Every module in Start Your Business — bonus units included — comes with its own workbook. This is the actual Module 1 cheat sheet from that set, word for word. Read it, print it, keep it.
Course workbook · sample page
The founder mindset, a worthy problem, your opportunity statement, and sizing the prize
Customer first, problem second, product last
The classic path (idea, build in secret, launch, silence) fails because the product came first and the customer came last. Flip it: talk to real people and take real money before you build anything.
Evidence over opinion
Your mom thinks it's a great idea. So what. The only opinions that count come with a credit card — seek truth, not encouragement, and let speed of learning beat perfection.
A worthy problem is painful, frequent, and expensive
People complain about it unprompted, it shows up weekly or monthly, and they already spend money or serious time coping with it. Three of three is hunting ground; two of three can work; one of three is a hobby.
The narrower the person, the easier everything gets
"An app for busy people" is impossible to market. "A scheduling tool for mobile dog groomers" you can find, join, and learn the exact words of this afternoon. Niching down shrinks your competition and your marketing problem, not your opportunity.
Read three signals together before you build
Competitors (proof money exists), search demand (order of magnitude, not precision), and willingness to pay (the one that matters most). Two or three greens: proceed. Mostly yellow: proceed carefully. Any two reds: pick your next candidate.
The cheat sheet is one page. Enrolling unlocks all 11 workbooks for this course, and each adds: