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Some people make products. Some people teach others how to run a company, how to make a product, how to make a profitable small business. For the latter group

Some people make products. Some people teach others how to run a company, how to make a product, how to make a profitable small business. For the latter group of people, their words is the product.

lucisferre 15y ago
So what you are saying is that "those who can't do, teach?" No offence but I think people are right to be somewhat skeptical of consultants with little practical experience and no proven track record. Not to say there isn't value there sometimes, but there is a lot of smoke and mirrors and snake oil too. People are smart to be skeptical of so-called "teachers".
- swombat 15y ago
  To be fair on Eric Ries, he can and he did before he taught. It actually looks like most of the people that teach entrepreneurship via blogs and books are entrepreneurs themselves, with successes that speak for themselves.
  - hello_moto 15y ago
    I am by no mean questioning Eric Ries. I read his blog posts pre-Lean Startup days and his engineering methods fit with me. I think it was accidental for him to do the Lean Startup (something along the line of him being pushed by other to "hey, why don't you write more about this?") He definitely has the experience already. 1 failed startup. 1 successful (not sure how far, but up to the reader to decide the range of success) company. If he chose to venture out to public-speaking business, it's up to him to diversify his value.
  - lucisferre 15y ago
    That was my point, but perhaps I misunderstood the parent. The comment he was responding to simply pointed out how much cargo culting happens once a serious concept turns into a buzzword. Consultants and "teachers" start showing up at conferences and companies hawking their wares, which are long on platitudes and short on substance. Quite frankly it's tedious, you just have to attend any Agile conference today to observe this. The people who coined concepts like Agile and Lean Startup did so out of real world experiences and don't expect their ideas to be taken and applied literally, but understood by and interpreted primarily those who have or are going through similar experiences. Only people who attempt to grow and learn through experience can expect to effectively apply and teach other these concepts. Personally I've never believed that those who "can't do" have ever made very good teachers.
- hello_moto 15y ago
  I have no problem with that business model "can't do, will teach". People who make products can be questionable too. MLM is a product. Affiliate is also a product. Ponzi Scheme is a product. Online Gambling and Rakeback are products. Online dating is a product. Christian Mingle (online dating for Christian) is also another product. Lavalife and other Hotlines are also products. At the end of the day, it is up to the customers to wisely choose.
  - wpietri 15y ago
    At the end of the day, it is up to the customers to wisely choose. I honestly don't think that's a scalable answer. The creator of a product spends years thinking about the product. Customers often spend mere seconds before purchase. Given the number of purchasing decisions people have to make, I don't think it's realistic to depend on customer wisdom. Just look at how many consumer decisions about technology were terrible from the perspective of we nerdy experts. I think the first responsibility is on creators to create wisely. Then I think the community of entrepreneurs and makers has a responsibility to call out bad products and bad producers. With that accomplished, customer wisdom might have a chance.

Some people make products. Some people teach others how to run a company, how to make a product, how to make a profitable small business. For the latter group of people, their words is the product.

lucisferre 15y ago

So what you are saying is that "those who can't do, teach?" No offence but I think people are right to be somewhat skeptical of consultants with little practical experience and no proven track record. Not to say there isn't value there sometimes, but there is a lot of smoke and mirrors and snake oil too. People are smart to be skeptical of so-called "teachers".

swombat 15y ago
To be fair on Eric Ries, he can and he did before he taught. It actually looks like most of the people that teach entrepreneurship via blogs and books are entrepreneurs themselves, with successes that speak for themselves.
- hello_moto 15y ago
  I am by no mean questioning Eric Ries. I read his blog posts pre-Lean Startup days and his engineering methods fit with me. I think it was accidental for him to do the Lean Startup (something along the line of him being pushed by other to "hey, why don't you write more about this?") He definitely has the experience already. 1 failed startup. 1 successful (not sure how far, but up to the reader to decide the range of success) company. If he chose to venture out to public-speaking business, it's up to him to diversify his value.
- lucisferre 15y ago
  That was my point, but perhaps I misunderstood the parent. The comment he was responding to simply pointed out how much cargo culting happens once a serious concept turns into a buzzword. Consultants and "teachers" start showing up at conferences and companies hawking their wares, which are long on platitudes and short on substance. Quite frankly it's tedious, you just have to attend any Agile conference today to observe this. The people who coined concepts like Agile and Lean Startup did so out of real world experiences and don't expect their ideas to be taken and applied literally, but understood by and interpreted primarily those who have or are going through similar experiences. Only people who attempt to grow and learn through experience can expect to effectively apply and teach other these concepts. Personally I've never believed that those who "can't do" have ever made very good teachers.
hello_moto 15y ago
I have no problem with that business model "can't do, will teach". People who make products can be questionable too. MLM is a product. Affiliate is also a product. Ponzi Scheme is a product. Online Gambling and Rakeback are products. Online dating is a product. Christian Mingle (online dating for Christian) is also another product. Lavalife and other Hotlines are also products. At the end of the day, it is up to the customers to wisely choose.
- wpietri 15y ago
  At the end of the day, it is up to the customers to wisely choose. I honestly don't think that's a scalable answer. The creator of a product spends years thinking about the product. Customers often spend mere seconds before purchase. Given the number of purchasing decisions people have to make, I don't think it's realistic to depend on customer wisdom. Just look at how many consumer decisions about technology were terrible from the perspective of we nerdy experts. I think the first responsibility is on creators to create wisely. Then I think the community of entrepreneurs and makers has a responsibility to call out bad products and bad producers. With that accomplished, customer wisdom might have a chance.