Twelve moments worth slowing down.

Considering a commitment

Nothing is signed, paid, or handed over. The work is to see the decision before it hardens.

1. 03Before committing to a cofounderYou are about to treat someone as a cofounder: a block of equity, a public title, or the authority to bind the company. Affection, speed, or the fear of building alone is doing some of the arguing.Output: Cofounder working-evidence note. Mapped.
2. 05Before committing to a major buildYou are about to spend months, money, or a team on a build. People have said the problem is real. Few of them have done anything costly to prove it.Output: Customer-evidence map and next test. Mapped.
3. 06Before assuming the product will sell itselfThe product exists, or nearly does, and the plan assumes customers will arrive because the product is good. Acquisition is someone else’s job, later.Output: Path to repeatable sales. Mapped.
4. 12When work exceeds founder capacityThe work no longer fits the week. You are the bottleneck, the support system, and the person who says yes. Rest has become something you will do after the next close.Output: Capacity and continuity note. Mapped.

Making a commitment

A signature, a payment, or a grant of equity or access is close.

1. 01Before accepting an investorSomeone is offering capital, a warm introduction that is said to lead to capital, or a paid service attached to a raise. They may be a partner at a fund, an angel, a family office, a broker, an accelerator, a studio, or a strategic company. The conversation has become warm, and a document or a transfer is close.Output: Investor verification record. Full guide.
2. 02Before signing a term sheetA term sheet, a SAFE, a convertible note, a shareholders’ term sheet, or a debt term sheet is ready for signature. People around you are treating the round as agreed. Some clauses say the investment is not binding. Others, often exclusivity and confidentiality, are.Output: Term sheet obligations summary. Full guide.
3. 04Before agreeing founder equityYou are about to agree who owns the company: a percentage in a conversation, a slide, or a shareholders’ document. Someone wants it settled quickly so the “real work” can start.Output: Equity promise and grant note. Mapped.
4. 08Before signing a major customer contractA customer wants a signature. The logo would help. The draft is long, the lawyer is expensive, and someone has said the terms are standard.Output: Customer contract note. Mapped.
5. 09Before paying others to buildYou are about to pay a studio, a freelancer, or an agency to build the product, the brand, or the infrastructure. They are faster than you. They also set up the accounts.Output: Build engagement note. Mapped.

Managing a commitment

The promise is live. Cash, a conversation you have avoided, or another quarter still has to be faced.

1. 07Before commitments against uncertain cashYou are about to hire, sign a lease, book a contractor, or promise a customer on the back of cash that has not arrived. An invoice, a verbal yes, or a financing conversation is being treated as money.Output: Cash scenario. Mapped.
2. 10Before an avoided conversation becomes a disputeSomething important is unsaid: with a cofounder, a customer, an employee, an investor, or someone at home. You are being polite, and the file of unsent sentences is getting longer.Output: Conversation brief. Mapped.
3. 11Before another quarter on the same planA quarter is ending. The plan for the next one looks like the last one, with fresher dates. The team expects continuity. You are not sure the assumption still deserves it.Output: Assumptions and stopping criteria. Mapped.

Responding when it goes wrong

You have already signed, paid, or lost access. The paths below are separate, and more than one can apply at the same time.