On this page
The Founder Playbook covers getting from zero to revenue. This covers choosing which idea gets your time and deciding when to move on.
Choose what goes now
Done when: one idea has a buyer you can reach and an offer you can test this week
Give each idea one point for every yes:
Score using what you have today. A list of reachable buyers counts. An audience you plan to build is still work ahead.
Before your first revenue, break ties by the fastest credible path to payment. Consider what it will cost to deliver what you sell.
Keep the queue short:
An idea that needs partners, funding or long procurement can stay on the list. Revisit it when you have the resources to test it properly.
Set the test before starting
Done when: the offer, test, budget and decision date are written down
- Name the buyer and the problem
- Write the offer, price and smallest deliverable
- Choose one way to reach buyers
- Define enough activity to judge the response
- Decide what evidence earns more time
- Set a review date and a limit on hours and cash
For a small B2B offer, an example could be four weeks, 100 qualified contacts, 10 conversations and five direct offers. The target might be one paid pilot. Adjust the numbers to the offer and your capacity before starting.
For B2C, define the audience, marketing angles, spending limit and purchase target. Set the maximum cost you can afford to acquire a customer. Include the cost of serving them.
Start the test clock when outreach or marketing begins. Give preparation its own deadline too.
Match the review date to the buying process. A longer sale may need an intermediate milestone: a named budget owner, a scoped pilot and a dated next step. Payment is stronger evidence than a letter of intent. Record the difference.
Make the decision
Done when: you have chosen to continue, change the test or stop
Review the evidence weekly. Keep the original test visible beside the results.
A quiet inbox leaves demand unresolved. Check delivery, targeting and the message. Five conversations without a priced offer leave willingness to pay unresolved too.
If the activity target was missed, record why. Decide whether a smaller test is feasible within your remaining budget.
Extend a deadline when something concrete changed: a buyer introduced the budget owner, scheduled a pilot or agreed to a paid trial. Write the reason and the new date. Keep the original deadline in your notes.
Carry the useful work forward
Done when: the result is recorded and the next idea has a clear starting point
- Keep the company, brand and domains where they still fit the next business
- Keep relevant contacts and relationships. Update the audience before reusing a list
- Save messages, formats and channels that reached the right people
- Save customer language, objections, workarounds and buying steps
- Keep useful code, processes and tooling
Write a short handoff to yourself:
- What we tested
- What buyers actually did
- Why we stopped or continued
- What is reusable
- What the next test needs to answer
Always
- Count payments separately from promises
- Set aside time for reaching customers every week
- Make the decision from the written results, after sleep and a break
Final words
Some ideas deserve another month. Others have used the time and money you were willing to spend.
Make that decision deliberately. Keep the relationships, skills and useful work. Give the next idea a defined test of its own.