Why Corporations Need to Think Like a Lean Startup—Even When They Have Money to Burn

When I first read The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, I assumed it was a book for scrappy founders with limited resources—people trying to make the most of what little they had. And while that’s certainly true, what struck me most was how much larger companies need this mindset just as much, if not more.

Big corporations have money, teams of specialists, and well-established processes. But what they often lack is agility—the ability to experiment rapidly, pivot when necessary, and stay close to customer needs. They become slow-moving giants burdened by red tape, afraid to take risks because they have more to lose. Ironically, it’s this risk aversion that can make them vulnerable to smaller, faster competitors who do think like startups.

How Lean Startup Thinking Changed My Perspective

Reading The Lean Startup shifted the way I view business at every level:

1. It’s Not Just About Startups – The principles of rapid experimentation, customer feedback loops, and iterative learning aren’t just for scrappy founders. They are universal tools for any company that wants to stay relevant.
2. More Money Can Be a Trap – Having a bigger budget often means companies default to spending their way through problems instead of testing and learning their way forward. They invest heavily in long, expensive projects that may not meet real market needs. Lean thinking forces a focus on validated learning rather than assumptions.
3. Specialization Can Slow You Down – As companies grow, roles become more rigid. Specialists work in silos, and cross-functional collaboration becomes an afterthought. Startups, on the other hand, require people to wear multiple hats and adapt quickly. Large corporations could benefit from breaking down these walls and fostering a more agile culture.
4. Red Tape Kills Innovation – Many companies introduce layers of approval processes to mitigate risk, but in reality, they stifle innovation. Startups move fast because they have to. Corporations should adopt the same urgency—not just for the sake of speed, but to stay ahead of disruption.

Applying Lean Thinking at Any Scale

Even in large organizations, teams can embrace the Lean Startup mindset by:

• Running small, low-cost experiments before committing to big projects
• Encouraging teams to operate like intrapreneurs, taking ownership of ideas
• Reducing bureaucratic barriers to decision-making
• Prioritizing customer feedback over internal assumptions

The companies that continue to thrive in the future won’t just be the biggest or the most well-funded—they’ll be the ones that can think and act like a lean startup, no matter their size.

What do you think? Have you seen examples of large organizations embracing (or struggling with) a lean mindset? Let’s discuss in the comments.