expert-graham

To evaluate if your startup idea is a tarpit, apply Paul Graham's patterns like Schlep Blindness and Do Things That Don't Scale to surface hidden obstacles. This produces a structured diagnostic readout of tarpit flags, growth signals, and recommended next steps.

Schlep blindness is a decision pattern where founders avoid painful, unscalable tasks during early-stage startup validation. Identifying this bias surfaces hidden obstacles and helps distinguish necessary unscalable work from scalable growth indicators.

To apply Do Things That Don't Scale to product decisions, evaluate initial priorities by distinguishing unscalable manual tasks from scalable growth. This guided framework aids prioritization and clarifies pivot-or-shutdown scenarios for tech startups.

Yes, you can use Paul Graham's patterns for a pivot-or-shutdown decision. The framework evaluates Default Alive/Dead status, founder identity, and growth signals to guide prioritization and determine if unscalable tasks justify continuing.

This startup evaluation framework is designed for tech startup founders applying early-stage idea validation. While the pattern library addresses founder psychology and risk assessment, the core diagnostic readout specifically targets initial product decisions for tech startups.

You should not use Graham's startup patterns for risk assessment when evaluating late-stage scaling strategies or non-tech businesses. The framework focuses on early-stage idea validation, founder self-assessment, and identifying tarpit flags rather than mature product growth.