by Nathan R. Furr (Get the Book)Furr and Dyer (coauthor of The Innovator's DNA), both professors at Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Business, offer tips on getting a business to behave like a "lean start-up" by taking ideas to the market without going through the arduous and old-fashioned process of writing a business plan. The book lists the steps that smart start-ups (or established organizations looking to try something new) should follow: come up with an insight, understand the customer's problem, quickly develop "an awesome solution" to that problem, and create a business model, and finally generate revenue and scale your idea. The authors underscore that innovative companies understand the importance of transparency and are unafraid to seek input from outsiders. The strength of the book lies in its many examples and case studies, which range from two young Harvard Business School students founding a company for short-term rentals of high-end dresses to Budget Traveler magazine crowdsourcing editorial content from readers. Fuhr and Dyer present their ideas with clarity and enthusiasm, and include helpful diagrams and charts. Readers looking for a single volume on nimble innovation will find this guide indispensable. --Publishers Weekly
