Project Overview: Define Your First Four Foundations

Welcome to the Foundation Definition Project. This is where theory meets application. Where you'll move from understanding the Foundational Five framework to actually defining your own foundations.

Your goal is to complete the first four foundations of your business: Market, Product, Brand, and Model. We're working toward Channel, but we need these four defined first to make informed channel decisions later.

This isn't about perfection—it's about establishing an honest baseline. You'll assess each foundation, identify any red zones that need immediate attention, and create the foundation for strategic alignment.

Click here if you haven't download your Master Strategy Project yet. You'll need it as you complete each project.

How the Assessment Works

Each foundation has its own scoring rubric based on high-confidence answers: responses where you have research or data backing the input, not speculation or guessing.

After completing each foundation's inputs, count your high-confidence answers and use the scoring thresholds provided:

• 🔴 Red: Complete the recommended deep-dive materials, then return to strengthen your inputs
• 🟡 Yellow/🟢 Green: Proceed to the next foundation

‍We're not looking for perfection. We're looking for honest signal. We need a directional sense of where your foundations stand today, so we can identify where to spend time bolstering things before we define your fifth foundation: Channel.

Project Part 1: Define Your Market

Let's start with your market foundation—the center of the Foundational Five framework.

Market Inputs to Complete:

Market Category ⭐

The broad category your market falls into.‍

Examples: College students, B2B marketers, Healthcare professionals

Specific Segment ⭐

The more targeted segment within your market category.‍

Examples: Pre-med students, SEO marketers at agencies, Emergency room nurses

Total Potential Customer Base ⭐

How many potential customers are in your specific market segment.

Willingness to Pay (WTP) ⭐

What customers in this market are willing and able to pay for solutions like yours.

Buyer vs User?

Whether the person who pays is the same as the person who uses your product.

Core Problem ⭐

The primary problem your market faces. (Bonus points if this is coming from your customer's actual words and not your assumption)

Motivations ⭐

Why they want to solve this problem—the underlying drivers. (Ditto)

Values & Beliefs

What your market believes in and values most deeply.

Where do they spend time? ⭐

Both online and offline, in the context of their problem and in general.

Who do they trust?

Influencers, publications, peers, or authorities your market listens to.

Problem aware? Solution Aware? ⭐

Are they actively seeking solutions, or do you need to educate them about the problem/solution?

Market shifts or macro trends affecting your space

External forces that could impact your market's behavior or needs. 

Examples: Cultural trends, regulatory shifts

Timing or seasonal factors

Any cyclical patterns that affect when your market is most receptive.

Competitors & alternatives (+ satisfaction)

Who they currently use or consider, and how satisfied they are with existing options.

🚦 MARKET "SCORE" 🚦

Count your high-confidence answers:

• < 7 = 🔴 Red: Complete Market Research and Competitive Research deep-dives, then return
• 7-10 = 🟡 Yellow: Proceed to ‘Define Your Product’
• > 11 = 🟢 Green: Proceed to ‘Define Your Product’

Project Part 2: Define Your Product

Now let's define your product foundation.

Product Inputs to Complete:

Product “one-liner” ⭐
What your product is, in the simplest of terms.

Examples: Finance app for kids, AI video editor, Education platform for new parents

Job-to-be-done ⭐
Complete this statement: "When ___, I want to ___, so I can ___."

For examples, check out our completed Master Strategy Projects. 

Problems it solves ⭐
The specific problems your product addresses.

Outcomes/value created ⭐
The results and value customers get from using your product.

Core capabilities ("how it works") ⭐
The key functionality and mechanisms that power your product.

Differentiator ⭐
What makes you meaningfully different from alternatives.

Ease of explanation/understanding
How simple or complex your product is to understand and explain (from your market’s POV, not your own)

Time to first value (TTFV) ⭐
How quickly users can get their first meaningful result from your product.

Precision isn’t needed here. We’re looking for ‘minutes,’ ‘days,’ ‘weeks,’ or ‘months.’

Natural usage frequency
How often users engage with your product.

Like TTFV, we care about broad bands here.

Inherently social?
Whether your product naturally encourages sharing.

Examples: Collaborative tools, social media apps

Content/artifacts created via usage?
Whether using your product creates content or outputs that have value.

More value with more users?
Whether additional users make the product more valuable for existing users.

🚦 PRODUCT "SCORE" 🚦

Count your high-confidence answers:

• < 6 = 🔴 Red: Proceed to ‘Define Your Brand’ 
  
  • You’ll go much deeper on the concepts to level up your Product inputs in our ‘Story System’ module coming up shortly.
• 6-9 = 🟡 Yellow: Proceed to ‘Define Your Brand’
• > 10 = 🟢 Green: Proceed to ‘Define Your Brand’

Project Part 3: Define Your Brand

Your brand foundation focuses on the story you tell and how you show up in the world.

Brand Inputs to Complete:

Brand innovation

How central brand innovation is to your company's strategy.

Brand story ⭐
The narrative you tell about who you are, what you stand for, and why you exist.

Brand personality ⭐
The human characteristics and traits your brand embodies.

Brand risks & guardrails ⭐
What you must avoid to maintain brand integrity and trust.

Primary promise
The main commitment you make to customers.

Proof of promise
Evidence that you can deliver on your primary promise.

Context of encounter
Where and how customers typically interact with your brand.

🚦 BRAND "SCORE" 🚦

Count your high-confidence answers:

• < 4 = 🔴 Red: Proceed to ‘Define Your Model’
  
  • You’ll go much deeper on the concepts to level up your Product inputs in our ‘Story System’ module coming up shortly.
• 4-5 = 🟡 Yellow: Proceed to ‘Define Your Model’
• > 5 = 🟢 Green: Proceed to ‘Define Your Model’

Project Part 4: Define Your Model

Finally, let's define your Model foundation.

Model Inputs to Complete:

Model Innovation

How central model innovation is to your company's strategy.

What do you charge for?
The specific value, features, or outcomes customers pay for.

Examples: time subscribed, product access, transactions, impressions

How do you charge?
Your pricing structure.

Examples: Monthly subscription, one-time payment, % of transaction, flat CPM

How much do you charge?
Your specific price points and tiers.

Examples: 7-day free trial then $20/mo, $500 upfront, free until $X in transaction volume, $15 CPM

Gross margin (%)
(Revenue - COGS) / Revenue * 100 = GM%

Expansion lever(s)
How average revenue per user increases over time?

Examples: Plan upgrades, add-ons/cross-sells, increased product usage

Pricing policies (discounts, guarantees)
Special pricing arrangements, refund policies, and risk-reduction offers

Examples: Parity pricing, non-profit discounts, scholarships, money-back guarantees

🚦 MODEL "SCORE" 🚦

Count your high-confidence answers:

• < 4 = 🔴 Red: Our ‘Revenue & Pricing Strategy’ Deep dive will walk you through building your Model foundation in Part 5 of the Program. So your choice:
  
  • Jump into it now if you urgently need to strengthen your Model foundation
  • Hang tight and keep working through the next project
• 4-5 = 🟡 Yellow: Proceed to Cross-Fit Alignment Check
• > 5 = 🟢 Green: Proceed to Cross-Fit Alignment Check

What's Next: Foundation Alignment Assessment

Congratulations! You've now assessed your individual foundations. But remember, the Foundational Five framework isn't about foundations in isolation. It's all about the alignment between them.

The next part of this project will walk you through assessing how well your foundations work together. 

This alignment check will help you identify any foundational misfits that could undermine your growth efforts, no matter how strong your individual foundations might be.

Ready to assess your foundation alignment? Let's dive into the Cross-Fit Check.