Context

This came up while I was designing tiny experiments for my Millionaire by 50 meta-experiment. I realized that if I treat each post/video as an isolated artifact, I’ll create a museum… not a business. The question became: should every asset/experiment point people somewhere on my customer journey? In other words, is one of the reasons an asset exists always distribution/pipeline movement? I’m a 48-year-old single mom, ADHD, zero-to-one solo founder with a 15-month clock. I need compounding, not confetti.

Principle/Advice Being Tested

“Every experiment (and the asset it produces) should tie back to revenue or assets by moving people along a pipeline—not just exist for its own sake.”

Which Stage of Business This Applies To

• Startup / Zero-to-One: Highly relevant (keeps you from scattering).
• Wilderness: Crucial (assets must start compounding).
• Struggling Boutique: Non-negotiable (pipeline reliability = survival).
• Lifestyle Boutique: Operationalized by teams (SOPs handle it).

(I’m currently in Zero-to-One.)

Principles (what this is trying to protect)

• Compounding Principle: Assets gain multiplicative value when connected (Post → Newsletter → Offer → Product).
• Leverage Principle: Distribution turns a one-off into a reusable growth node.
• Utility Principle: Each asset should have a job (attention, nurture, proof, conversion, expansion).
• Option Value: Even if an asset doesn’t convert now, it retains latent value as proof/IP for future compounding.

Realities (Global / Local / Personal)

• Global Reality: Customer journeys exist. Assets wired into a path generally outperform isolated artifacts.
• Local Reality (industry): Marketers often preach this as mandatory and always on, assuming teams and bandwidth.
• Personal Reality (mine): I need a minimum-viable pipeline that’s so light I’ll actually use it, even on low-capacity days. The law here isn’t “optimize everything”—it’s “connect everything enough to compound.”

Truth vs. Belief

• Truth: Assets that route people forward tend to create more revenue/asset growth than assets that dead-end.
• Belief (often smuggled): If you don’t attach a CTA every single time, you’re failing. (That’s absolutist and shaming; not helpful.)
• My stance: Treat “assets → pipeline” as a design default, not a moral law. Missing a CTA isn’t failure; it’s a missed opportunity to iterate next time.

Assumptions Baked In

• You know your next step (where you actually want people to go).
• You have a pipeline spine (even the simplest version).
• You can add a CTA/link without meaningfully raising friction.
• Your goal is a business, not pure art or private journaling.

Scripts Associated

• “Every post needs a CTA.”
• “If there’s no funnel, it’s not a business.”
• “Content for content’s sake is a waste.”
  These scripts can be useful guardrails—but they can also create shame spirals for neurodivergent founders. I’m reframing them into design prompts, not commandments.

How This Applies to Me (PGQ/context lens)

• Stage: Zero-to-One, 15 months to $1M revenue.
• Identity/Capacity: ADHD → friction is my main enemy; consistency wins.
• Design implication: I need a single, obvious next step wired into almost everything I publish, without adding complexity.
• Therefore: A minimum-viable pipeline I can follow on autopilot.

Minimum-Viable Pipeline (my spine)

Top of Funnel (Attention): TikTok/IG shorts + Blog
→ Nurture: Free Newsletter (weekly)
→ Conversion: Paid Newsletter $5/mo (translation layer)
→ Expansion: Micro-products ($7–$27) → App MVPs (Spin&; Adaptive assessment)

One default CTA everywhere:

“New here? Join the free newsletter. Want the ‘how-to’ version? It’s $5/mo.”

(I can add specific CTAs when a post naturally points to a product, but the default keeps me shipping.)

What I Can Pull From This (practical heuristics)

• Heuristic 1: If I create an asset, I attach a simple next step by default.
• Heuristic 2: Assets are valuable on their own (proof), but become more valuable when connected (compounding).
• Heuristic 3: The lighter the pipeline behavior, the more likely I’ll do it.
• Heuristic 4: CTAs are invitations, not pressure.

Noise vs. Signal (for me, now)

• Signal:
  • Every asset should invite people one step deeper (free → paid → product).
  • Keep the CTA consistent and low-friction.
  • Track whether pipeline movement happens (subs, clicks), not perfection.
• Noise:
  • “No CTA = waste.”
  • Over-engineering journeys before I have steady output.
  • Shaming myself for posts that are purely expressive.

Decision / Conclusion (my take)

For my stage and brain, assets → pipeline is a default design rule, not a rigid law. I’ll wire in a single, repeatable next step to almost everything I publish so assets compound—without adding complexity that stops me from shipping.