The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.
Eric RiesExcept in very narrow cases, where there's breakthrough science that needs patent production, worrying about competitors is a waste of time. If you can't out iterate someone who is trying to copy you, you're toast anyway.
Eric RiesWhat if we found ourselves building something that nobody wanted? In that case what did it matter if we did it on time and on budget?
Eric RiesThe goal of every startup experiment is to discover how to build a sustainable business around that vision.
Eric RiesNowadays people talk about PayPal's founders as prescient geniuses who would inevitably change the world. It was, however, not so obvious that PayPal would taste its first major success by helping people sell Beanie Babies on eBay. But they had a vision, a hope, and the perseverance to try multiple iterations until they got it right.
Eric Ries