My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Pairing Metrics System
A framework for tracking two complementary metrics to prevent optimization of one metric from destroying overall value
How It Works
By measuring both a primary metric and its natural counterbalance, you avoid the unintended consequences of single-metric optimization
Components
Identify your primary optimization metric
Determine what negative outcome could result from over-optimizing
Create a complementary metric that measures that risk
Monitor both metrics simultaneously
Set thresholds for both metrics
When to Use
When optimizing any single metric that could have negative downstream effects if pushed too far
When Not to Use
When metrics are naturally aligned and don't require counterbalancing
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Bhutan pairs GDP (economic growth) with Gross National Happiness (citizen wellbeing) to ensure economic progress doesn't come at the cost of quality of life”