2 builders who never spoke to each other

Write the strategy down on one page

State how you intend to win, in language short enough that someone can recite it, so the assumptions are visible and at least consistent with each other. A sharp early theory is worth more than a vague safe one, because only a specific claim can be contradicted by reality and pivoted on purpose.

The method

1. 01

   Write down a definition of the thing you are trying to build and choose factors you can answer yes or no about, because otherwise you have no way of telling whether you have got there.

2. 02

   Write your ambition down in plain language at the start, however oversized it looks, because it gives you something to steer by and to measure against years later.

3. 03

   Keep the written strategy short enough that people remember it, because nobody rereads a long deck and a plan that cannot be recited cannot guide daily decisions.

4. 04

   Write your strategy on one page early, stating how you intend to win, so your assumptions are visible and at least consistent with each other.

5. 05

   Commit to a specific first theory of the business even though it will be wrong, because only a sharp theory lets you notice reality contradicting it and pivot on purpose instead of wandering.

What it returned

• 2007

  A 2007 notebook page of early Indy Hall goals included being the first city to turn up at SXSW as a city rather than as scattered individuals, and showing off the best of Philadelphia to the best in the world.

• 39

  The Tesla master plan ran to 39 words, with 1,200 words of justification sitting behind it.

• Hillman settles on participation, relationships and empathy as the three factors, picked partly because each one is visibly present or absent in any group you look at.

• He points to Smart Bear, Slack, WhatsApp and Flickr all reaching their real product by pivoting from a specific first idea.

Sources

• The three necessary ingredients for community. Do you have them?Alex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · The Three Defining Factors of Communities · 2012-11-01
• Indy Hall Community featured in Select Greater Philadelphia annual reportAlex Hillman · dangerouslyawesome.com · 2013-05-01
• What makes a strategy greatJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · Simple · 2023-08-13
• The roadmap to Product/Market Fit (PMF)… maybeJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · Early strategy · 2023-12-24