroughly hilarious and completely irreverent. Here’s a quick look at the best bits and bytes of advice from the day, as well as some of the presentations.

Develop your customers like you develop your product

Brant Cooper, Author The Lean Entrepreneur (@brantcooper)

 

 

 

 Patrick Vlaskovits, CMO Drumbi (@Pv)

 

Bits and Bytes:

• If you have ‘visionary’ in your bio and you’re not a billionaire, please remove it.
• “The Myth of the Visionary” is a narrative fallacy in startup culture. It’s not about envisioning, it’s about iterating.
• Lessons from “The Lean Entrepreneur”: Go niche to win! Portland startup AppFog’s viability testing consisted of a landing page and a very long, complex survey aimed at discovering their true market segment.
• A market segment isn’t about demographics, it’s about identifying passionate people who share the same problem.
• The true visionary’s values lie in the relentless pursuit of change.

UX + Lean = Awesome

Kate Rutter, Co-Founder & Principal LUXr @katerutter

 

 

Bits and Bytes:

• UX ≠ UI [Don't believe her? Google "UX/UI Angry" to see what others have to say. It's a movement people.]
• Get your “roll-on”: a motorcyclist analogy referring to a machine’s capability and optimization for fast acceleration (how apt for startups!)

How to earn customers for free

Rand Fishkin, CEO & Founder SEOmoz (@randfish)

 

 

 

 

Bits & Bytes:

• A unique visitor is not a unique visitor anymore.
• It’s ok to lose money in the short run, as long as you make it up in the long run.
• Not everyone is your ideal customer.

 

Couples counselling for software development
Joe Stump, Founder Sprint.ly (@joestump)

 

 

 

Bits & Bytes:

• Managers: Your grand vision is not a feature, it’s a company.
• Developers: You need to check your ego when creating a product.
• Allow engineers to invest in automation and testing to shorten feedback loops.
• Be passionate about problems, not solutions.

Scalable and repeatable business models

Scott Kveton, CEO & Co-Founder Urban Airship (@kveton)

 

 

 

Another visual note gem from Kate Rutter:

It’s all about the bacon. Literally.
Scott launched Bac’n (bacn.com) in 30 days to great success. Are you a bac’n lover? Check out bacn.com

Bits & Bytes:

• Know your business model from day 1. (Don’t create a product, then figure out the revenue model later …)
• Ship in 30 days to see if there’s enough interest.
• Don’t be afraid to get a little embarrassed…

Experiment your way out of beta

Rick Perreault, Unbounce (@rickperreault)

 

 

 

Bits and Bytes:

• If you A/B test, you will improve your conversion rate.
• Challenge your assumptions.
• Fake it till you make it!

 

Better insights for faster growth

Sean Ellis, CEO & Founder Qualaroo (@seanellis)

 

 

 

Bits & Bytes:

• Use insights to achieve objectives.
• Important question raised by both Neil Patel of KISSmetrics and Sean Ellis: when conducting a user/customer survey, it’s critical to ask “How would you feel if you could no longer use [product]?” It will help you determine whether your product is actually considered a must-have.
• If 40% respond with “very disappointed” it’s a signal that you should move forward. If not, you may not be solving the right problem.

For more insights from Sean Ellis, check out his blog: startup-marketing.com 

And another terrific #sketchnote from Kate Rutter where she perfectly encapsulates the tenets of the “growth” pyramid:

And finally …

VC [R]EVOLUTION: Geeks got next (aka “Software Eats Venture Capital”)
Dave McClure, 500 Startups (@davemcclure)

 

 

Bits & Bytes:

• Venture capitalism is ripe for innovation and disruption
• If your startup isn’t  on AngelList, you’re a f$#*ing idiot.
• Be early and contrarian, or late and right.

10 points to anyone who can tell me how many profanities Dave managed to work into his talk. Anyone?

Big thanks to Dealmaker Media for putting on this terrific event! If you’re reading this and are one of the speakers or someone who attended the event please feel free to add some notes or additional insights in the comments.