earthscreen

Today was the last day of earthscreen, a project I started with good intentions, like most startups. earthscreen for me was different for two reasons: first, I used a different, extremely lean model without venture investors, and second, it had a social mission.

earthscreen was also important for me because it is the last company I will launch using traditional methods. By traditional, I mean the traditional "innovation method" of starting with an idea, launch, and iterate.

In current terminology, earthscreen was launched using a "lean startup" method, a "fail fast" development process, and a "pivot" strategy. We were lean, we failed fast, and we pivoted. And that was the problem, not the solution.

All three of these techniques are fundamentally broken because they are based on the traditional, ill-defined definition of a market. And these techniques are flawed because they are built on the belief that customers have "latent needs."

Thankfully, it was because of earthscreen that I came discover Tony Ulwick, Strategyn, and Outcome-Driven Innovation. And I can honestly say that my professional life was changed forever.

Tony and Strategyn pioneered a new way to define markets, needs, opportunities, strategy and innovation based on the idea that customers hire products to get a job done, and that all the customer needs in a market can be identified. Customer needs can be identified because customers use metrics (called outcomes) to judge if they can execute the job quickly, predictably, and successfully.

I am extremely lucky to now be part of the Strategyn team and to have Tony as both a colleague and a close friend. 

So, while today is the end of earthscreen, it is the start of a new future of innovation and venturing for me. And my goal is still the same, to use innovation to help make people's lives better and the world a better place.