If you work for a big brand, lean principles can be a bit scary. The definitions for product development are fluid from the beginning, meaning you can’t really “sign off” on a detailed spec. Specs and deliverable sign offs are your friends in big co. It’s safe and easy. You list what you need, get sign off from the boss and then build it. It’s the tried and true Waterfall model. The priority, often, is lower risk and job security for you.

But big brands should adopt lean principles and, if you work for a big brand, you should be a lean champion. Here’s why:

• Lean is about building better products for people. You want better products because it makes your job more secure.
• Lean is about minimizing waste and maximizing results from the work you DO. You want that because that’s how you increase job security for yourself. Be productive. Get results. You win. Your company wins.
• Lean is about figuring out, in the most cost effective way possible, how to beat your competitors. That’s what your company wants, right? It’s all just education.

I get it thought. The spec and feature lists may be safer in the short-term. You will probably keep your job. At least as long as you are protected by big co. And big co manages to stay in business. But for you, for the long-term, Lean is your friend.

Entrepreneur? Looking to make a difference? At Fabric, we're looking to solve problems and build useful digital products for people like you. We've shredded our marketing services and now we're 100% focused on product development. It's time we get together, don't you think?

We can help you with…

• Product/Market Fit: Minimum viable product builds for start-ups tackling problems in target verticals (web/mobile Alpha/BETA apps)
• Product development: Pivots and user acquisition strategy and execution
• Creative product and technology support: concept, design, and development services for brands and agencies that have incomplete teams or expertise

Let's do this!

It's really fantastic to see that people are pouring energy into the LA startup scene. Several new incubators have popped up and some, such as LaunchPad LA, are offering serious cash for young startup entrepreneurs. Thanks to people like Mark Suster, who has become a top five VC blogger over the past few years, the energy in LA is real and it seems as if the city might just explode with tech startups.

Working with entrepreneurs in the early stages (pre-seed) is very exciting. We're super lucky to have the chance to work on some interesting products with some amazing people. Watch this space for the next few months. I think you'll see a few strong companies unveiled. Thanks!

For the past year, we've spent most of our time focusing on a new path - a new strategy - for Fabric.

Today, we announce (officially!) that we are 100% committed to helping entrepreneurs, brands, and media build new digital products and drive key usage metrics for those products.

So why would a Startup or brand work with Fabric and not just hire it's own team?

It's fairly simple. Most startups or brands that come to have two key challenges:

• They have limited cash and need to bring a new product to market (for testing or raising Seed capital)
• They need an experienced product/technical team with a proven process for Alpha/BETA builds

What we offer is a faster and less costly route to market for those who do not have their full teams in place. We are focused on the first 6 months of the product cycle - taking a product from zero to 100,000 users. Fabric's teams and process is focused on driving key usage metrics from fast learning and rapid product iteration.

At the product development level, we bring:

• Product focused design and engineering teams (2)
• Rapid Product Iteration Process (Lean Startup)
• Advice from experienced entrepreneurs and product designers
• Experience of success and failure
• Large existing code base and tools to speed up development

We know that the most challenging aspect of bringing a new product to market is to get initial traction and drive usage. Therefore, in addition to our Rapid Iterative Product Development Process we also offer go-to-market services for new products and Startups:

• Initial user-acquisition support
• Marketing and social media programs and teams
• Advice and support on core metrics and processes for measuring what matters
• Access to deep network of potential launch partners in most verticals

If you have a new Internet/mobile consumer or SaaS product, we want to talk to you. Right now, the product we build sits within social, mobile, geo-location, and SaaS, but we're open to any project that is utility based and/or is attempting to solve a real problem. Call us!