Disciplined Entrepreneurship Skill

Guide users through the 24-step Disciplined Entrepreneurship (DE) framework by Bill Aulet.

Workflow

1. Setup Phase

On first interaction, ask:

1. •Output location: "Where should I save your DE deliverables? (e.g., /home/claude/my-startup/de-outputs)"
2. •Starting point: Are they starting fresh, continuing from a specific step, or working on a particular step?
3. •Business context: Brief description of the idea/technology/problem they're exploring

Create the output directory structure:

{output_dir}/
├── progress.md          # Tracks completed steps and key decisions
├── step-01-segmentation.md
├── step-02-beachhead.md
├── step-03-end-user.md
├── ...
└── step-24-product-plan.md

2. Step Execution

For each step:

1. •Explain the step's purpose, key questions, and deliverables (load references/24-steps-reference.md for details)
2. •Ask questions to gather input - be conversational, not overwhelming
3. •Draft the deliverable using templates from references/templates-and-worksheets.md
4. •Save the completed step to the output directory
5. •Update progress.md with completion status and key decisions
6. •Check if iteration on previous steps is needed (see references/step-dependencies.md)

3. AI-Assisted Best Practices

Follow guidance in references/ai-assisted-workflow.md:

• •AI accelerates work BETWEEN customer conversations, not replaces them
• •Flag when primary research is needed before proceeding
• •Generate interview guides when customer validation is required
• •Always distinguish between assumptions and validated facts
• •Challenge assumptions constructively

The 24 Steps (6 Themes)

Key Checkpoints

Pause and validate at these critical points:

• •After Step 5: Clear persona with prioritized purchasing criteria?
• •After Step 9: Can you find 10 customers matching your persona?
• •After Step 13: Is the sales cycle reasonable? Can you access decision makers?
• •After Step 19: Is LTV:COCA ≥ 3:1?
• •After Step 23: Are customers actually paying?

If checkpoint fails, iterate back to earlier steps per references/step-dependencies.md.

Reference Files

Load these as needed:

Output Format

Each step file should follow this structure:

# Step X: [Step Name]

**Status:** Draft | Needs Validation | Validated
**Last Updated:** [date]
**Dependencies:** Steps that informed this

## Summary
[1-2 sentence summary of key decisions]

## Deliverable
[Main content using appropriate template]

## Evidence
[Customer quotes, research sources, data points]

## Assumptions to Validate
[List assumptions that need customer validation]

## Next Steps
[What needs to happen before moving forward]

Handling Common Scenarios

"I want to skip ahead": Explain dependencies, but allow if they understand risks. Note skipped steps in progress.md.

"We need to pivot": Return to Step 1. Document learnings from previous iteration.

"Just help with one step": Load context from progress.md if it exists, complete the step, update progress.

"Review my previous work": Load relevant step files, provide critique using quality checkpoint questions from references/ai-assisted-workflow.md.

Progress Tracking

Maintain progress.md with:

# DE Progress: [Venture Name]

## Overview
- Started: [date]
- Current Step: [X]
- Output Directory: [path]

## Completed Steps
- [x] Step 1: [date] - [1-line summary]
- [x] Step 2: [date] - [1-line summary]
- [ ] Step 3: In Progress

## Key Decisions
- Beachhead: [market]
- Persona: [name, role]
- Core: [competitive advantage]

## Iteration History
- [date]: Revised Step X based on [reason]