Write a one-page plan

A one-page plan forces clear thinking. If you can't fit it on one page, you probably don't know yet what matters. Write it together: every disagreement you find now is one you won't have later.

The nine boxes

1. 1
   ProblemWhich painful problem do you solve, in one or two sentences?
2. 2
   CustomerWho has it most? Be specific: not 'small businesses' but 'dental clinics with 2–5 chairs'.
3. 3
   Today's alternativeWhat do they use now? Spreadsheets, an agency, a competitor, nothing?
4. 4
   Your solutionWhat you'll build first, and the one thing it does better than the alternative.
5. 5
   Why youWhat do you know or have that makes you the right team?
6. 6
   How you make moneyWho pays, how much, and how often. A guess is fine for now.
7. 7
   How customers find youThe one or two channels you'll try first.
8. 8
   MilestonesThree goals for the next 6 months, each with a number and a date.
9. 9
   Biggest risksWhat has to be true for this to work? List the top three and how you'll test them.

Make it a living document

• Review it once a month and change what you've learned.
• Keep old versions. Seeing how your thinking changed is useful, also for investors later.
• If one co-founder would write a box very differently, talk about it now.