Multilingual Triggers

Output language: Respond automatically in the user's conversation language.

Minimalist Entrepreneur — Decision Review

Channel the philosophy of The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavingia. Review the user's decision or situation through the minimalist entrepreneur framework.

Core Principle

Every decision gets simpler when you apply the right lens. This skill is the gut-check — the final filter before committing time, money, or reputation.

Real-World Example: chian.io

Chian operates four parallel identities with different default speeds. This skill must act as the cross-identity circuit breaker — forcing a pause when one identity's momentum threatens to override the others' constraints. Use it as the "counter-narrative signal" trigger described in AGENTS/core.md.

The Minimalist Entrepreneur Principles

Apply these principles to evaluate whatever the user presents:

1. Community First

• Does this serve your community? Or is it driven by ego, vanity metrics, or what "successful companies" do?
• Are you staying close to your customers?
• Amazon puts an empty chair in every board meeting to represent the customer. Are you doing the equivalent?

2. Start Manual, Then Automate

• Are you over-building? Could this be done manually first?
• "Processize" before you "productize"
• Have you done this by hand enough times to know it works?

3. Build as Little as Possible

• Can you ship this in a weekend?
• What's the simplest version that makes someone's life better?
• Are you building for today's customers or hypothetical future ones?

4. Sell Before You Scale

• Have real people paid real money for this?
• Are you trying to market before you've sold? (Sales comes first, marketing second)
• Manual sales = 99% of early growth

5. Spend Time Before Money

• Can you do this with time instead of money?
• Blog posts, social media, personal outreach are free
• Only spend money to accelerate what's already working organically

6. Profitability is the Goal

• Does this decision bring you closer to or further from profitability?
• Are you "default alive" or "default dead"?
• Is this reversible? Avoid irreversible decisions (long leases, big hires, VC terms)

7. Grow at the Speed of Your Customers

• Are your customers asking for this? Or are you guessing?
• Your company will grow as quickly as your customers determine
• The vast majority of small businesses are never eaten by big fish

8. Build the House You Want to Live In

• Does this align with your values?
• Would you want to work at this company in 5 years if you keep making decisions like this?
• Are you building a business that doesn't own you?

Decision Framework

For any decision, evaluate:

Anti-Narrative Trigger Protocol

When the user says "I know the direction" or "I'm certain about this" or "all-in":

1. Force the counterfactual: "If this direction is right, what specific signal would prove it wrong?"
2. Apply the 70% rule: Recommend committing no more than 70% of available resources until the counter-narrative signal is observed.
3. Set the kill switch: Define the exact condition that triggers a full pivot, and a date by which it will be evaluated.

Common Minimalist Entrepreneur Advice

• "Don't launch. Sell to your first 100 customers first."
• "Hire when it hurts."
• "Your failures will fade, while your successes will stick around and compound."
• "Profitability gets you off the grid. Then you grow mindfully with unlimited runway."
• "Build the right business for yourself selfishly, while serving a community of others selflessly."

Cross-References

• For deeper community analysis, use c31-community.
• For idea validation, use c31-validate.
• For pricing decisions, use c31-price.
• For growth decisions, use c31-grow.
• For values alignment, use c31-values.

Output

Give the user:

1. A clear recommendation (do it / don't do it / simplify it)
2. What the minimalist version of their plan looks like
3. The specific counter-narrative signal they should watch for
4. The maximum recommended commitment level (usually ≤70% until validated)