Simple Models

Albert Einstein predicted the speed of light

from the comfort of his armchair.

He formulated the Theory of Relativity

without running a single empirical experiment.

Years later, he attributed his breakthrough insights,

not just to math and science, but to his simple mental models.

These models were built on everyday objects

like trains, clocks, and elevators and

helped him run hundreds of thought experiments

against problems in the current Newtonian model of the universe.

As I studied other scientists,

I found the same pattern:

Scientists first build a model.

Then they use experiments to validate (or invalidate) the model.

Entrepreneurs need simple models too.

Both the Lean Canvas and the Customer Factory

are such models.

Like Einstein’s models, they are simple and

help drive focus on specific problems

in complex and unknown environments.