The Startup Association
Thinking Differently About How We Approach The Future
Summary
This is an article about startup thinking. Most associations start as small, entirely volunteer-led, bootstrapped organizations. There is an inherent spirit of community and a positive rush in bringing together like-minded people to compare notes, learn from each other, and make progress.
As associations mature, they professionalize: bring on staff, create policy, manage budgets, etc. Though this is necessary and wise, something is lost. While our focus remains on membership, we become cautious in how we approach growth.
There is another way. Thinking like a startup means embracing a mindset of creativity, resilience, and constant learning, while focusing on solving real problems for real people in a way that’s fast, lean, and adaptable.
I lead the product community, a product development learning community designed specifically for associations. Let’s compare ideas and build something great.
How to Think Like a Startup
“The stars we are given. The constellations we make.”
Rebecca Solnit
Somewhat early in my career I worked for a startup. I was employee number ten and we were charged with developing the first private, nonprofit university in the only capital city lacking a four-year college. It was incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly hard work. I was the founding CIO, charged with building a team to evaluate, procure, and implement all technologies.
It was nothing but wild and easily the deepest, most wide-ranging learning experience I’ve ever encountered. It was also seat of the pants, risky, and full of roller coasters. Since then, I’ve learned it’s just as hard to run a complex organization as it is to start a new one. The key difference is mindset.
What if we could start an association from scratch?
Would we replicate our focus (membership-centric, volunteer-led)? Would we have similar offerings (events, publications, professional development)? Would we think of governance differently? Would we diversify revenue? Would we think differently about making an impact?
Thinking like a startup is different than running a mature organization. It means embracing a mindset that prioritizes innovation, agility, and continuous learning. It’s about approaching problems with a sense of urgency and resourcefulness, often with limited resources: time, money, or people. Here is a description in more depth:
Focus on Innovation and Problem-Solving. Startups are typically born out of a desire to solve a problem in a unique or more efficient way. It means constantly seeking novel solutions, staying curious, and challenging the status quo. Yes, we’re driven by a vision or a mission, but we’re willing to experiment to find the best way to reach our outcomes.
Agility and Flexibility. Startups pivot quickly when things don’t go as planned. The startup mentality emphasizes rapid testing, iteration, and the ability to adapt to feedback and changing circumstances. This means not becoming too attached to a single idea or strategy but being ready to adjust course as new information becomes available.
Embrace Risk and Learn from Failure. Thinking like a startup means being comfortable with uncertainty and viewing failure not as a setback, but as an opportunity to learn and improve. It’s about taking calculated risks and learning from mistakes without letting them stop you from moving forward.
Efficiency and Resourcefulness. In a startup, resources (money, talent, time) are often limited. This forces a mindset of doing more with less—finding creative solutions, optimizing processes, and prioritizing high-impact activities. Every decision is often made with an eye toward efficiency and sustainability, especially when funds are scarce.
Customer-Centric Thinking. Startups thrive by deeply understanding and responding to customer needs. This means staying close to the customer and continuously gathering feedback. Thinking like a startup involves being obsessive about customer experience and making sure your offerings truly solve their pain points.
Growth and Scalability. Startups are built with scalability in mind. This involves focusing on immediate growth while laying the groundwork for long-term success. It typically means focusing on building systems and processes that will support future scaling, developing repeatable processes, or cultivating a strong company culture.
Speed and Action. Startups move quickly. Thinking like a startup often means prioritizing action over overthinking. You need to be able to make decisions fast, implement them, and iterate quickly. The faster you act, the faster you can test and learn, which helps you find the most effective path forward.
Ownership and Hustle. There’s often a sense of personal ownership and responsibility in startups. Everyone contributes in ways that go beyond their defined roles. It’s about being resourceful, stepping up when needed, and having a strong work ethic to make things happen, even when it means working outside your comfort zone.
Building a Strong, Agile Team. A startup mindset includes cultivating an agile team—people who are passionate, flexible, and committed to learning and growing together. Building a culture of collaboration, transparency, and a shared vision is key to ensuring that everyone moves in the same direction, even as the organization adapts to new challenges and opportunities.
Long-Term Vision with a Short-Term Focus. Startups often have a long-term vision but are laser-focused on short-term goals. Thinking like a startup means balancing big-picture aspirations with the need to execute on actionable steps right now. It’s a combination of strategic thinking (for the future) and tactical execution (for the present).
Iterative Development. Rather than waiting until everything is perfect, startups launch quickly and then improve iteratively. This build-measure-learn approach encourages testing assumptions early, gathering feedback, and making adjustments based on real-world data. It’s about learning fast and avoiding perfectionism in favor of progress.
Thinking like a startup means embracing a mindset of creativity, resilience, and constant iteration, all while staying focused on solving real problems for real people in a way that’s fast, lean, and adaptable. It’s about being passionate, staying committed, and being willing to take calculated risks in order to build something new, even if the path ahead is unclear.
How We’d Be Different
“Five years from now you will wish you started today.”
Kevin Kelly
By nature, associations are designed for safety and caution. There is a vested interest in preserving the sacred cow and going along to get along. This may mean we’re well-managed, but in doing so we avoid risk and, as a result, often get painted into a corner. It becomes hard to change, even if we wanted to.
In contrast, thinking like a startup means questioning norms, becoming comfortable with some ambiguity, and looking for ways to change the game rather than play by the established rules. The difference is based in a resilience mindset that keeps us anchored on a compelling shared vision yet wildly hustling to serve in a way that benefits our members now and long into the future.
Taking guidance from the eleven features above, I recommend four ways to get in the innovation game:
Identify and reward innovation catalysts – According to Bill McEvily, innovation catalysts are people who have a “knack for cultivating networks that combine a sense of community and a diversity of perspectives.” Innovation catalysts are dot connectors which make them perfect to “inspire new ideas and enhance their development.”
Build a product community – A product community is a great way for associations to invest in a team-based approach to innovation. This way, we understand our members deeply and can anticipate and provide offerings to keep them engaged meaningfully over time. From this, comes an agile approach to value creation, diversified revenue, and membership growth.
Hold an idea summit – Leveraging common experiences like our annual gatherings can be a great opportunity to tap the membership for new ideas. Large scale ideation through the lens of design thinking can engage members while pushing them to identify and verify ideas that can be green-lit for development.
Earmark innovation monies in the budget – A great way to chip away at an innovation agenda is to earmark money in the budget. Yes, association budgets are tight, but it is a priority to set aside time and money to think creatively about the future. This alone gives us permission to spinoff existing products to new markets or create novel solutions to respond to emerging trends.
Becoming comfortable with innovation helps us prepare for an unknown future. In turn, over time, we can earn the trust of our members, sponsors, and stakeholders. Though it’s hard to act like a pure startup, we can adopt a startup mindset. In doing so, we’ll chip away at the caution, behave with resilience, and create new value for members hungry for what’s next.
I lead the product community; we are a learning community because we believe great relationships help us create the value our members want. Remember, product-led growth fuels connection. Join the product community and flip your destiny.
About the Author
James Young is founder and chief learning officer of the product community®. Jim is an engaging trainer and leading thinker in the worlds of associations, learning communities, and product development. Prior to starting the product community®, Jim served as Chief Learning Officer at both the American College of Chest Physicians and the Society of College and University Planning. Please contact me for a conversation: james@productcommunity.us