Glossary of Named Frameworks
Every named framework, test, and model in the wiki — alphabetical, one-line each.
| Framework | Author | One-Line Definition | Article |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3Ws Framework | Heavybit | Why Buy Anything? Why Buy Us? Why Buy Now? — founder-led sales structure | user-acquisition |
| 90/10 Rule | Seibel (YC) | Seek 90% of the objective with 10% of the effort | focus |
| AARRR / Pirate Metrics | Dave McClure | Acquisition → Activation → Retention → Referral → Revenue funnel | startup-metrics |
| Atomic Network | Andrew Chen | The smallest unit of a marketplace that can self-sustain | marketplace-dynamics |
| Barrels vs Ammunition | Keith Rabois | Barrels ship end-to-end; ammunition supports. Output is constrained by barrels. | operations |
| Build-Measure-Learn | Eric Ries | The fundamental lean startup loop: build MVP, measure response, learn, repeat | lean-startup |
| Collison Installation | PG / Stripe | Don’t ask “will you try it?” — say “give me your laptop” and set them up | do-things-that-dont-scale |
| Default Alive / Dead | Paul Graham | At current expenses + growth rate + cash, do you reach profitability? | fundraising |
| Delegation Matrix | Keith Rabois | 2×2: conviction (low/high) × consequence (low/high) → delegate or don’t | operations |
| Domain Clash | Paul Graham | Best ideas come from combining expertise across unrelated fields | ideation |
| Drake Equation (Startup) | Jason Cohen | Success = chain of multiplied probabilities; one zero kills everything | startup-failure-modes |
| Editing Metaphor | Keith Rabois | Your job as leader is editing (simplifying), not writing (creating) | operations |
| Five Whys | Eric Ries | Ask “why?” five times to find root causes systematically | lean-startup |
| Founder Mode | Paul Graham | Stay directly engaged across the org; skip levels; selective depth | founder-mode |
| Hell Yes or No | Derek Sivers | If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no — filter for decisions | focus |
| High-Expectation Customer (HXC) | Rahul Vohra | Your ideal user, described vividly — the person who loves your product most | product-market-fit |
| Last Mover Advantage | Peter Thiel | Being the last significant mover matters more than being first | competitive-strategy |
| Leslie’s Compass | Mark Leslie | 7 dimensions determining if your product is bought (marketing) or sold (sales) | go-to-market-strategy |
| Lines, Not Dots | Mark Suster | Build investor relationships over time; one meeting = a dot, two = a line | fundraising |
| Max MRR | Jason Cohen | Max MRR = New MRR ÷ Monthly Churn Rate — your revenue ceiling | retention-and-churn |
| Mom Test | Rob Fitzpatrick | Talk about their life, not your idea; past specifics, not future hypotheticals; listen more | customer-development |
| Monopoly Characteristics (4) | Peter Thiel | Proprietary tech (10x), network effects, economies of scale, brand | competitive-strategy |
| OMTM (One Metric That Matters) | Lean Analytics | At any time, pick ONE metric as your north star | startup-metrics |
| Peacetime / Wartime CEO | Ben Horowitz | Two leadership modes requiring radically different management styles | wartime-peacetime-ceo |
| PMF Engine (4-step) | Rahul Vohra | Segment → Analyze → Roadmap (50/50) → Repeat quarterly | product-market-fit |
| Pull a Meraki | Paul Graham | Manufacture hardware by hand initially before scaling production | do-things-that-dont-scale |
| Rachleff’s Law | Andy Rachleff | Great team + lousy market = market wins. Market is the strongest force. | product-market-fit |
| Rule of 40 | SaaS industry | Growth rate % + profit margin % should ≥ 40 | retention-and-churn |
| Schlep Blindness | Paul Graham | Unconsciously avoiding ideas requiring tedious, unglamorous work | ideation |
| Sean Ellis Test | Sean Ellis | ”How would you feel if you couldn’t use this?” ≥40% “very disappointed” = PMF | product-market-fit |
| Task-Relevant Maturity | Keith Rabois | Match management style to employee’s experience with the specific task | operations |
| The Unsexy Filter | Paul Graham | Dismissing ideas because they seem boring (similar to Schlep Blindness) | ideation |
| The Well Test | Paul Graham | ”Who wants this so badly they’ll use a rough version from unknown founders?“ | ideation |
| Value Hypothesis | Andy Rachleff | What to build, for whom, with what business model — must prove before growth | product-market-fit |
| Zero to One | Peter Thiel | Creating something entirely new (not incremental improvement) | competitive-strategy |
| 10-5-20 Rule | YC (Kevin Hale) | Price at 10x cost, raise 5% per cohort, until losing 20% on price | pricing-strategy |
See Also
- start-here — Learning paths
- cheat-sheet — Everything on one page
- founder-faq — Questions answered