A Business Operating System for Aligned Creators
What this is: These are the definitions that changed how I think about business. Standard business terms carry so much baggage that they get in the way of actually doing the thing. These reframes removed the noise and made everything clearer.
How to use this: Read through once to get the system. Then reference specific definitions when you're stuck. When these click, business becomes less about tactics and more about alignment.
THE FOUNDATION
What business actually is
Market
A place where buyers and sellers meet.
Wherever there's exchange, there's a market. Markets exist wherever desire meets capability. Your job is to recognize where buyers and sellers already want to meet and make that transaction easier.
Why this matters: You don't create markets. You recognize where they're forming and position yourself there. The clearer you see the market, the easier everything else becomes.
Business
A system of relationships built around exchange.
Your business is the network of relationships with customers, clients, partners, vendors - and how value flows between them. Growing a business means recognizing which relationships matter most and strengthening those systems so they can scale.
Why this matters: If every transaction requires you personally, you don't have a business system - you have a job. Systematize the relationships or stay trapped in them.
Demand
The accumulation of desire.
What brought your clients to you? What were they really looking for? Demand has two forms:
Visible demand: What people are actively searching for, asking for, paying for right now.
Invisible demand: What people want but haven't articulated yet. They haven't found the place to fulfill it. The demand exists - they just haven't found the words or the path yet. This is where the opportunities are.
Why this matters: You don't create demand - you recognize where it's accumulating. Your gift is seeing what's bubbling before others do and positioning yourself as the first clear path.
Audience
People who have gathered to observe.
The starting point, not the end goal. Observation has to lead somewhere. Passive audiences need direction to become something more meaningful.
Why this matters: Don't overindex on audience size. Focus on depth of relationship and clarity of next step. An audience is only valuable when observation leads to exchange.
THE MECHANICS
How exchange works
Marketing
Making it easy for buyers to buy and sellers to sell.
Not social media. Not SEO. Not tactics. Your job is to remove friction from transactions that want to happen.
Why this matters: Marketing is reverse-engineering the path people already traveled and making it easier for the next person. Ask yourself: Where was it hard for the last person to buy from me? Where's the brush in the path that I can clear?
Service
Making it easy.
If you're serving as a bartender, you're making it easy to get a drink. As a consultant, you're making it easy to get a solution.
Why this matters: Service IS marketing when done right. If marketing is making it easier for buyers to find you, service is what you offer along the way. They're the same motion.
Value
A transferable change in state.
Going from confused to clear. Hungry to satisfied. Stuck to moving forward. Value is the experience of change you can give to someone.
The formula:
Experience the low point (the problem, in detail) - capture it
Work through to the high point (the solution)
You're now guaranteed to have value (you can transfer that change to others)
Why this matters: Every frustration you work through becomes value you can deliver. You don't create the problem. You recognize it, experience it, solve it, then make that solution transferable.
Price
The monetary representation of value.
Not what you think you're worth. Not industry standards. The number that represents the change in state you're creating.
Why this matters: Bigger change = higher price. That's it. Stop second-guessing.
Money
A medium for value exchange.
Not the goal. The language. The measurement system for value moving between people.
Why this matters: Chasing money is backwards. Create value, make exchange easy, money follows.
Sales
Clarifying the next step.
Not convincing. Not persuading. Helping someone see what happens next if they want the change you're offering.
Why this matters: When value is clear and the path is easy, sales is just confirmation. If you're "selling hard," something upstream is unclear.
Offer
A specific path to exchange.
The container for how someone gets from where they are to where they want to be, and what they pay for it.
Why this matters: Vague offers create friction. Specific offers make decisions easy. "I help designers" is not an offer. "12-week intensive to transition from freelance to productized service" is an offer.
THE ECONOMICS
The math
Revenue
Value received.
What came in. The measurement of exchange that occurred.
Why this matters: Track where it came from. Not all revenue is equal - some requires you, some doesn't. Some creates future revenue, some doesn't.
Expense
The cost of work.
What it takes to apply force and create movement. Not inherently good or bad - just the input side of the equation.
Why this matters: Are your expenses creating assets or just covering liabilities? Every dollar out should either solve a current problem or build future capacity.
Profit
Surplus of value relative to cost.
But also: Where things are easy for you.
The margin is where your ease lives. The thing you can do in 20 minutes that takes someone else 2 weeks? That's not worth less because it's easy for you - that's worth MORE.
Why this matters: Stop punishing yourself for ease. Don't make things harder to justify the cost. That's a disservice, not service. Protect where things are easy - that's where your profit lives.
Cost
What must be paid.
Time, money, energy, attention, opportunity. Every decision has a cost, even if it's not financial.
Why this matters: The real cost isn't always the price tag. It's what you give up to get it. Count all costs, not just the obvious ones.
Margin
Space between effort and return.
The breathing room. The buffer. The difference between what something costs you and what it's worth to others.
Why this matters: Healthy margins give you space to think, experiment, rest. Thin margins keep you trapped in execution. Protect your margins like your life depends on them - because your freedom does.
Investment
An expense with expected future return.
Not all expenses are investments. Some just keep the lights on. An investment is strategic - you're trading current resources for future benefit.
Why this matters: Before spending, ask: "Is this an expense or an investment?" Expenses solve today's problems. Investments create tomorrow's assets.
THE ASSETS
Building for future
Asset
Something that will create benefits in the future.
Processes that make things easier later. Automations that work on your behalf. Products that serve people while you sleep. Relationships that compound. Content that keeps working.
Why this matters: Not creating assets is a liability to your business. If you're not building things with future benefit, you're extracting from future you to serve current demands. The test: Will this serve future me? Or just get current me out of a jam?
Liability
Something that will cost you in the future.
Shortcuts that create technical debt. Systems built for right now that break at scale. Promises you can't systematize. Clients you took because you needed the money.
Why this matters: Every decision is either moving you toward assets or toward liabilities. Choose accordingly. Future you is watching.
Product
A container for value.
A template helps someone go from "I don't know how to start" to "I have a start." A course helps someone go from "I don't know what path to take" to "I know what to do next."
Why this matters: What change in state does your container enable? If you can't answer that clearly, your product isn't clear.
System
A repeatable process.
The documented way something happens so it can happen again without you.
Why this matters: You can't scale what isn't systematized. Every time you solve the same problem twice, you're paying the cost of not having a system. Build the system or stay trapped repeating yourself.
Infrastructure
The foundation that enables everything else.
The physical network layer in telecom. The documented processes in your business. The relationships that don't require maintenance. The things that let other things run.
Why this matters: Applications get attention, but infrastructure creates wealth. Most people build at the application layer. The leverage is in the infrastructure.
THE LEVERAGE
Multipliers
Leverage
Greater output for the same input.
In physics, moving the fulcrum changes the leverage. In business, small force in one direction creates large movement in another.
Why this matters: Look for: How can I get much more out for what I'm putting in? One asset serving many people. One system handling many transactions. One piece of content generating many leads.
Scale
Growth needed to meet outsized demand.
You can't scale until there's way more demand than you can currently serve. Trying to scale without demand is building infrastructure for traffic that doesn't exist.
Why this matters: The sequence is: Recognize where demand already exists. Position yourself in front of it. Make it clear how to fulfill it. Then scale to meet it. Never scale before demand.
Network
Interconnected relationships that create value through connection.
Your network isn't your contact list. It's the active relationships where value flows both ways.
Why this matters: Strong networks create compound effects - one relationship leads to three more. Weak networks are just databases. The quality of exchange determines the value of the network.
THE WORK
What you actually do
Work
Force applied to create movement.
There are times when you have to apply force. The key is doing it in a way where the movement continues after you stop working.
Why this matters: Work to create assets. Work to solve a problem becomes an asset when you capture the solution and make it transferable. Otherwise, you're just moving things temporarily.
Strategy
The approach.
Not the tactics. Not the plan. How you're thinking about the problem.
Why this matters: Same tactics, different strategy = different outcomes. Before you execute, clarify the approach. The tactics flow from strategy, not the other way around.
Execution
Work applied.
The doing. The actual force applied to move things forward.
Why this matters: Strategy without execution is just theory. Execution without strategy is just motion. You need both, but execution reveals what strategy misses.
Capacity
Your ability to do work.
Not just time. Energy, attention, skill, systems, team. Your total ability to apply force and create movement.
Why this matters: You can't increase revenue without increasing capacity. You increase capacity through leverage (do more with same input), systems (automate what repeats), or team (distribute the work). Pick your path.
THE EXPRESSION
How you show up
Brand
A lasting impression.
Not a logo. Not colors. The feeling people have when they encounter you. The more impressions you make over time, the deeper the imprint.
Why this matters: Every interaction is brand. Every conversation. Every delivery. Every response. You can't "build a brand" separate from how you show up. You can only be consistent enough that the impression lasts.
Content
Snapshot of a conversation.
The best content comes from real conversations with clients. If the conversation leads to the sale, that's the content that will sell.
Why this matters: Capture what's really happening organically. Trust there's value there because there always is. Stop trying to "create content" and start capturing conversations.
Visibility
The ability to see clearly.
Not about being seen by everyone. It's about being clearly seen by the right people.
Why this matters: The clearer you are on what you want people to see, the freer you become with visibility. Visibility without clarity is just noise. Clarity without visibility is just potential.
Message
Value made clear.
The articulation of the change in state you enable. What was true before. What becomes true after.
Why this matters: Unclear messages create friction. Clear messages remove it. Your message isn't about you - it's about the change you transfer.
Presence
Sustained visibility.
Showing up consistently enough that people remember you're there.
Why this matters: One-off visibility doesn't compound. Presence does. But presence without value is just spam. The combination of presence + clear message + actual value = momentum.
THE OUTCOMES
What you're building toward
Wealth
Asset rich.
The more assets you have relative to liabilities, the more wealth you have. Simple.
Why this matters: Build so much future value that future you isn't paying the debts past you signed up for. Wealth is freedom in time. The goal isn't just money - it's asymmetric assets.
Freedom
A domain in which no payment is required.
Financial freedom, emotional freedom, time freedom. It's a space where the typical costs don't apply.
Why this matters: You can create freedom for others. A space where they're free from guilt, obligation, complexity, uncertainty - whatever payment they normally have to make. There's still a cost to enter the domain. But once inside, they're free.
Growth
Natural order.
In nature, everything just grows until it stops. Nothing needs strategy or motivation. It just does what it's designed to do.
Why this matters: Growth happens naturally when you're positioned correctly. When you're aligned with where demand wants to go, you don't force it - you steward it. Stop trying to manufacture growth. Get into alignment with what already wants to happen.
THE FRAME
Perspective
Time
A measure between work and rest.
Not linear. Not constant. Two minutes can feel like forever or flash by instantly.
Why this matters: Think about time like music - there's an on and an off, a rhythm. Work and rest create the beat. Having a rhythm with time beats constant hustle. Rest isn't the opposite of work - it's where the growth happens.
Position
Where you stand relative to demand.
Are you upstream or downstream? In front of the wave or chasing it? Positioned where demand accumulates or where it's already saturated?
Why this matters: Position determines everything. Same skills, same effort, different position = different outcomes. Before you work harder, check your position.
Alignment
Being in position with what wants to happen.
When your ease meets their demand. When your natural capabilities match what people actually need. When the work that fills you up is the work that creates value.
Why this matters: Misalignment creates friction everywhere - in you, in your business, in your clients. Alignment makes everything easier. Growth, sales, delivery, satisfaction. Find alignment before you scale.
Momentum
Accumulated movement.
The compounding effect of consistent force applied in the same direction. Gets easier over time because past work creates lift for current work.
Why this matters: Momentum beats intensity. Consistent small force over time > sporadic large force. Protect momentum by staying aligned and removing distractions.
How It All Connects
The Foundation:
Markets exist where desire meets capability
Demand accumulates where needs aren't yet met
Business is the system of relationships that handles exchange
The Mechanics:
Marketing makes it easy for demand to meet supply
Service is marketing in action - making it easy is the strategy
Value is created when you experience problems, solve them, and make solutions transferable
Price represents the value. Money measures the exchange
The Economics:
Revenue in, Expenses out
Profit is the surplus, and it lives where things are easy for you
Margin is the space between effort and return - protect it
Investment creates future capacity
The Assets:
Assets have future benefit, Liabilities have future cost
Products are containers for value
Systems make things repeatable
Infrastructure enables everything else
The Leverage:
Leverage multiplies output
Scale meets outsized demand
Network compounds through connection
The Work:
Strategy determines approach
Execution applies the force
Work creates movement
Capacity determines how much force you can apply
The Expression:
Brand is the lasting impression
Content captures conversations
Message makes value clear
Visibility lets people see you
Presence keeps you seen
The Outcomes:
Wealth accumulates as assets outpace liabilities
Freedom emerges when domains require no payment
Growth happens naturally when you're aligned
The Frame:
Time measures the rhythm of work and rest
Position determines what's possible
Alignment makes everything easier
Momentum compounds force over time
The Pattern
You don't create demand - you recognize where it accumulates.
You don't force growth - you position yourself where it naturally occurs.
You don't manufacture value - you experience problems, solve them, and transfer the solution.
Your gift is recognition. Seeing patterns others miss. Identifying where desire is accumulating before it's articulated. Positioning in front of the inevitable.
The game is:
Recognize where demand is accumulating (visible or invisible)
Position yourself in front of it
Make the path to exchange clear and easy (marketing/service)
Create systems that scale the exchange (infrastructure)
Build assets that have future benefit (leverage)
Protect where things are easy (profit/margin)
Compound over time (momentum)
When you understand these definitions, the tactics become obvious. The noise clears. Business becomes simpler.
What to Do With This
When you're stuck, come back here. Find the definition that clarifies the problem.
When you're deciding, ask: Does this create assets or liabilities? Am I cycling upward or in place?
When you're pricing, remember: Profit lives where things are easy. Price the value (change in state), not the effort.
When you're overwhelmed, ask: What am I working on that has future benefit? What's just getting me out of the current jam?
When you're strategizing, ask: Where is demand already accumulating? How do I position in front of it? How do I anticipate the inevitable instead of just reacting to it?
When you're building, ask: Is this infrastructure or application? Asset or liability? Creating leverage or just creating motion?
This is a living document. These definitions will evolve. But the frame stays the same:
Recognize patterns. Remove friction. See clearly. Build assets. Create leverage. Cycle upward.