--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to reengineer companies to focus…" description: "\"We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out who the customer is, what's the market and what kind of product you should build.\" — Eric Ries" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/eric-ries-2911_business_we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus_363534.png" --- # We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out… ![“We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out who the customer is, what's the market and what kind of product you should build.” quote by Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/eric-ries-2911_business_we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus_363534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/eric-ries-2911_business_we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus_363534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/eric-ries-2911_business_we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus_363534.png) > “We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out who the customer is, what's the market and what kind of product you should build.” [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Companies should redesign around understanding customers, market, and product fit. **In simple terms:** Focus on customer, market, product. Key Takeaway Iterate based on real user needs. Themes innovation business strategy customer focus Mood analytical pragmatic Type business educational When to use this quote - startup planning - product development - market research Key Concepts lean methodology product‑market fit Questions to Reflect On - How to embed customer insight in culture? - What tools aid rapid market testing? A Different Perspective May underestimate internal resistance to change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) ## Related quotes > [People are going to copy your product if you build great stuff. 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If you have amazing products, the marketing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-feld/i-have-shifted-my-mindset-in-terms-of-how-companies-should-focus-on/) [Brad Feld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-feld/) > [Companies that only focus on expense reduction are all but dead as they will find themselves sooner or later unable to reduce anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-cardone/companies-that-only-focus-on-expense-reduction-are-all-but-dead-as/) [Grant Cardone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-cardone/) > [HubSpot has used the lean startup method to build a spectacularly successful company. 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What I particularly love about HubSpot is that they are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/hubspot-has-used-the-lean-startup-method-to-build-a-spectacularly/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [By the time that product is ready to be distributed widely, it will already have established customers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/by-the-time-that-product-is-ready-to-be-distributed-widely-it-will/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [It was 1999, and we were building a way for college kids to create online profiles for the purpose of sharing... with employers. Oops.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/it-was-1999-and-we-were-building-a-way-for-college-kids-to-create/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Except in very narrow cases, where there's breakthrough science that needs patent production, worrying about competitors is a waste of time. If you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/except-in-very-narrow-cases-where-there-s-breakthrough-science-that/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“waiting too long to release can lead to the ultimate waste: making something that nobody wants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/waiting-too-long-to-release-can-lead-to-the-ultimate-waste-making/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [There's nothing wrong with raising venture capital. Many lean startups are ambitious and are able to deploy large amounts of capital. What differentiates them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-raising-venture-capital-many-lean-startups/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“In the Lean Startup model, every product, every feature, every marketing campaign—everything a startup does—is understood to be an experiment designed to achieve validated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/in-the-lean-startup-model-every-product-every-feature-every-marketing/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Learning is the essential unit of progress for startups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/learning-is-the-essential-unit-of-progress-for-startups/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“...a long-term reputation is only at risk when companies engage in vocal launch activities such as PR and building hype. When a product fails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/a-long-term-reputation-is-only-at-risk-when-companies-engage-in-vocal/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-minimum-viable-product-is-that-version-of-a-new-product-which/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Every startup has a chance to change the world, by bringing not just a new product, but an entirely new institution into existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/every-startup-has-a-chance-to-change-the-world-by-bringing-not-just-a/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Entrepreneurs can't forecast accurately, because they are trying something fundamentally new. So they will often be laughably behind plan - and on the brink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/entrepreneurs-can-t-forecast-accurately-because-they-are-trying/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Meritocracy is a good thing. Whenever possibly, people should be judged based on their work and results, not superficial qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/meritocracy-is-a-good-thing-whenever-possibly-people-should-be-judged/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [The lean startup method is not about cost, it is about speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-lean-startup-method-is-not-about-cost-it-is-about-speed/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) [Explore all 138 Eric Ries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out who the customer is, what's the market and what kind of product you should build.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Ries" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus-on-figuring-out-who-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus-on-figuring-out-who-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/eric-ries-2911_business_we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus_363534.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/eric-ries-2911_business_we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus_363534.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/eric-ries-2911_business_we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus_363534.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We need to reengineer companies to focus on figuring out who the customer is, what's the market and what…” — Eric Ries", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eric Ries", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We need to reengineer companies to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus-on-figuring-out-who-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/we-need-to-reengineer-companies-to-focus-on-figuring-out-who-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```