Framework
The Three-Filter Product Decision Framework
Before building anything, run it through three filters in order. The third can override the first two entirely — and increasingly, that's the right call.
How it works
- 1Filter 1: What is the business model and how does money actually flow?
- 2Filter 2: What does ongoing time involvement look like after the product is built? Can it run on 5–10 hours a week?
- 3Filter 3: Do you love it, and does it need to exist in the world?
- 4The third filter can override the first two entirely.
- 5Domain expertise is a prerequisite for all three filters. Do not build in a space you do not know deeply.
- 6A wave of founder-built tools is coming that exist purely because someone cared enough — not because of an exit strategy.
Hear it on the podcast
AI Didn't Take Your Job, It Froze the Hiring Line — Here's What That MeansListen to the episodeMore from this episode
The Content MoatHuman-written, expertise-backed content is the last true differentiator in a world flooded with AI-generated text.Three-Criteria Build FilterThree questions before committing to any new product: business model, time involvement, and love.The Medium Is the HumanIn a world where nobody can tell what is real, being verifiably, vocally, provably you is the brand.Payroll Freeze as AI's Primary ImpactAI is manifesting as a hiring freeze, not mass layoffs — companies wait to automate before committing to headcount.Marketing as the Last Non-Commoditized SkillYou can vibe-code a CRM in a weekend. Getting anyone to discover it is the real bottleneck.The Marketing Moat FrameworkIn a world where software is rapidly commoditized, marketing has become the last defensible skill. Anyone can build a CRM in an hour on Claude. Getting people to find it is still brutally hard.The Human as Medium FrameworkWhen everything online could be generated, the human behind the product becomes the medium itself. Radical specificity and transparency drive trust and conversion when nobody can tell what's real.
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