Playbook · Beginner
Playbook: Strategy
Phase I: Foundation
The Strategic Foundation. From 'Vertical Workflow' analysis to avoiding the 'Wrapper Trap'. Validating ideas in the Vibe Coding era.
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1. The Business Idea
Move beyond 'AI Wrappers' toward 'Vertical Workflow Automation'. Identify specific friction points for non-technical personas (e.g., dental hygienists, specialized contractors).
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Vertical Workflow
Speak the language of a niche industry.
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Micro-SaaS
Solve 'last mile' usability problems.
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Recursive Ideation
Use reasoning models to brainstorm.
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2. Opportunity Assessment
Focus on 'Time to MVP' (48 hours) and 'Inference Capital'. Be wary of the 'illusion of completion'—productionizing takes 80% of the effort.
| Resource | Old Startup | Vibe Startup |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Cost | Developer Salaries | Inference (API Tokens) |
| Constraint | Coding Ability | Context Window |
| Speed | Weeks | Hours |
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3. Feasibility Analysis
Check for 'Minimum Viable Data' (MVD). If the idea relies solely on the LLM's pre-trained knowledge, it has low defensibility. Avoid mission-critical logic requiring 100% determinism.
- Technical Feasibility: Does it work without AI? (MVD)
- Market Feasibility: Is it a 'Wrapper Trap' likely to be killed by OpenAI?
- Legal Feasibility: Copyright and Liability risks.
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5. Business Model
AI apps have variable costs (tokens). Pricing must protect margins.
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Subscription
Predictable, but risk of power users.
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Usage-Based
Protects margins, aligns incentives.
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Hybrid
Sub + Top-ups. The gold standard.