business-brainstorm
When you want to pressure-test a potential new business, product, or side project against the serial-founder filter. Not \"marketing ideas for a product\" (that's marketing-skills:marketing-ideas) — this is \"should this business exist + can you win it.\" Runs the idea through a structured framework (problem, audience, wedge, monetization, moat, portfolio fit, distribution, energy fit, opportunity cost), checks domain availability via /domain, optionally triggers /deep-research for market validation, and outputs a viability brief: build / sleep on it / pass. Archives every idea to ~/.config/makerskills/business-brainstorm/archive/ so past work is searchable. Triggers on \"/business-brainstorm,\" \"/brainstorm,\" \"new business idea,\" \"should I build X,\" \"pressure test this idea,\" \"validate this idea,\" \"is X a good business,\" \"what about a [type] for [audience].\"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills /tmp/business-brainstorm && cp -r /tmp/business-brainstorm/skills/business-brainstorm ~/.claude/skills/business-brainstormSKILL.md
# /business-brainstorm — Pressure-test a business idea
Takes a vague idea, runs it through the user's filter, and outputs a structured viability brief. Composes with `deep-research` (for market) and `/domain` (for naming).
## Step 1 — Capture the idea
Get from the user:
- The idea in 1–2 sentences (the *what*)
- The reason it's on their mind (the *why now*)
- Any starting context (a chat where this came up, a tweet that inspired it, a problem they've hit)
If they point at a past chat / doc, load it first. Memory has `project_*.md` files for in-flight projects — check there before assuming the idea is brand-new.
If the idea is too vague to score, ask 1–2 clarifying questions and stop. Don't pad the brief with assumptions.
## Step 2 — Load the framework + personal overlay
Read `references/framework.md` — the user's filter. Apply each dimension in order.
Also try to load `${MAKERSKILLS_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/makerskills}/business-brainstorm/portfolio.local.md` if it exists — this is where the user lists their real in-flight businesses, properties, audiences, and partners. When present, use it for the "portfolio fit," "distribution," and "opportunity cost" dimensions instead of asking the user to name each one.
## Step 3 — Score each dimension
For each of the 9 dimensions in `framework.md`, give a 1-line take + a verdict (✅ strong / 🟡 OK / ❌ weak / ❓ unknown — needs research).
Don't BS the unknowns. Mark them ❓ and route to deep-research in Step 4.
## Step 4 — Trigger research where needed (optional)
If 2+ dimensions are ❓ unknown, offer the user: *"Want me to run `/deep-research` on [topic] before scoring?"*
Useful research targets:
- Market size / who pays signal → `/last30days <space>` + `WebSearch`
- Competitive landscape → search for "alternatives to X", "X vs Y" pages
- ICP signal → forums / Reddit / X where the audience hangs out
- Pricing benchmarks → look at competitor pricing pages
If the user says yes, run `Skill({skill: "deep-research", args: "<topic>"})` and incorporate the brief.
## Step 5 — Check the .com
Always run `/domain` on the working name(s). A perfect idea with a $50k domain is a worse idea than a B+ idea with a free .com.
If naming is wide open, brainstorm 5–10 candidate names through `/domain` and report which are available.
## Step 6 — Output the brief
Use this template:
```markdown
# Business brainstorm: <name or idea slug>
**Date:** <YYYY-MM-DD>
**Idea:** <1–2 sentences>
**Why now:** <1 sentence>
## Verdict
**Build** / **Sleep on it** / **Pass** / **Steal an angle for [existing property]**
<2–3 sentence rationale>
## Score
| Dimension | Take | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem | … | ✅ |
| 2. Audience | … | 🟡 |
| 3. Wedge | … | ❓ |
| 4. Monetization | … | ✅ |
| 5. Moat | … | ❌ |
| 6. Portfolio fit | … | ✅ |
| 7. Distribution | … | ✅ |
| 8. Energy fit | … | 🟡 |
| 9. Opportunity cost | … | ❌ |
## Domain
- <name>.com — available / taken / aftermarket $<price>
- (other candidates if relevant)
## Research applied
- <link to deep-research brief in ~/.config/makerskills/deep-research/archive/, if run>
## Open questions
- <what would change the verdict>
## If you build it (sketch)
- **First 100 customers:** <how>
- **Wedge offer:** <what>
- **Price:** <range>
- **MVP scope:** <1–3 features>
## If you don't build it
- **Angle to steal for existing properties:**
- Property A: …
- Property B: …
- Property C: …
- (etc., only where relevant)
```
## Step 7 — Archive
Archives live in `${MAKERSKILLS_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/makerskills}/business-brainstorm/archive/` (create the directory if missing). Never write archives inside the skill's own folder — skill installs and upgrades re-sync from source and wipe anything saved there. **Migration:** if this skill's folder contains an old `references/ideas-archive/` with user entries, move those files into the archive directory first.
Write to `<archive dir>/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<slug>.md`. Append to `<archive dir>/INDEX.md` (create if missing):
```markdown
- 2026-06-16 — [<idea>](./<filename>.md) — **<verdict>** — <one-line rationale>
```
## Step 8 — Surface
Show the brief in chat. Tell the user the archive path. Offer:
- *"Want to push to Notion as a positioning canvas?"*
- *"Want me to scaffold a project repo / landing page?"* (if verdict = Build)
- *"Want me to revisit in 30 days?"* (if verdict = Sleep on it)
## Composes with
- `deep-research` — for market validation when dimensions are ❓
- `/domain` — for .com availability and naming brainstorm
- `/last30days` — for audience/market recency signal (via deep-research)
- Memory (`project_*.md`) — for portfolio context (don't pitch an idea that already exists)
## Notes on quality
- **Nine dimensions, not one hero metric.** Ideas fail because one dimension quietly rots even when the rest score high. Force each dimension to be scored — no "we'll figure that out later" cop-outs.
- **Verdict discipline: Ship / Sleep on it / Kill.** Not "maybe." Ambiguity in the verdict compounds into ambiguity in the commit; the brief exists to prevent that.
- **Portfolio-context check is non-negotiable.** Before writing, grep memory + wiki for existing property overlap. If the new idea is 80% one of your existing properties, propose extending the existing property instead of forking a new one — 4x cheaper to compound.
- **Archive every brief, even Kills.** Killed ideas resurface — the brief with rationale prevents re-litigating. The archive dir + INDEX.md makes revisit trivial.
- **"Angle to steal" section forces value from Kills.** Even ideas you won't build often have an angle that improves an existing property. Don't skip this section — it's the highest-leverage output of a Kill verdict.
- **30-day revisit for "Sleep on it."** Set the calendar reminder. Sleep-on-it ideas that never get revisited become dead weight in the archive; ideas that get revisited resurface with better context.Your team's shared, AI-ready knowledge base — people, companies, meetings, SOPs, and decisions structured so Claude can answer questions on your team's behalf. Team-scope sibling to second-brain (which is personal-scope). Seven modes — capture (drop something into the right structured dir), compile (process into wiki pages, update INDEX.md), query (answer from the corpus with trust weighting, save to outputs/), review (triage queue — verify / deprecate / supersede unreviewed and stale captures so wrong info never becomes context), lint (orphans / stale / contradictions / gaps), connect (suggest new wikilinks), search (quick lookup). Structured raw dirs (people/, companies/, meetings/, sops/, decisions/, customer-language/, recurring-questions/, sales-objections/) instead of second-brain's flat type-prefixed raw/. Multi-author aware — every capture stamps author + timestamp + trust status. Optional auto-sync from Fathom/Gong/Granola call transcripts, Slack/email exports, CRM. Defaults to a vault at ${COMPANY_BRAIN_VAULT:-$HOME/Documents/CompanyBrain}/. Triggers on "/company-brain," "/cb," "capture this into the team brain," "log this meeting," "add this person to the team brain," "save this SOP," "compile the company wiki," "query the team brain," "what does the team know about X," "review the company brain," "cull the team brain," "lint the company brain," "who's the internal expert on X.
Monthly CFO workflow for a company or agency — pull raw data from bank + payment processor + payroll + expense management, categorize and reconcile, compute end-of-month cash via transaction-sum method, update a scenario projector for forward forecasting, write the monthly snapshot report, surface decisions to leadership. Modes — monthly (default; the standing report), weekly (thin cash pulse), scenario (ad-hoc modeling in the projector), pickup (resume where the prior run left off). Anonymized team-scope sibling to personal-cfo (which handles personal household finances). Composes with company-brain (report gets stored + wiki-indexed there), toolify (wire company-specific data sources), loopify (schedule the monthly + weekly runs). Triggers on "/company-cfo," "/cfo," "monthly cash report," "do the CFO snapshot," "CFO monthly," "let's run CFO," "cash projection," "runway forecast," "monthly financials," "cash pulse.
When you have a decision to make and want a structured workflow that picks the load-bearing questions, walks through them, reaches a call (or "wait"), and archives the rationale for future reference. Based on the 37signals Guide to Making Decisions (38 questions) plus house additions like Q39 opportunity cost ("what does saying yes displace?"). Triages to 6–8 relevant questions per decision instead of forcing the full set. Archives every decision to ~/.config/makerskills/decide/archive/ with a revisit date so you can check later whether the call was right. Triggers on "/decide," "help me decide," "should I [X]," "I need to make a decision about," "stuck on a decision," "deciding between," "go/no-go on," "what should I do about." This is both the decision-making workflow AND the decision log — making the decision is the act of logging it.
When you want multi-source, multi-step research on a topic — competitor research before a sales call, market research for a new business idea, positioning angles, due diligence on a partnership or podcast guest, tech decision research (which DB, which auth), or any \"I need to actually understand X.\" Combines WebSearch, WebFetch, agent-browser, /last30days (Reddit/X/YouTube/HN/web recency), memory, and Notion. Outputs a structured brief with citations, contradictions, gaps, and recommended next steps. Archives every research run to ~/.config/makerskills/deep-research/archive/ so past work is searchable. Triggers on \"/deep-research,\" \"research X,\" \"investigate X,\" \"do a deep dive on X,\" \"look into X,\" \"what's actually happening with X,\" \"due diligence on X,\" \"validate this market.\" Differs from a one-shot WebSearch: this is multi-pass with verification.
When you want to brainstorm and check available .com domains for a new project — brand naming, aftermarket pricing (HugeDomains / Afternic / Sedo / Dan), USPTO trademark screening, and social handle availability. Built on Laura Roeder's \"work backwards from availability, not from a name you fell in love with\" methodology. Uses Vercel CLI + whois + Domainr API + Namecheap API + agent-browser for the pieces each tool actually reliably supports (multi-tool ensemble because no single tool covers everything cleanly). 11-step workflow: budget → brainstorm → primary availability check → whois cross-check → Domainr aggregation → Namecheap price → aftermarket sweep (+ liveness probe for parked/dead domains, drop-watch for expiring ones) → bucket → negotiate → NAME research (trademark + socials) → buy. Triggers on \"/domain,\" \"find a domain,\" \"check domain availability,\" \"brainstorm a domain,\" \"what .com is available for X,\" \"domain hunt,\" \"name my project,\" \"is X.com available,\" \"aftermarket price on X.com,\" \"trademark check for X.\"
Gary Vaynerchuk's jab-jab-jab-right-hook framework applied to a personal portfolio rotation on X and LinkedIn. Jabs = build-in-public + educational (value). Hooks = promo (the ask). Each property in the user's configured portfolio (see `~/.config/makerskills/jab-hook/properties.yaml`) gets a hook at least once every ~3 weeks; jabs fill the rest. Drafts go into the user's Typefully workspace via MCP. Modes — plan (7-day plan), pick-next (single post), audit (coverage report), draft (specific post). Triggers on "/jab-hook," "what should I post," "plan my socials," "next promo," "next jab," "next hook," "social rotation," "promote [property]," "BIP post," "audit my socials," "what haven't I posted about.
When you want to set up an agent loop, cron-scheduled task, or recurring workflow that runs autonomously in Claude Code. Judgment layer on top of ScheduleWakeup, CronCreate, and the /loop skill — decides whether to use dynamic pacing (self-scheduling wake-ups), cron scheduling (fixed intervals), or a one-shot loop; tunes delay to avoid the 5-minute cache-miss cliff; designs idempotent loop bodies; sets bail-out conditions so loops don't run forever. Examples of loops to loopify — weekly review pulse, daily brief generation, hourly monitoring of a metric, periodic vault compilation, upstream-check for an adapted skill, sponsorship-pipeline refresh, YouTube-transcript-batch-download, morning startup routine. Triggers on "/loopify," "set up a loop," "schedule this task," "run this daily," "run this weekly," "cron this," "make this recurring," "automate this on a schedule," "keep this running until X." Part of the -ify trifecta (skillify / toolify / loopify) for extending Claude Code. NOT for authoring a new skill — that's skillify. NOT for adding a tool/integration — that's toolify.
When you want multiple expert perspectives on a founder/operator question — a simulated personal board of advisors staffed by legendary founders, CEOs, and operators (Jason Fried, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang, Bob Iger, Paul Graham, Naval Ravikant, Sara Blakely). Bring a real decision — \"should I raise prices?\", \"hire my first employee?\", \"raise or bootstrap?\", \"kill this project?\" — and the council weighs in through their documented frameworks, surfaces where they disagree, and synthesizes a recommendation. Also use when the user mentions 'maker council,' 'board of advisors,' 'what would Bezos do,' 'what would Jason Fried say,' 'channel Naval,' 'ask the council,' 'get multiple perspectives on this decision,' or asks how a famous founder would approach their problem. Optional live-research pass grounds takes in what each member has actually said (via deep-research / watch-video / last30days). Sibling of marketing-skills' marketing-council (marketing questions go there; company-building and operator questions come here). Archives sessions to ~/.config/makerskills/maker-council/archive/. For committing to one of the surfaced directions, hand off to decide.