About Me

Hey, I’m Étienne.

I help growth stage startups find their best customer segments so they can grow more systematically at Sliced.

I’m a three-time Startup Founder (Highlights, Flagback, and HireVoice), a five-time entrepreneur, and a customer research expert. I love Lean, Agile, and Customer Development, and I specialize in B2B.

In 2014, I published the first edition of Lean B2B: Build Products Businesses Want (second edition now available). The Lean B2B Methodology helps thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators worldwide build successful businesses. The Lean B2B Masterclass expands on the content of the book.

In 2020, I followed up Lean B2B with three additional books: Find Your Market, The SaaS Email Marketing Playbook, and Solving Product.

My presentation 26 Time Management Hacks I Wish I’d Known at 20 was viewed by more than 32 million people.


What I Looked Like in 2022.

 

Étienne Garbugli Photo
Étienne Garbugli Photo
Étienne Garbugli Photo
Étienne Garbugli Photo

You can download high-res versions of any of the photos by clicking on them.

All photo credits: Simon Vosgueritchian

Random Facts.

I grew up near Montreal, Canada. I studied Communications and Marketing. I created my first Website in 1998 (a GeoCities bass tablature Website). I founded five businesses. I have over 18 years of experience in UX with highlights working as lead on a $40M flight reservation system at Aeroplan and defining Concordia University’s first-ever Intranet. I lived in Beijing, Hong Kong, Tbilisi, Singapore, etc, and I’ve been permanently traveling/working on the road since 2017 (view my travel map).

12 Things About Me. Most of Them Are True.

  1. Everything I own fits in a locker.
  2. I learn Chinese for the pleasure of learning. It got me from Hong Kong to the Kyrgyz border (Far West China).
  3. I plan to do a round-the-world trip someday I did a round-the-world trip in 2017. You can view my photos here.
  4. I actually like Keynote and PowerPoint. Honestly.
  5. I don’t own a car. I don’t plan to buy one.
  6. I know an awful lot way too much about hockey. I miss the game living in Italy.
  7. My goal in life is to make a dent in the universe.
  8. I’ve had three knee surgeries (same knee) in the span of 5 years.
  9. I created a card game. I’m proud of the results.
  10. In a previous life, I played a lot of music and wrote soundtracks for movies. I was good at it.
  11. I love meeting new people. I’m a good networker.
  12. I created “Garbugli’s Law”. It even got Mike Godwin‏’s approval.