Beware - just because something comes from Stanford, doesn't make it meaningful or insightful. This is just restating common knowledge with flow charts.
This presentation is condensed from his book "Four Steps to the Epiphany" which is well worth reading. Eric Ries has written a good post that marries this methodology with agile at http://startuplessonslearned.blogspot.com/2008/09/customer-d...
On meta note, to elevate the level of discussion here I suggest that you try addressing substance of the matter being presented, not attacking the personality of the presenter.
You, on the other hand, did not defend the content of the presentation, but rather cited some qualifications of the author - ironically, just what I warned against accepting as proof of credibility.
My counterpoint: Steven Blank has vast first-hand experience in startups.
Any more questions?
My point was not that the author is theorizing without connection to reality. My point was I've heard the same thing said in half a sentence that he took dozens of slides to say.
But it's got that nice academic sheen!
1. The founders must sell. They must listen to prospects.
2. They cannot hire a VP of sales until they have learned how to sell the product.
3. The founders should view their business as a guess.
4. They can see if they are correct by selling, which will confirm:
a. Who the customer is (who will pay for the product)
b. How to talk about the product
c. If product has the right featuresIs there a reason why you thought so? Are you aware of a better way of doing this, according to you? We'd like to hear.