Trim the Fat From Your StartupThe lean movement is often associated with big business, but its principles can work for small companies, too.

The lean movement, the concept that businesses should eliminate waste in order to use less capital and fewer resources, is often associated with major multinationalmanufacturers. But John Shook, chairman and CEO of the Cambridge, Mass.-basedLean Enterprise Institute, says the principles work for companies of all sizes, in all industries. Here he explains how startups can think lean and--trickier--stay lean while maintaining growth.

What do you mean by a lean enterprise?
Lean thinking is delivering value for customers with minimal resources. It is not about cost reduction. Instead, the focus is on customer value. There's nothing so meaningless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.