Customer Reviews

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development: A cheat sheet to The Four Steps to the Epiphany

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First of all, this is NOT, as the title claims, a cheat sheet to The Four Steps of the Epiphany.

Right in the book, on page 21, the authors state that this book focuses on the first step only (Customer Discovery). And I quote: "Future books will attempt to tackle other portions of the Customer Development process - believe us when we say that Customer Discovery is more than enough to 'bite off' at one time."

I am docking the book one star for this. The authors should know better.

Okay, now for the real question - Is this book worth getting, or should you just get Blank's original?

Get them both. Read Blank's first, then read this one and use it to update the notes you took from Blank's book. They work well together but I would not just get this one, as you only get a small piece of the whole picture (per the authors' own admission).

It's worth $30 if you actually use it, but don't assume it's a shortcut to Blank's book. It's only 1/4 of a shortcut.

This is book is a hack job - bad editing, very small amount of content stretched out through use of many blank pages, huge spacing, lots of drawings that add very little, tiny page size, and other tricks. Even with all their chicanery, the book is only 96 pages. It's hard to get past the lack of business integrity given the ridiculous price for this long article posing as a business book.

Borrow the book if you most - these guys do not deserve your money.

Other books are better and cheaper - try "Marketing Straight to the Heart" for one.
It's half the price, has 200x the amount of tips and info, and the writer has more experience.

This book is an excellent tool to put in your Customer Development arsenal. I found it a valuable companion to The Four Steps to the Epiphany as it boils down many of the core processes outlined therein. The Customer Development process is intense and time-consuming, and learning the core concepts should't require reading a 500 page textbook. This short form resource makes it easier to learn and discuss CD as it relates to your business. I also recommend this book as part of the Customer Development education process as it's much more accessible and easier to digest than The Four Steps. Get a couple copies of The Four Steps and several copies of this book for your team.

This book was a quick read and extremely useful. I'm in the process of trying to learn Lean-Startup techniques so I can stop wasting so much time building companies just to find out I had something wrong in my assumptions.

Don't expect to read this book and be ready to go as it's more of an exercise book (which is what I wanted). You should definitely take a look!

steve blank did a great thing with "four steps" because he exposed the concept of MARKETING to software developers. he marketed the concept of "MARKETING" to them by using the word "development" in the phrase. genius! his book, however, is extremely boring and poorly organized. to blank's credit, it is because it was not meant to be read through but instead used as a companion to his MBA class. vlaskovits and cooper's book makes the concepts of marketing very easy to understand, and accessible to more technical-oriented people.

I wanted Blank's book but needed a digital edition. This is a great intro with very specific actionable items. If you're looking for fluff or tales of VC derring do then look elsewhere. If you want real advice and a proper plan then this is your book. Grab this now, read every post on Steve Blank's blog, and GET OUT OF THE BUILDING!

I'm not sure what is going on here, but I should have read the other reviews first. Another reviewer mentioned it was only 30 pages. Seems a little longer to me, but not more than 45 or 50.

I'm giving it 2 stars because although it wasn't that bad, it's just not complete nor honest. And it's way too expensive for what it is.

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development is written in a style that's fun and easy to read and understand. It gives practical advice that can be put into action instantly, complete with common pitfalls to avoid! A must read for anyone who works with Start Ups, I can't wait to put it into practice!

I would recommend this book for anyone who is thinking about starting a new business or has a product they want to market. The author gives examples on what you should do to be successful. Don't make the mistakes that everyone else makes. Read this book first.

This book is a must read for all entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs, whether launching a technology startup or any type of business. Even though the book is less than 100 pages, it is packed with detailed information that will help bring clarity to the way you create your company, and focus on launching it in the most successful way possible. They provide real world case studies (and some humorous fictitious ones) that really help you understand the concepts discussed. It is not about theory. It is about execution, "getting out of the building," and creating something awesome that people need.