Activate when: our KPI is going up but the real outcome isn't improving; people seem to be gaming the metric; we're about to tie bonuses or promotions to a number; an algorithm is…
Activate when: user says 'what's a fair price / starting number / ballpark'; counterparty just opened with a number; user is about to negotiate salary, valuation, or deal terms;…
Activate when: a position/election has effects beyond this year — S-corp election, depreciation/§179/bonus, accounting-method change, filing status, Roth conversion, entity…
Activate when: user says 'we've come too far to quit', 'we can't waste what we've already spent', 'should I keep going or cut my losses', 'we've invested too much to stop now',…
Activate when: user says 'I don't know which framework to use', 'our analysis keeps missing something', 'we need a second opinion on our model', 'how do we stress-test this…
Activate when: building a retirement/decumulation plan; setting cash buffers/withdrawal rates; stress-testing a plan; client near retirement; 'will they be okay if markets drop…
Activate when: a founder is deciding whether to raise venture money or self-fund; 'should we raise?', weighing dilution vs speed, choosing a funding path; VC fit vs bootstrap/SMB.
Activate when: growth has stalled despite good execution; a team disagrees whether a goal is 'realistic'; someone says their initiative is transformative but measures it with…
Activate when: user says 'we've always done it this way', 'changing now would be too disruptive', or 'no one is complaining so why change'; a team is slow to adopt a clearly…
Activate when: turning one-trip bookers into annual clients; building a client-for-life book; planning post-trip nurture; 'how do I stop starting from zero every year?'.
Activate when: user says 'why aren't users doing X despite saying they would', or 'our survey scores are high but churn is high', or 'we shipped a feature that tested well but…
Activate when: user says 'how you say it matters', 'they're spinning the numbers', 'same data but sounds different', 'is this just framing?', wants to write a persuasive message,…
Activate when: user asks why a team keeps doing the wrong thing despite training; user is designing compensation, bonuses, or commissions; user says 'people are gaming the metric'…
Activate when: user asks 'how close are we to critical mass', 'why did growth suddenly explode (or collapse)', 'will this trend keep spreading', 'is there a network effect…
Activate when: a freight broker must quote a lane and decide accept/counter/pass on a load or carrier rate; 'what should I quote', 'is this rate any good', margin vs…
Activate when: deciding whether to spend more on growth; 'is this business actually profitable per customer', 'can we afford ads', raising or budgeting; CAC, LTV, payback,…
Activate when: a freight broker faces fraud/double-brokering or non-payment risk; 'the carrier that hauled isn't the one I booked', chargebacks, unpaid carriers coming after the…
Activate when: user says 'viral coefficient,' 'K-factor,' 'going viral,' 'our product is viral,' 'referral program,' 'invite mechanic,' 'built in sharing,' growth plateauing…
Activate when: a client needs to cancel/change; deciding refund vs credit vs insurance claim; comparing supplier penalties; 'what's my best move to recover the most?'.
Set OKRs or quarterly goals — define objectives, decompose key results, align with strategy. Use at the start of a planning cycle.
Activate when: a metric is improving but customers or employees are signaling problems; a strategy or process hasn't been reviewed in over a planning cycle; a team keeps…
Activate when: an early founder needs revenue but wants to hire a salesperson or 'automate' sales too soon; 'I hate selling', 'when should I hire sales?', first customers, pre-PMF…
Activate when: an insurance agent should stress-test a client's coverage before a claim exposes a gap; 'is this client actually covered', policy review,…
Activate when: a real estate agent wants repeat + referral business instead of chasing cold leads; 'where's my next deal coming from', building a sphere-of-influence / past-client…
Activate when: user says 'help me choose between two options with different risks', 'I need to map out what could happen if we go with X', 'we have a sequential decision — first…
Diagnoses the buyer/seller deadlock in any trade of information — the buyer cannot value what they cannot see, but once they see it they have it for free — and selects the…
Activate when: user asks 'should we move first or wait?', 'is it too late to enter this market?', 'how long can they hold their lead?', 'what makes the first mover hard to beat…
Activate when: organization's strategy is losing momentum despite doing the right things; team disagrees on which strategic phase they're in; deciding whether to push deeper into…
Activate when: user says 'we've tried everything,' 'think outside the box,' 'we need a breakthrough,' 'challenge assumptions,' or 'how might we'; a team keeps cycling through the…
Activate when: returns are piling up before a deadline; reviewer/preparer is the bottleneck; 'we can't get through them all,' 'clients waiting on missing docs,' planning staffing…
Activate when: setting planning fees vs commission; deciding markup on net rates; 'should I charge a fee or rely on commission?'; pricing a service tier; low-commission or…
Activate when: user says 'what's the most likely explanation,' 'why did this happen,' 'we think it's X but not sure,' 'we only have one theory,' 'the team has converged on an…
Activate when: 'we have a strong product but keep losing on price', 'customers treat us like a commodity', 'how do we stop being compared to competitors', 'why aren't customers…
Activate when: a return has aggressive/uncertain positions (large Schedule C losses, high meals/vehicle, hobby-vs-business, real-estate professional status, R&D/ERC-type credits,…
Andrew Chen's Cold Start Problem framework — atomic network definition with thresholds by product type, anti-peanut-buttering, zero tracking, escape velocity 3-force decomposition…
Activate when: user asks "will our margins improve as we grow?", "do we need scale to compete?", "why does our competitor charge less than us?", analyzing whether a business model…
Activate when: a borrower anchors on a headline/teaser rate they saw; presenting rate+points+APR trade-offs; competitor 'lowball' quote; 'why is your rate higher than the ad?'.
Activate when: user asks "why has our growth stalled after early success?", "when will this market saturate?", "we used to grow easily, now it's hard", "how do we cross the…
Activate when: a listing isn't selling and the agent must decide list price or a price reduction; 'should we drop the price', 'how much and when', days-on-market rising, showings…
Activate when: "why isn't the bonus motivating them," "already paid well but disengaged," "what need does this product really serve," "team is in survival mode," "they need to…
Activate when: user says 'I'm always firefighting,' 'I never have time to think,' 'everything feels urgent,' 'I can't get ahead,' or 'we keep pushing strategic work because of…
Activate when: a major decision is imminent and the team hasn't explicitly checked whether NOW is the right time; a correct strategy keeps hitting unexpected resistance; a…
Activate when: user is conducting a performance review or hiring interview; someone says 'she's great across the board' or 'everything they do is excellent'; user is evaluating a…
Activate when: designing an itinerary you want remembered and referred; planning honeymoon/milestone/luxury trips; 'how do I get repeat clients and referrals?'; setting…
Activate when: a market drop has clients wanting to sell; framing performance reviews; onboarding risk tolerance; 'clients panic in downturns,' 'how do I keep them invested?'.
Activate when: a decision feels obvious but the stakes are high; someone says 'I just trust my gut' on a consequential call; a team is converging fast without pushback; you're…
Activate when: user says 'I've lost motivation', 'I'm burning out', 'the excitement is gone', 'I keep starting things but can't sustain them', 'I'm going through the motions', 'I…
Activate when: user asks 'did this transformation actually work', 'how do I measure whether coaching/strategy/capital changed the business', 'why does our improvement not stick',…
Activate when: user says 'the market is telling us X', 'valuation has dropped/risen so we should act', 'everyone is selling/buying so I should too', or is making an…
Activate when: user asks 'what produces the most good,' 'who benefits and who gets hurt,' 'what's the net impact,' 'is this worth the trade-off,' 'what does the greatest good mean…
Activate when: a real estate agent is running a listing/transaction and must not skip disclosure, agency, and fair-housing steps; 'what do I need to disclose', writing an ad,…
Activate when: user is entering an unfamiliar industry and needs a working mental model fast; user says 'I need to understand this sector before a meeting next week'; user is…
Activate when: someone says 'I don't want to lose what I have', a deal is stuck because a concession feels like a loss, a pricing or incentive change gets unexpected pushback,…
Activate when: user asks 'they made a big ask then backed off, should I concede?'; user is designing a negotiation opening and wants to land at a specific price; someone says…
Activate when: an importer has recurring, material duty spend; evaluating FTZ, duty drawback, first-sale valuation, bonded warehouse, or FTA use; 'are we leaving duty savings on…
Activate when: someone says 'things always bounce back,' wonders why an intervention seemed to work on a struggling team, is surprised their star performer regressed, is…
Activate when: user says 'I'll start tomorrow / next week / next month' repeatedly; someone intends to save / exercise / quit but never follows through; a product's free trial or…
Activate when: matching a borrower to Conventional/FHA/VA/USDA/Jumbo/Non-QM; deciding fixed vs ARM; 'which program fits this borrower?'; borderline DTI/LTV/credit.
Activate when: sizing a single-name or thematic position; a client with concentrated stock; setting max-position/rebalancing bands; 'how much of the portfolio should this be?'.
Activate when: user says 'I know what to do but I'm not doing it', 'we understand the problem but can't fix it', 'effort isn't translating to results', 'why isn't our team…