My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Values Must Acknowledge Trade-offs Framework
A principle that company values are only meaningful when they explicitly acknowledge what you're sacrificing or what downside you accept
How It Works
Forces clarity on what you actually prioritize by making the cost explicit, rather than generic feel-good statements
Components
Identify the positive behavior or outcome you want
Explicitly state what negative consequence you'll accept
Frame as an opinionated trade-off rather than universal good
Test if it provides actual decision-making guidance
When to Use
When defining company values, team principles, or personal operating systems
When Not to Use
For external marketing where nuance might confuse rather than clarify
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Instead of 'We value quality,' say 'We prioritize quality over speed, even if it means missing some deadlines.' This gives teams actual decision criteria when quality and speed conflict.”