Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14

When it’s day one and nothing exists yet

38 cards from 10 books, filed under “Starting something”. Newest first; every row is the card’s title and the moment you would use it.

#c1514The Esoteric Reserve and the God Above VirtueStructuring multi-stage mastery or initiation curricula, explaining why beginners shouldn't imitate the rule-breaking habits of…From Handbook of Platonism #c1386Chandeliers and no file cabinetYou're spending launch energy on the visible parts of a new venture.From Matriarch #c1385Inclusive means the whole lineYou're extending a product to a new group of customers with a stripped-down version.From Matriarch #c1379The outfits you worry about are the ones that hitYou're about to tone down a piece of work because it feels like too much.From Matriarch #c1377The advance is your debtSomeone offers money up front and you haven't worked out what you'll owe for it.From Matriarch #c1376The ones who make it don't quitYou've just lost publicly and need to decide what changes.From Matriarch #c1367A cheap first visit, if you trust the productYou're launching and debating whether to discount the first experience.From Matriarch #c1366Find the need: time and respectYou're looking for a business idea and keep thinking about products instead of what annoys your customers.From Matriarch #c1365Buy it back for a dollarThe owner of something you want is under pressure to get rid of it.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1355Don't beg for investmentYou're raising money and the process feels like pleading.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1352Keep it skeleton until demand proves itselfYou're launching an experiment and want to spend on production before you know anyone will come.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1347The job ad that filters for love of the gameYou can't pay yet and need contributors who care about the work itself.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1346Call every advertiser your competitors haveYou're looking for your first customers and your competitors publish who theirs are.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1345Sell the ads before the paper existsYou need paying customers before you have a finished product.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1344Know your weekly nutYou're running a new venture on thin cash and the finances feel vague.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1337Marine Corps Leadership 101 for a campaignYou're running a first-time team on an underdog project.From Courage Can Save Us #c1330Make them try to be like youYou're the outsider in a field and feel pressure to imitate the incumbents.From Courage Can Save Us #c1329Run the race your wayYou're launching something and advisers want you to look like everyone else in the field.From Courage Can Save Us #c1321The fire-in-the-belly testYou're weighing a long-shot venture and the analysis says no.From Courage Can Save Us #c1314Moving out of mom and dad's houseYou're leading a team through a complex separation or launch and need everyone pointed the same way.From Digital Impact #c1297Stack new edges before the old one diesYour current advantage is working well and you've stopped developing a replacement.From Trade Outside the Box #c1248Build the campaign before you know the candidateA big decision is still pending and you could start building the capability any outcome will need.From This Is the Plan #c1246Build leaders before you knock on doorsYou're launching an effort and are tempted to start the work before you have people to lead it.From This Is the Plan #c1240Small groups are the secret sauceYou're trying to sustain a long effort on willpower alone.From This Is the Plan #c1227Simple boxes beat optimal packingExperts defend a custom process that performs well at one step and slows down the whole chain.From How to Take Smart Notes #c1225The slip-box got him a professorship in a yearA big opportunity opens and you need to show finished work fast.From How to Take Smart Notes #c1213Brainstorming is a memory test in disguiseA team is about to pick a direction from whatever ideas surface in a single meeting.From How to Take Smart Notes #c1212Pick the topic from what has already piled upYou need to choose your next project, essay or product idea and are staring at a blank page.From How to Take Smart Notes #c1204Keep paying the mother templeAn offshoot has outgrown its parent and wants to keep the tie on its own terms.From Carthage: A New History #c1199Hop port to port with land in sightYou are planning a long push into new ground and want every step to pay for itself.From Carthage: A New History #c1195Build the new base instead of patching the oldRestoring a damaged site would cost more than building a better one nearby.From Carthage: A New History #c1194Marry into the neighboursYou have moved into someone else's territory and depend on them for the basics.From Carthage: A New History #c1188Nail the logbook to the temple wallA team has come back from new ground and the route should outlive the crew.From Carthage: A New History #c1186Send families, not just crewsYou are opening a new location and need it to put down roots.From Carthage: A New History #c1185Pack the god and the bridesYou are founding something far from home and it has to outlast the founders.From Carthage: A New History #c1181Pay your own billsSomeone else handles your money and you haven't looked at the accounts in months.From Self-Help #c1179Brushes from the cat's tailYou're holding off on starting until you have the right equipment.From Self-Help #c1178Four years dinning the project into earsYour first attempt failed in public and the original backer won't fund a second.From Self-Help