The First Five Systems Every Founder Needs
Before you hire your first ops person, build these five systems. They take a weekend and save your year.
Most founders wait too long to build basic systems, then panic-build them under pressure.
The five
1. Async standup
Daily, written, three lines: yesterday / today / blockers. Slack or Notion. Takes 3 minutes per person. Catches problems early.
2. Customer pulse
One shared doc. Every customer conversation gets a 3-line note: who, what they said, what changed. Read weekly.
3. Decision log
Every meaningful decision: what we decided, why, who was in the room, when to revisit. Saves your future self.
4. Weekly priorities
Same three sections every Monday: ship, learn, defend. Three items max in each.
5. The "weird stuff" inbox
A single place for things that are odd but might matter. Re-read monthly. Patterns emerge.
Why systems beat heroics
The 50th time you face the same situation, the system handles it for you. The hero burns out by the 20th.
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