According to Harvard Business School research, 75% of startups fail. To increase their chances of success, many entrepreneurs have started exploring the potential of lean methodology, which has been widely known as a ‘fail fast’ approach. There is a certain paradox: startups are fighting to secure their market position by adopting the ‘fail fast’ approach across their supply chain. Despite this paradox, lean methodology is an effective counter-measure against business failure. The lean approach could also be successfully implemented in the context of personal branding, whose importance continues to grow. Entrepreneurs could increase the chances of success of their ventures if they also invest their resources in building lean personal brands.