Principles Audit
18 forces. Which ones are working for you? Which ones will kill you?
21
Principles
2
Critical
4
High
15/21
Scored
Aware
Can you explain this principle?
Applied
Have you used it in a real decision?
Systematic
Is it embedded in your processes?
Mastery
Do you teach it to others?
Instinct
Do you apply it without thinking?
How do you create something from nothing?
Positioning service, not category creation.
Are the people in the system motivated to do the right thing?
Does the fundamental math work?
60% margin target, kill at 20%. Model depends on delivery hours.
How much control do you have over money in vs money out?
How do you amplify output without proportional effort?
Stage 1→2→3 evolution IS the leverage principle applied.
Are you capturing the value you create?
Retainer model captures recurring value.
Does demand pull product out of your hands?
How do you reach those who need what you offer?
Berley trail IS the distribution strategy.
Does value increase as participation grows?
Fish-ball thesis. Case studies attract next clients. Zero proof.
Do you get stronger from chaos?
AI eats strategy → pivot to AI-assisted self-serve.
What do you know that others don't?
Fish psychology IS information advantage.
Can you raise prices without losing customers?
What external pressures shape your decisions?
Too abstract for single-person service business now.
What is the true cost of your choices?
$100/hr founder rate forgone. Break-even includes this.
When matters as much as what — is now the moment?
AI window 2-3 years. Not a strategic lever.
How would you beat yourself?
Pre-revenue. No incumbency to protect or disrupt.
Have you engineered positive feedback loops?
Are you concentrating effort where returns are asymmetric?
What This Reveals
BerleyTrails bets hardest on Unit Economics and Leverage — the two principles with the most measurable evidence. Network Effects and Distribution are the growth thesis but have zero proof. Everything below MEDIUM relevance is intellectual furniture until revenue validates the top six.
Context
- Business Principles — The full 18-principle framework
- Critical Path — The shortest route to viable value
- Idea Checklist — Tactical validation (the how)
- First Principles Thinking — The reasoning method behind all principles
Questions
Which principle do you intellectually agree with but consistently violate under pressure?
- Which CRITICAL principle would kill the venture fastest if wrong?
- Which LOW-relevance principle becomes CRITICAL if the venture reaches Stage 2?
- What principle is missing from this list that your experience has taught you?