The Mom Test is a quick, practical guide that will save you time, money, and heartbreak.
They say you shouldn't ask your mom whether your business is a good idea, because she loves you and will lie to you. This is technically true, but it misses the point. You shouldn't ask anyone if your business is a good idea. It's a bad question and everyone will lie to you at least a little. As a matter of fact, it's not their responsibility to tell you the truth. It's your responsibility to find it and it's worth doing right.
Talking to customers is one of the foundational skills of both Customer Development and Lean Startup. We all know we're supposed to do it, but nobody seems willing to admit that it's easy to screw up and hard to do right. This book is going to show you how customer conversations go wrong and how you can do better.
Review
"Read this short book! We believe this is the best and most accessible book for entrepreneus who are seeking product market fit.
-- Simon Murdoch. Partner Episode1 Ventures
Recommended by world-class investors "[The Mom Test] book is awesome. We've been recommending it to all YC founders since last batch."
-- Eric Migicovsky, Partner, Y Combinator
"If you aren't sure about how to ask the "right" questions to ascertain whether there is real customer pain, the best book on the subject is The Mom Test. I highly recommend it."
-- Carlos Espinal, Partner, Seedcamp
"Early stage founders - Please read The Mom Test. Just got this feedback from one of our companies: 'Big thanks for recommending [the book]. It totally changed the way we structure customer conversations.'"
-- Connor Murphy, Venture Partner, TechStars
Taught at top universities
"Ounce for ounce, there's no better way to learn what customers want and will buy than this wonderful little book. If you want your new product or new business to succeed, start here."
-- John Mullins, London Business School. Author of The New Business Road. "[A] very useful book, which you will find incredibly helpful in structuring better conversations with potential customers."
-- Dave Chapman, University College London
Beloved by practitioners
"This is one of the few great practical books I've ever read. Whoever has an idea to build something, please read it before even wasting your resources."
-- Emre Güney, Global Senior Lifecycle Manager, Skyscanner
"Had a great hour-long customer discovery call. Can't recommend the Mom Test enough. The questions got him talking SO openly without me having to do much. So far, best business book I bought."
-- Philipp Heuberger, Founder
"The Mom Test is amazing. I recommend it constantly and refer to it weekly."
-- Bryan Harris, Founder
People ask me why I've been sharing The Mom Test so much. It's because it represents a "big idea" that every business person should know: "You can't trust what customers say they'll do in the future. You can only trust how they currently do things."
-- Justin Jackson, Founder
"Most business books are half fluff; this is not. It's 100% practical guidance. I was so impressed that I've been referencing it constantly in conversations with co-workers. It's a short, entertaining, and very-easy-to-apply read. Big thumbs up".
-- S.K., Founder
About the Author
Rob is a tech entrepreneur of 10 years, obsessed with the question of how to get better information from customers before we've committed to building everything. Originally a programmer far more comfortable behind a screen than in a meeting, he was forced into figuring out enterprise sales at his first startup, where he learned that it's not as straightforward as the books tend to claim. He's raised funding from YCombinator and other top investors in the US & UK, has built products used by brands like Sony and MTV, and has bootstrapped profitable businesses with not outside investment. Over the past few years, he's also worked with thousands of other entrepreneurs and investors to help them learn the same skills and lessons that were originally so difficult to discover.
From the Author
I'm making short videos answering questions about The Mom Test at geni.us/robfitzchannel --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Description:
The Mom Test is a quick, practical guide that will save you time, money, and heartbreak.
They say you shouldn't ask your mom whether your business is a good idea, because she loves you and will lie to you. This is technically true, but it misses the point. You shouldn't ask anyone if your business is a good idea. It's a bad question and everyone will lie to you at least a little. As a matter of fact, it's not their responsibility to tell you the truth. It's your responsibility to find it and it's worth doing right.
Talking to customers is one of the foundational skills of both Customer Development and Lean Startup. We all know we're supposed to do it, but nobody seems willing to admit that it's easy to screw up and hard to do right. This book is going to show you how customer conversations go wrong and how you can do better.
Review
"Read this short book! We believe this is the best and most accessible book for entrepreneus who are seeking product market fit.
-- Simon Murdoch. Partner Episode1 Ventures
Recommended by world-class investors
"[The Mom Test] book is awesome. We've been recommending it to all YC founders since last batch."
-- Eric Migicovsky, Partner, Y Combinator
"If you aren't sure about how to ask the "right" questions to ascertain whether there is real customer pain, the best book on the subject is The Mom Test. I highly recommend it."
-- Carlos Espinal, Partner, Seedcamp
"Early stage founders - Please read The Mom Test. Just got this feedback from one of our companies: 'Big thanks for recommending [the book]. It totally changed the way we structure customer conversations.'"
-- Connor Murphy, Venture Partner, TechStars
Taught at top universities
"Ounce for ounce, there's no better way to learn what customers want and will buy than this wonderful little book. If you want your new product or new business to succeed, start here."
-- John Mullins, London Business School. Author of The New Business Road. "[A] very useful book, which you will find incredibly helpful in structuring better conversations with potential customers."
-- Dave Chapman, University College London
Beloved by practitioners
"This is one of the few great practical books I've ever read. Whoever has an idea to build something, please read it before even wasting your resources."
-- Emre Güney, Global Senior Lifecycle Manager, Skyscanner
"Had a great hour-long customer discovery call. Can't recommend the Mom Test enough. The questions got him talking SO openly without me having to do much. So far, best business book I bought."
-- Philipp Heuberger, Founder
"The Mom Test is amazing. I recommend it constantly and refer to it weekly."
-- Bryan Harris, Founder
People ask me why I've been sharing The Mom Test so much. It's because it represents a "big idea" that every business person should know: "You can't trust what customers say they'll do in the future. You can only trust how they currently do things."
-- Justin Jackson, Founder
"Most business books are half fluff; this is not. It's 100% practical guidance. I was so impressed that I've been referencing it constantly in conversations with co-workers. It's a short, entertaining, and very-easy-to-apply read. Big thumbs up".
-- S.K., Founder
About the Author
Rob is a tech entrepreneur of 10 years, obsessed with the question of how to get better information from customers before we've committed to building everything. Originally a programmer far more comfortable behind a screen than in a meeting, he was forced into figuring out enterprise sales at his first startup, where he learned that it's not as straightforward as the books tend to claim. He's raised funding from YCombinator and other top investors in the US & UK, has built products used by brands like Sony and MTV, and has bootstrapped profitable businesses with not outside investment. Over the past few years, he's also worked with thousands of other entrepreneurs and investors to help them learn the same skills and lessons that were originally so difficult to discover.
From the Author
I'm making short videos answering questions about The Mom Test at geni.us/robfitzchannel --This text refers to the paperback edition.