Founders Need to Be Ruthless When Chasing Deals
Summary
Steve Blank argues that founders pursuing enterprise deals must be ruthless about the path to a purchase order. He uses a real-world anecdote to show how enthusiasm for a demo can waste engineering time and resources. The post prescribes a disciplined approach to qualifying prospects, mapping the end-to-end approval process, and using cancelable purchase orders to identify serious buyers and avoid chasing low-probability opportunities.