I like Ben's point that being lean isn't a goal in itself for a startup. Dominating a market and not running out of cash are the goals. Running lean often helps

I like Ben's point that being lean isn't a goal in itself for a startup. Dominating a market and not running out of cash are the goals. Running lean often helps with these goals, especially early on, but if fattening up a bit helps you dominate the market or not run out of cash (through revenue), that's what you should do. I had a friend who ran a small business, and was overly concerned with costs. It was almost like he was more interested in reducing the expense line than increasing the revenue line. So that's what happened - both numbers went down, and he's working on his own today.