Eric Ries Quotes

I think, when I see entrepreneurs, they tend to talk about the market and the industry - which is obviously very important, but the most important thing is you're product. What are you selling? And does it really have product-market fit?

It's easier to build a business around a first-class product, even if it's a more expensive product to produce.

If you're an entrepreneur and you're starting a company, I think the first thing you do is you go and talk to a bunch of people. But then the next thing you probably should do is figure out if there's a broader demand than just people you know. That's where I think SurveyMonkey is pretty valuable to people.

Every startup should address a real and demonstrated need in the world - if you build a solution to a problem lots of people have, it's so easy to sell your product to the world.

When the product is right, you don't have to be a great marketer.

Certainly, the human race can be fickle, and times do change, but overall, the barriers to bringing a product to market - and understanding what 'the market' wants - have remained unchanged.

Launching a successful product or startup has little to do with luck. Any business that gains traction on the market is the result of very careful strategizing and market analysis, not to mention the development of an original product or service.

My dad built his business by providing products he figured the customers would want.

A successful business must have a sound knowledge of its market and work on how its product or service will be different, stand out and improve people's lives. If you can ensure it responds to a real need in the market place, your business can punch well above its weight.

Creating demand is hard. Filling demand is easier. Don't create a product, then seek someone to sell it to. Find a market - define your customers - then find or develop a product for them.

Salads was a big indicator of that - there was a huge market out there for it. And why not tap it? Some of the things we are doing now around the globe are responding to customers. It's not because some guy sued you.

One of the top causes of startup death - right after cofounder problems - is building something no one wants.

If you're clear on what you believe, you have a great foundation to go make a market.

If you make a really good product that people want and are willing to pay for, money will come.

We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out who the customer is, what's the market and what kind of product you should build.

Wherever we are seeing something getting used, that to us is an early indicator that there might be something that people want. And then let's figure out how to make that great. And then let's go figure out monetization.

Don't spend months building something without any idea if someone actually wants it.

The goal of a private company is, first, zero to one: Get past the product-market fit; figure out whether people actually care about what you're trying to build and someone will pay you money for that. That's the zero to one problem.

Too many bar owners built a bar for themselves... when they should have built what their market and demographic demands!

The purpose of business is to make a reasonable return by making products and services that people want and value. If you are not, you are wasting resources.

Products are sold because they solve a problem or fill a need. Understanding problems and needs involves understanding customers and what makes them tick.

It typically takes multiple iterations and pivots to find product/market fit - the match between what you're building and who will buy it.

First and deadliest of all is a founder's unwavering belief that he or she understands who the customers will be, what they need, and how to sell it to them.

I think it's about being really smart about hitting the right consumer product spaces at the right time.

It's not the consumers' job to figure out what they want