Use this before starting any playbook. Score yourself honestly -- not against what you plan to do, but against what is actually running today.
Score each question: 1 = Yes, 0 = No.
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can you describe your ICP in 30 seconds with zero ambiguity -- company type, headcount, buying trigger? | |
| 2 | Do you know the specific trigger event that makes a prospect a buyer right now (not the category, the trigger)? | |
| 3 | Have you spoken to at least 5 current or past clients to validate their pain in their exact words? | |
| 4 | Do you have a competitive moat -- something defensible that competitors cannot easily copy? |
F1 Score: __ / 4
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can you state your offer as an outcome (what the client achieves) rather than a deliverable (what you produce)? | |
| 2 | Is your pricing based on the value of the outcome, not the hours you spend? | |
| 3 | Do you have at least two pricing tiers with a logical progression between them? | |
| 4 | Is your LTV:CAC ratio 3:1 or higher? |
F2 Score: __ / 4
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is there a named owner for each of the three GOD Engine pillars (Growth, Operations, Delivery)? | |
| 2 | Are decision rights documented -- do people know what they can decide without asking you? | |
| 3 | Could the business run for one week without founder involvement? |
F3 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you know your unit economics (CAC, LTV, gross margin) without looking them up? | |
| 2 | Do you have at least 3 months of cash reserves? | |
| 3 | Do you forecast cash weekly? |
F4 Score: __ / 3
Foundation Total: __ / 14
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you have a defined set of filter criteria for building a qualified prospect list? | |
| 2 | Can you build a new 100-person ICP-match list within 48 hours using a repeatable process? | |
| 3 | Is your prospect data verified (bounce rate below 5%)? |
G1 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are you publishing content consistently on the platform where your ICP spends time (minimum once per week)? | |
| 2 | Do you have a nurture sequence for warm contacts who have not yet bought? | |
| 3 | Is your content tied to a specific problem your ICP has -- not just industry topics? |
G2 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are you running outreach consistently (minimum 20+ contacts per week)? | |
| 2 | Do you have a 3+ touch follow-up sequence for non-replies? | |
| 3 | Is your meeting show rate above 80%? |
G3 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are your core delivery processes documented in SOPs someone else could follow? | |
| 2 | Do you have a documented onboarding process for new clients? | |
| 3 | Can a new hire execute their core responsibilities within 30 days using documentation alone? |
O1 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are you saving 10+ hours per week through automation? | |
| 2 | Do you have automated follow-up sequences running (meeting confirmation, client check-ins)? | |
| 3 | Do you have monitoring on automations so failures are caught before they affect clients? |
O2 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you review your three North Star metrics (meetings booked, hours saved, NRR) every week? | |
| 2 | Can you answer "how is the business performing this week?" in under 5 minutes? | |
| 3 | Do you forecast revenue 30 days out? |
O3 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you have a systematic onboarding process for new clients that runs without founder oversight? | |
| 2 | Is your on-time delivery rate above 90%? | |
| 3 | Do you have a QA process that catches quality issues before the client sees them? |
D1 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you have at least two specific, verifiable case studies (company type + result + timeframe)? | |
| 2 | Are proof assets actively used in outreach and proposals -- not just sitting in a folder? | |
| 3 | Do you have a systematic process for collecting client results and testimonials? |
D2 Score: __ / 3
| # | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is your NRR above 100% (expansion revenue exceeds churn)? | |
| 2 | Do you have a structured referral ask process (not just "let me know if you know anyone")? | |
| 3 | Do you track client health scores and act on them before clients decide to churn? |
D3 Score: __ / 3
GOD Engine Total: __ / 27
Foundation + GOD Engine Total: __ / 41
| Score per section | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | Not ready | Core inputs are missing. Fix this section before any playbook will work. |
| 2 | Starting | Enough to activate. Expect rough edges. Use the playbook to get structured quickly. |
| 3 | Working | Running this area. Focus on measurement and iteration. |
Find your lowest-scoring section. That is your starting point.
| Lowest Score | Go To |
|---|---|
| F1 (Positioning) | methodology/foundation/F1-positioning.md -- do not run any channel until F1 is complete |
| F2 (Business Model) | methodology/foundation/F2-business-model.md -- pricing and unit economics first |
| F3 (Org Structure) | methodology/foundation/F3-org-structure.md -- assign owners before adding people |
| F4 (Financial) | methodology/foundation/F4-financial.md -- unit economics before scaling |
| G1 (Find) | playbooks/find/README.md -- ICP operationalization and list building |
| G2 (Warm) | playbooks/warm/README.md -- content, events, nurture channels |
| G3 (Book) | playbooks/book/README.md -- outreach sequences and qualification |
| O1 (Standardize) | playbooks/standardize/README.md -- document before delegating |
| O2 (Automate) | playbooks/automate/README.md -- standardize first, then automate |
| O3 (Instrument) | playbooks/instrument/README.md -- build the dashboard |
| D1 (Deliver) | playbooks/deliver/README.md -- onboarding and QA systems |
| D2 (Prove) | playbooks/prove/README.md -- case studies and proof collection |
| D3 (Expand) | playbooks/expand/README.md -- NRR, health scoring, referral program |
Once you have your score and know which brick to start with, read your business type's archetype file. It maps which bricks matter most at your current stage and where founders in your category most commonly get stuck.
| Your business | Archetype file |
|---|---|
| B2B SaaS, vertical SaaS, AI SaaS | playbooks/segments/startup-archetypes/b2b-saas.md |
| Developer tools, API, open source | playbooks/segments/startup-archetypes/devtools.md |
| Marketplace (2-sided) | playbooks/segments/startup-archetypes/marketplace.md |
| DTC, consumer app, consumer social | playbooks/segments/startup-archetypes/dtc-consumer.md |
| Hardware + software | playbooks/segments/startup-archetypes/hardware.md |
| Indie SaaS, productized service | playbooks/segments/startup-archetypes/indie-saas.md |
| Marketing / SEO / paid media agency | playbooks/segments/service-firms/marketing-agency.md |
| Consulting (strategy, ops, sales, HR) | playbooks/segments/service-firms/consulting.md |
| IT consulting, MSP, cybersecurity | playbooks/segments/service-firms/it-msp.md |
| Financial advisory, legal, coaching, fractional | playbooks/segments/service-firms/advisory.md |
| Residential home services | playbooks/segments/trade-businesses/residential-trades.md |
| Specialty trades (GC, remodeling, flooring...) | playbooks/segments/trade-businesses/specialty-trades.md |
| Commercial services | playbooks/segments/trade-businesses/commercial-services.md |
- Do not inflate scores. Answer based on what is actually running today.
- If a section scores 0, the playbooks in that area will not work yet. Fix first.
- Re-run this scorecard monthly. A complete ScaleOS operation should score 35+ out of 41 within 6-12 months.