Physical product
Something you can hold. Underrated by software people; sometimes it’s the right answer.
Three letters in one lesson — L, E, S
This lesson covers List, Evaluate, and Summarize from CIRCLES. We combine them because they happen on the same day, at the same desk, with the same tools. Splitting them across three lessons turns a one-hour exercise into a week of process — not what we’re here to teach.
List: at least two solutions, from different rows
Most founders pick a solution before they list any. They show up to the workshop with “an app” in mind and never seriously consider whether an app is the right thing to ship. Force yourself out of that.
Five solution archetypes
Software, app, or website
The default. The one you came in assuming. Treat it as a candidate, not a conclusion.
Service provided by people
Concierge, manual, white-glove. Often faster and more honest than building tech.
An item you can rent
Access without ownership. Reframes capital problems as operating ones.
Re-organization
Changing how something already works, no new product needed. The cheapest, most underused solution archetype on this list.
Pick at least two from different rows. If the only solutions you can list are software ones, you’re selecting from a sample of one and calling it choice.
Evaluate: account for trade-offs
Every solution is a stack of compromises. Most first-time founders pretend otherwise — they describe their pick as having upside only. You win some, you lose some. Naming the trade-offs out loud is the operator’s discipline.
For each candidate solution, write the description and one specific compromise. Not a hedge, not a generic “this is harder” — the actual sacrifice you’re making by going this route.
Summarize: pick one, and say why
The final move is committing. From your list, pick one. Say why it beats each of the others in this specific situation.
A good final recommendation
- Names the customer it serves (Lesson 02).
- Identifies the trade-off you’re accepting.
- Says why this beats each alternative for this specific customer — not in general.
Operator story · Lesson 4
From Alon’s notebook
A founder Alon mentored who picked a non-code solution (Calendly, Notion, a service) and found traction faster. Suggested hook: the workshop or mentorship moment when a founder switched from “we need to build an app” to “a Notion doc and a Stripe link is the v1.”
[OPERATOR STORY — Lesson 4]Tonight’s assignment
Section 04 of the workbook. List four candidate solutions, with one trade-off each. Pick one. Write the final recommendation as a paragraph — the customer it serves, the trade-off you’re accepting, and why this beats the alternatives for this specific person.
Assignment · Section 04
List solutions, name trade-offs, pick one
Sign in to save your answers.Five archetypes. Pick at least two from different rows. Then commit.
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