1) Choose a mountain (audacious vision)
Write the 10âyear, ânonâlittleâ outcome in one sentence. Make it specific enough to measure, bold enough to thrill.
Example: âEnable 1M small businesses to grow 2x faster through an AI coâfounder.â
2) Draw the
noble, logical diagram
(your 1âpage map)
Copy/paste this and fill it inâthis is the âdiagram that never dies.â
Big Plan Canvas
- Audacious Vision (10y):
- Principles / NonâNegotiables (max 5):
- Positioning (Who/Problem/Onlyâness):
- North Star Metric (NSM):
- 3âYear Targets (lagging outcomes):
- Economic Engine (unit economics in one line):
- Moat & Unfair Advantages:
- Flywheel (cause â effect â acceleration):
- 3â5 Big Bets (with EV):
- Bet:
- Hypothesis â
- Cost (time/cash) â
- Upside (revenue/users/impact) â
- Kill Criteria â
- Expected Value (EV) â
- Bet:
- Leading Indicators (input metrics you control weekly):
- Constraints & AntiâGoals:
- Owners & Dates (who drives what, by when):
Quick flywheel sketch: Acquire ideal customers â deliver compounding value â wordâofâmouth/retention lifts LTV â invest in product/acquisition â lowers CAC â repeat.
3) Lock the next 12 weeks (so big plans become real)
90âDay Execution Map
- Company Theme (1 line):
- 3 Objectives (max):
- O1 â KRs (3â4, measurable)
- O2 â KRs
- O3 â KRs
- Weekly Cadence: Monday commit (top 3), midâweek check, Friday demo + metrics.
- Experiment Backlog (ICE score): list 10, run 2â3/week.
- Scoreboard (update weekly): NSM, two input metrics, runway, pipeline.
- Risks & Countermoves: top 5 with triggers + preâdecided actions.
Example (lightly filled, SaaS)
Vision: Power 1M SMBs with an AI growth copilot by 2035.
NSM: Weekly Active Teams using 3+ automations.
3âYear Targets: 50k teams, $40M ARR, GRR 95%, NRR 130%.
Economic Engine: LTV/CAC ℠5, Payback †6 months.
Flywheel: More automations â âahaâ faster â higher retention â more UGC templates â SEO & referrals â cheaper acquisition â more automations.
Big Bets:
- Template Marketplace â EV high; kill if creators <100 by Week 10.
- Selfâserve onboarding revamp â EV medium; kill if activation <30% by Sprint 3.
- Channel partners (POS vendors) â EV high; kill if 3 signed by Week 8 not achieved.
90âDay O1: Increase activation from 22% â 40%.
- KR1: Median timeâtoâvalue †10 mins
- KR2: % users completing â3 automations in 7 daysâ â„ 35%
- KR3: Onboarding NPS â„ 40
Rituals that keep the plan alive
- Monday 30âMinute Kickoff: commit to three needleâmoving tasks each.
- Friday Demo (no slides): show working software/results only.
- Monthly Burnham Review: retire 1â2 âlittleâ projects, doubleâdown on 1 big bet.
- Wall Metric: print the NSM and circle it in ink every week.
Five prompts to sharpen your big plan (journal in 10 minutes)
- âIf we were 10x bigger by September 2026, what did we nail?â
- âWhich single constraint, if removed, unlocks everything else?â
- âWhat would make success inevitable with time?â
- âWhere are we being timidâwhatâs the bolder, testable version?â
- âWhat will we stop doing this month to fund the big bet?â
Youâve got the quoteânow youâve got the diagram and the drumbeat.
Make the big plan. Aim high. Execute weekly. đ
If you want, share your vision, NSM, and current stage, and Iâll snap this canvas to your venture and draft a 90âday plan you can run with immediately.