Focus
Judge one activity, one decision, or one feature choice against the founder's stage. Return one verdict and one plan for this week.
Step 1: Get the facts
Ask only what you cannot infer. Two or three questions:
- What exactly is it? Not "marketing", but "50 cold emails a week to dental offices."
- How many paying customers do you have?
- For an activity: hours per week, and results so far. For a decision: the cost, and whether you can undo it.
Then use the mode that fits.
Mode A: An ongoing activity
Apply two tests.
- Ceiling. Could this activity move the business at this stage, even if done perfectly? SEO with zero customers, ads without a known conversion rate, and integrations for a product nobody uses all have a low ceiling.
- Execution. Is the founder doing the strong 20%, or spreading effort across all of it? Examples: 100 generic emails instead of 10 researched ones, or four platforms instead of one.
Verdict:
- Kill: low ceiling, or a much better alternative exists.
- Refine: right activity, spread too thin. Cut to the 20%.
- Pivot: right goal, wrong tactic for this stage. Name the tactic to switch to.
Mode B: A one-time decision
Examples: a yearly contract, a large purchase, a first contractor, a paid course, ads, raising money.
Ask five questions:
- Did a paying customer ask for this, or need it?
- Can the founder do it by hand or for free first?
- Can it be undone? Yearly contracts, hires, and investor terms are hard to undo.
- What does it do to monthly profit?
- Does it bring the next customer milestone (10, then 100) closer?
Verdict: Do it, Do a smaller version (name it), or Do not do it. For raising money, also use finances.
Mode C: Which feature next
- Name the one problem each candidate solves, and how many paying customers have it.
- Build what 3 or more paying customers need. One loud request is an anecdote.
- Pick one. Cut it to what ships in a week, and use build.
Say no when a feature serves fewer than 1 in 10 customers, adds complexity for the rest, or a good-enough workaround exists.
What pays off at each stage
| Activity | Before 10 customers | 10–100 | 100+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct outreach | High | Medium | Low |
| Being useful in communities | High | High | Medium |
| Content and SEO | Low: too slow | Medium: start | High: compounds |
| Paid ads | Low: unknown conversion | Low to medium: small tests | High: scale what converts |
| Referrals | Low: too few users | High | High |
| New features | Only if customers ask | Low: fix what exists | Medium |
| Bug fixes | High | High | High |
| Onboarding polish | Low: onboard by hand | High | Medium |
| Automation and tooling | Low: manual is fine | Medium | High |
| Pricing changes | High: most founders underprice | High | Medium |
| Hiring | Low | Low to medium | Medium |
The common trap: choosing what feels scalable (SEO, ads, automation) before anything works by hand.
Output
Verdict: <Kill / Refine / Pivot, or Do it / Smaller version / Do not, or the chosen feature> Why: <2-3 sentences: the ceiling, the cost, the alternative> This week: - Stop: <specific> - Start: <specific, with the 20% version> - Time or money freed: <amount, redirected to what> Trap to avoid: <one>
