Mentor Browse the playbook
Business playbook
Build a business.
One useful step at a time.
Test an idea, find your first customers, price your work, and deliver a useful paid pilot. Practical lessons with worked examples and worksheets you can use today.
Start with the business decision in front of you. Follow the path from idea to delivery, or go straight to a lesson. The planning and review chapters help you carry the work through.
01 Build the business
- Validate a business idea
Test a business idea with customer interviews, a small paid pilot, and clear decision criteria. Includes a worked example and a validation worksheet.
- Interview potential customers
Run a customer discovery interview before building. Use a 20-minute script, neutral questions, a worked example, and a downloadable notes template.
- Find your first customers
Find your first customers without an audience. Choose a channel, build a prospect list, and test a paid pilot with worked examples and a worksheet.
- Price an offer
Price a fixed-price service with revision time included. Separate corrections from extra scope, calculate a change quote, and use the pricing worksheet.
- Run a paid pilot
Deliver your first paid service pilot with a clear brief, acceptance checks, a customer handoff, and a cost review. Includes an example and worksheet.
02 Plan the work
03 Follow through
04 Review and adjust
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