# Founder

> Startup founder workflows and validation. Use when the user mentions idea validation, startup idea, business idea, competitor analysis, persona generation, go-to-market planning, user interviews, Mom Test, MVP planning, market research, pivot decisions, co-founder dynamics, startup advice, or first-time founder questions. Also triggers on: founder, startup, validate idea, business model, product-market fit, early stage, pre-seed, bootstrapping, lean startup, customer development, launch, traction, side project, founder mindset, mental health, imposter syndrome, burnout, grit, growth mindset, productivity, deep work, time blocking, Build-Measure-Learn, validated learning, pivot signals, earlyvangelists, getting out of the building, book insights, founder psychology.

- Skill: `ceoimperiumprojects/founder` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 24 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ceoimperiumprojects/founder`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ceoimperiumprojects/founder/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: ceoimperiumprojects (https://skillmd.com/u/ceoimperiumprojects)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ceoimperiumprojects/founder

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# Founder

Startup founder frameworks for idea validation, customer development, and early-stage decision making. Built for founders who want honest assessment, not encouragement.

## Keywords

Founder, startup, validate idea, business idea, competitor analysis, persona, go-to-market, user interviews, Mom Test, MVP, market research, pivot, co-founder, early stage, pre-seed, bootstrapping, lean startup, customer development, launch, traction, product-market fit, side project, business model

## Philosophy

- Be honest, not encouraging. False encouragement kills startups.
- Every critique must be specific and actionable.
- Evidence over opinion, but don't let analysis prevent action.
- Speed of learning is the only competitive advantage at early stage.
- The goal is not to build a product — it's to solve a problem people will pay for.

## Core Workflows

### 1. Idea Validation

**The Five Fatal Questions:**

1. **Who is the customer, and would they pay today?**
   - Name the specific person (title, company stage, situation)
   - Estimate willingness to pay (and justify)
   - "Maybe" = no

2. **Why hasn't someone built this already?**
   - List who has tried (there's always someone)
   - What's different about NOW? (timing, tech, regulation, behavior)

3. **What's the distribution advantage?**
   - How will the first 100 users find this?
   - Is there a built-in growth loop?
   - "Content marketing and SEO" alone is a red flag for a startup

4. **Can this be a big business, or is it a feature?**
   - Standalone product or incumbent's next feature?
   - What's the natural ceiling?
   - What would need to be true for $1M ARR?

5. **Can the founder actually build this?**
   - Required skills/resources?
   - Hardest technical or operational challenge?
   - "First hire" problem?

**Idea scorecard (rate 1-5):**

| Dimension | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Problem severity | | How painful? |
| Market size | | How many people? |
| Willingness to pay | | Will they pay enough? |
| Competition gap | | Real space for new entrant? |
| Distribution | | Can you reach them cheaply? |
| Timing | | Right moment? |
| Founder fit | | Unfair advantage? |
| **Total** | **/35** | |

28-35: Strong. Validate fast and build.
21-27: Promising. Fix weakest dimension.
14-20: Significant concerns. Major pivot needed.
<14: Start over.

### 2. Customer Development

**Interview approach (Mom Test):**
See `../../assets/frameworks/mom-test-cheatsheet.md` for complete guide.

**Quick rules:**
- Talk about their life, not your idea
- Ask about specifics in the past, not opinions about the future
- You talk 20%, they talk 80%
- 5 conversations to spot patterns, 10 to be confident
- Write notes within 5 minutes of ending

**Validation experiments (before writing code):**
Each experiment must have:
- What to test (one specific assumption)
- How to test it (exact steps)
- Success criteria (specific number/outcome)
- Time and cost (under 2 weeks, under $200)

**Experiment types:**
1. Landing page test (measure signups)
2. Concierge MVP (deliver the service manually)
3. Wizard of Oz (looks automated, actually manual)
4. Pre-sales (sell before building)
5. Smoke test ads (measure click-through on value prop)

### 3. Competitor Analysis

**Research framework:**
1. Direct competitors (same solution, same problem)
2. Indirect competitors (different solution, same problem)
3. Potential future competitors (could enter the space)
4. The status quo (doing nothing / manual workaround)

For each competitor:
- Product: What do they offer? Strengths/weaknesses?
- Customers: Who do they serve? What do reviews say?
- Business model: How do they monetize?
- Traction: Revenue, funding, team size, growth signals
- Positioning: How do they describe themselves?

See `references/competitor-analysis.md` for detailed framework.

### 4. Persona Generation

**Proto-persona template:**
- **Name:** [Descriptive name]
- **Bio:** 2-3 sentences (role, context, situation)
- **Quote:** What they would say about their problem
- **Goals:** What they're trying to achieve (2-3)
- **Pains:** What frustrates them (2-3)
- **Behaviors:** How they currently cope
- **Decision factors:** What matters when choosing a solution

**Rules:**
- Based on evidence (interviews, data), not imagination
- Specific > generic ("VP of Sales at a 50-person SaaS" not "business professional")
- Maximum 3 personas to start — focus is a superpower
- Update as you learn more

### 5. Go-to-Market Planning

**First 100 customers playbook:**

| Channel | Effort | Time | Best For |
|---------|--------|------|----------|
| Personal network | Low | Immediate | Any B2B |
| Cold outreach | Medium | 2-4 weeks | B2B with clear ICP |
| Communities | Medium | 2-8 weeks | Niche products |
| Product Hunt | Low | 1 day | B2C, dev tools |
| Content/SEO | High | 3-6 months | Long-term play |
| Paid ads | Medium | 1-2 weeks | B2C, validated value prop |
| Partnerships | Medium | 2-4 weeks | Complementary products |

**GTM checklist for launch:**
- [ ] ICP defined (specific, not broad)
- [ ] Positioning statement written
- [ ] Landing page live
- [ ] Payment/signup flow working
- [ ] 3 channels identified for first 100 users
- [ ] Success metrics defined
- [ ] Support process ready

### 6. User Interviews

**Interview structure (20-30 min):**
1. **Context** (3 min): Role, responsibilities, typical workflow
2. **Problem exploration** (12 min): Current pain points, past experiences, attempts to solve
3. **Solution reaction** (5 min): Only if you have something to show — observe, don't pitch
4. **Wrap-up** (5 min): Who else to talk to, permission to follow up

**Signal vs noise:**

| Signal (Trust) | Noise (Ignore) |
|----------------|----------------|
| Specific past examples | "I would definitely use that" |
| Emotion about the problem | Polite compliments |
| Current spending on solutions | "Everyone has this problem" |
| Active search for alternatives | Feature requests |
| Commitment (time, money, intro) | "Sounds interesting" |

## Founder Decision Frameworks

### Pivot or Persevere?
Ask yourself:
1. Are customers using the product repeatedly? → If not, problem may not be severe enough
2. Are you learning from each iteration? → If not, you're not pivoting — you're flailing
3. Do you have runway to try another approach? → If not, cut scope radically
4. Are you excited about an alternative direction? → Passion matters for persistence

### Co-founder Evaluation
- **Complementary skills:** Do they fill your gaps?
- **Work style:** Can you make decisions together quickly?
- **Commitment level:** Are they full-time? (or will be?)
- **Equity expectations:** Aligned on split and vesting?
- **Stress test:** How do they handle disagreement?
- **References:** Talk to people who've worked with them

## Reference Files

- `references/idea-validation.md` — Validation frameworks, experiment design, scoring
- `references/competitor-analysis.md` — Competitive research methodology, 2x2 mapping
- `references/persona-generation.md` — Proto-persona templates, research-backed personas
- `references/go-to-market.md` — GTM planning, first 100 customers, channel selection
- `references/user-interviews.md` — Interview guides, signal detection, synthesis
- `references/founder-mindset.md` — Grit, growth mindset, imposter syndrome, mental health, stress management (Source: research + custom guide)
- `references/lean-startup-methodology.md` — Build-Measure-Learn, validated learning, MVP types, pivot signals (Source: The Lean Startup)
- `references/customer-development-advanced.md` — 4-step model (Blank), earlyvangelists, market types (Source: Startup Owner's Manual)
- `references/founder-productivity.md` — Deep work, time blocking, day theming, decision fatigue, 90-min focus blocks
- `references/book-insights-index.md` — Quick-reference: 3-5 key takeaways per book from the knowledge base (10 books)