Principles Audit
18 forces. Which ones are working for you? Which ones will kill you?
21
Principles
2
Critical
4
High
18/21
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?
Infrastructure exists. Category crowded.
What is the shortest route to viable value?
The unglamorous five IS the critical path every venture must walk.
Are the people in the system motivated to do the right thing?
How much control do you have over money in vs money out?
$0 MRR, $500/mo burn.
How do you amplify output without proportional effort?
Code leverage IS the product. 168K lines shared across 7 ventures.
Are you capturing the value you create?
Reduces time-to-market. Pricing undefined.
Does demand pull product out of your hands?
Zero external pull. Internal only.
How do you reach those who need what you offer?
Dogfooding is distribution. Zero external reach.
Does value increase as participation grows?
Each venture compounds for all others.
How defensible is your position?
Architecture opinionated. Switching costs high once onboarded.
What do you know that others don't?
Architecture knowledge, not market knowledge.
What is the true cost of your choices?
Full-time commitment already made.
Have you engineered positive feedback loops?
Are you concentrating effort where returns are asymmetric?
What This Reveals
Stackmates bets hardest on Leverage and Critical Path — the two principles that define the product. Network Effects and Distribution are the growth thesis but have zero external 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 first external team joins?
- What principle is missing from this list that your experience has taught you?