The pivot: radical adaptation
The brutal reality: don't sink with the ship
Stubbornness is a virtue in a winning market and a death sentence in a dying one.
The Conflict: You've spent years building your current product.
You don't want to let go.
The Truth: If the horse is dead, dismount.
A pivot is a change in strategy, not a change in vision.
The Fix: Take your remaining assets (code, data, team) and apply them to a problem people are actually paying for today.
1. asset re-deployment
Stop asking “What can we build?” and start asking “What do we already have that is valuable?” Is it your customer list?
Your technical skills?
Use those as a bridge to a new market.
2. the minimum viable pivot
Do not spend 6 months building “Version 2.0.” Launch a “smoke test” in 7 days.
Sell the solution before you build it to see if anyone actually cares enough to pay.
Smart words
SUNK COST FALLACY
The “Vegas Trap.” Thinking you have to keep going because you've already spent so much money.
SMOKE TEST
The “Faked It.” Offering a product that doesn't exist yet to see if people will click the “Buy” button.
PIVOT SPEED
The “Agility Score.” The time it takes for a user to realize you are wrong and change direction.
Tactical directives
1. The Lost Lead Test: Ask 10 lost customers: “What is the ONE problem you'd pay $1,000 to fix right now?”
2. The Asset Map: List 3 ways your current technology could solve a completely different problem.
3. The New Page: Launch a simple landing page for your pivot idea by tomorrow morning.
Optional vocabulary