The Inventory

Week 7: The Inventory

George's Story

When I was figuring out what to do after SimpleDirect, I made a list of everything I had.

Not money. Not stuff. Assets.

Skills: I could write clearly. I understood SaaS, fintech, and the home improvement industry inside out. I knew how to sell. I could build products (basic, but functional). I understood marketing. I also had deep knowledge of founder mobility from my consulting work under ANC.

Network: I had about 40 people who would take my call. Founders, operators, a few VCs. Real relationships, not just LinkedIn connections.

Knowledge: I knew things about building vertical SaaS that weren't written down anywhere. I understood how founders think about risk. I knew which mistakes people made and how to avoid them.

Experience: I'd built a business from zero. I'd made every mistake. I'd learned what worked.

When I wrote it all down, I was surprised. It was... more than I thought.

I'd spent so much time thinking about what I was losing that I'd forgotten to count what I had.

What You're Probably Undervaluing

Here's what I've noticed: people dramatically undercount their assets.

The skills you've built over a decade feel "obvious" to you. But they're not obvious to everyone else.

The relationships you have feel "normal." But most people don't have 20 people who would take their call.

The knowledge in your head feels like "common sense." But it took you years to learn it.

You have more than you think. You've just never stopped to count.

The Question I Asked Everyone

After I made my list, I asked 3 people who knew me well: "What am I undervaluing about myself?"

Their answers surprised me.

One said: "You're really good at cutting through noise. People come to you confused and leave with clarity."

Another said: "You're not afraid to say the uncomfortable thing. Most people won't do that."

A third said: "You understand both the business side and the human side. That's rare."

None of these were things I would have listed. They felt too obvious. But that's exactly why I needed someone else to point them out.

What I Want You to Have

By the end of this week, I want you to have an "unfair advantage stack."

Skill + Network + Knowledge + Experience = Something

For me, it was: "I can help founders make hard decisions about their businesses and lives, with honesty and clarity."

That's not a business model yet. But it's a foundation. Something real to build from.

What's yours?

This Week's Tasks

Day 43 — Skills (15 min)

List every skill you have:

Technical (tools, platforms, methods)
Human (communication, leadership, negotiation, teaching)

Reflect: Your top 5.

Day 44 — Network (10 min)

List people who would take your call. Not your company's relationships — YOUR relationships.

Reflect: The number. "12 people."

Day 45 — Knowledge + Judgment (15 min)

What do you know that most people don't? (Insider knowledge, hard-won lessons)
What can you do that's hard to automate? (Judgment calls, high-stakes decisions, relationship building)

Reflect: One from each.

Day 46 — Community (5 min)

Review your inventory from Days 43-45. Ask someone who knows your work for one concrete example of a strength you may have missed, or record a question to ask later.

Day 47 — The Stack (15 min)

Combine everything:

My unfair advantage stack:

Skill: ______

Network: ______

Knowledge: ______

Experience: ______ What this adds up to: ______

Reflect: Share your stack.