May 2026 – Lean startup

"Lean Startup gives me a foundation in the most important thing – knowing when to stay the course and when to make a change. At Medical Insider, we constantly work with what our users tell us, and only based on real data do we move products and services forward. But the book resonated with me beyond business – the principles of active listening and authentic partnership with customers apply just as much in friendship and other relationships. What struck me personally the most is the obsession with treating others the right way. I keep asking myself: am I treating the people around me properly? Am I validating my inner guru? Lean Startup isn’t just a book about startups – it’s a reminder that it’s always about people."

Says Aiman Al Masani, co-founder and CFO of Medical Insider, about the book.

Most startup founders fail not because they are lazy or stupid. They fail because they spend years working on something nobody wants. Eric Ries wrote "Lean Startup" as a response to this paradox – and since then, he has changed the way the world thinks about building anything new.

The core of the book is working with a minimum viable product (MVP) – the idea that it makes sense to get to market as early as possible, gather real data, and only then build further. Not according to a plan, but according to reality.

Ries shows that the key skill for every founder and leader is recognizing when to stay the course and when to pivot with a product or service. This moment – the so-called pivot – is not a failure but a sign of intelligence and courage. The book offers a concrete framework for making this decision based on data, not guesswork, and how to avoid the trap of apparent progress that actually leads nowhere.

"Lean Startup" goes beyond the startup world. The philosophy of actively listening to customers – not as annoying questioning, but as an authentic effort to be their partner and help them find solutions – is transferable to any relationship, professional or personal. Ries leads us to an obsession with treating others right and constantly validating our own inner compass. After all, it’s always about people.

Who is Aiman Al Masani?

Aiman Al Masani is co-founder and CFO of Medical Insider, the largest community of medical students and doctors in the Czech Republic.