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My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

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Pivot vs Persevere Decision Framework

Reusability

A structured approach to deciding whether to continue with current strategy or change direction using time-boxed milestones and faith vs worry metrics

How It Works

Set time-boxed milestones when optimistic, then evaluate what metric gives most faith vs what metric causes most worry when milestone isn't hit

Components

1

Set specific milestone with deadline when optimistic

2

When milestone missed, identify metric that worries you most

3

Identify metric that gives you most faith

4

Weigh faith metric strength against worry metric evidence

5

If faith metric is weak relative to worry evidence, consider pivot

When to Use

When facing stagnant growth, unclear product-market fit, or questioning business direction after 6+ months

When Not to Use

During normal short-term fluctuations, when you haven't given strategy enough time, or when external factors are temporary

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Setting unrealistic milestonesChanging milestones when you miss themRelying on weak faith metrics like 'one person said they liked it'Not being honest about worry metrics

Example

Four years in with only $42k revenue (worry metric) but 52 customers with zero churn and high satisfaction (faith metric) - strong faith metric justifies perseverance