(Based on the methodology by Daniel Priestley)

This framework outlines a systematic, low-risk path to building a profitable, seven-figure business, split into two major sections: Preparation (Below the Line) and Scaling (Above the Line).

Part 1: Below the Line (Entrepreneurial Preparation)

This phase focuses on gaining essential skills, resources, and confidence before launching your main venture.

Stage 1: The Apprenticeship

• Duration: 1 to 2 years. This is the recommended time frame to acquire foundational business knowledge and resources.
• Action: Work for an experienced entrepreneur. This is an intentional period of learning where you are immersed in a working business environment to observe and participate in non-stop marketing and sales campaigns.
• Key Goals (The 3 Essentials):
  1. Commercial Awareness: You must understand how businesses make sales, look after customers, and navigate day-to-day operations.
  2. Self-Awareness: Identify your personal strengths, weaknesses, and natural talents so you know how you "tick" and where you need support.
  3. Access to Resources: This is knowledge of how to leverage resources—how to acquire initial funding, how to run effective ads, and how to hire a salesperson or essential support staff.

Stage 2: The Side Hustle

• Action: Run open and shut 90-day side hustles. These are short-term, contained projects or pop-up agencies that allow you to test specific skills and campaign launching abilities.
• Purpose: The primary goal is testing, not profit. Use these low-stakes projects to validate your entrepreneurial skills and build confidence and experience without the risk of a full launch.
• Rule: The side hustles must have an end date (e.g., 90 days). This is critical to prevent getting permanently stuck and ensures you keep momentum toward the next stage.

Part 2: Above the Line (Business Building & Scaling)

This phase begins the formal building process, focusing on testing ideas, establishing systems, and scaling revenue.

Stage 3: The Chaos Step (Achieving Product-Market Fit)

This stage is about running fast and cheap experiments to validate your idea and achieve Product-Market Fit (P-M Fit).

• The Idea (Founder Opportunity Fit): Before testing, your concept must be filtered through your personal story, specifically overlapping three areas: a pain you solved for someone (a frustration removed), something you've been paid for previously, and a source of massive passion.
• The Core Test (C.H.A.O.S.): You are continuously testing and improving these four elements with every experiment:
  • Concept: Is the idea itself viable and valuable?
  • Audience: Are you targeting the right people who find value and are willing to pay?
  • Offer: Is the product or service structured at a price the audience is happy to pay?
  • Sales Process: Are you effective at selling the offer?
• Key Activities:
  • Team: A two-person scout team (co-founder, mentor, or assistant) is required for bouncing ideas and checking tasks, accelerating the feedback loop.
  • MVPs (Minimum Viable Products): Test things in the market as if they are real using simple tools like a slide deck or brochure. Landing pages are the best MVP format.
  • The Waiting List Campaign: This is a crucial MVP where prospects register for something coming in the future. The sign-up process must gather diagnostic data by asking these five questions:
    1. Current Situation: Which best describes the type of person you are (student, executive, entrepreneur, etc.)?
    2. Desired Result: What results are you trying to achieve?
    3. Biggest Challenge: What is the largest frustration or problem you've experienced trying to achieve that result?
    4. What Else Have You Tried? (Identifies their commitment to solving the problem).
    5. Budget: Which price point best describes your current budget for this solution?
  • One-to-One Sales Meetings: Conduct a minimum of 30 (up to 150) sales meetings to achieve statistically significant data and gain real-time customer feedback. If a prospect says 'no,' ask for free consulting ("What is stopping you from going ahead?") to refine the product.
• Revenue Benchmark: $10,000 to $100,000. This revenue range, generated through the minimum 30 sales meetings, confirms a strong product-market fit.