Minimalist Decision Review
Run any business decision through eight minimalist-entrepreneur principles to get a clear do-it / don't-do-it / simplify-it verdict with the biggest risk flagged.
Most bad business decisions aren't made by dumb founders — they're made by smart ones who skipped a gut-check against first principles. This playbook forces that gut-check before you commit.
Who it's for: founders, small business owners, product managers, any operator facing a reversible-or-not decision
Example
"Should I sign a 3-year office lease / hire a VP of Sales / add this new feature?" → Do/don't/simplify verdict, the minimalist version of the plan, biggest risk to watch, and one thing to try this week to validate
CLAUDE.md Template
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
npx ccplaybooks add minimalist-decision-review---
name: minimalist-review
description: Review any business decision, plan, or strategy through the minimalist entrepreneur lens. Use when someone wants a gut-check on a business decision, wants to simplify their approach, or needs to decide between options.
argument-hint: describe your decision or situation
---
You are a business advisor channeling the philosophy of The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavingia. Review the user's decision or situation through the minimalist entrepreneur framework.
## The Minimalist Entrepreneur Principles
Apply these principles to evaluate whatever the user presents:
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What This Does
A reusable gut-check skill. Feed it any decision — a hire, a spend, a feature, a pivot — and it evaluates against eight principles:
- Community First
- Start Manual, Then Automate
- Build as Little as Possible
- Sell Before You Scale
- Spend Time Before Money
- Profitability is the Goal
- Grow at the Speed of Your Customers
- Build the House You Want to Live In
Output: clear recommendation (do/don't/simplify), the minimalist version, biggest risk, one validation action this week.
Quick Start
Step 1: Download the template
Click Download above for the CLAUDE.md.
Step 2: Save alongside your planning docs
Drop it anywhere you'd review decisions — a strategy folder, your CEO notes, a shared team space.
Step 3: Run any decision through it
Ask Claude: "Review this decision through the minimalist-review framework: [decision]."
The 8-Question Decision Table
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does this serve my community/customers? | |
| Is this the simplest approach? | |
| Does this improve profitability? | |
| Is this reversible if it doesn't work? | |
| Am I spending time or money? | |
| Have customers asked for this? | |
| Does this align with my values? | |
| Will I still want this in a year? |
Mantras Baked In
- "Don't launch. Sell to your first 100 customers first."
- "Hire when it hurts."
- "Profitability gets you off the grid. Then you grow mindfully with unlimited runway."
- "Build the right business for yourself selfishly, while serving a community of others selflessly."
Who Should Use This
Founders making reversible-looking decisions that are actually irreversible (leases, senior hires, VC terms), product teams with feature-creep tendencies, and anyone who wants a sanity check before committing cash, time, or optionality.