Small experiments

What it means

A small experiment is a cheap, quick test of a guess before you commit real money or time. You decide what you believe, set up a simple way to check it, and let the result tell you what to do next.

Every new price, product, ad or process starts as a guess. You may feel sure, but feeling sure is not evidence. A small experiment turns your guess into something you can see, count and compare.

Why it matters

Big bets made on opinion can cost a year and a lot of money. A small test costs a week and a small amount. If it works, you grow it. If it fails, you have lost little and learned much. Over time, owners who test often make better calls than those who plan perfectly and launch once.

• You stop arguing over opinions and look at results.
• Failures become small and cheap.
• Your team feels safe suggesting ideas, because ideas get tested, not judged.

How to use it

1. Write your guess as one sentence, such as "If we offer free pickup, more customers will book a service."
2. Decide the one number that will tell you if it worked, and the target, before you start.
3. Run the test on a small group, for one or two weeks, with a fixed small budget.
4. Compare the result with your target. Do not change the target afterwards.
5. Decide: grow it, change it, or drop it. Write the lesson

Common mistakes

• Running a test with no clear number to judge it.
• Making the test so big that it is no longer small.
• Changing three things at once and not knowing which one worked.
• Ignoring a result because it hurts your idea.

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