79yuuki/dotfiles/unit-economics-gate

Unit Economics Gate

Overview

Use this skill to stop revenue-first thinking from hiding weak margin, fixed-cost drag, or bad fund conversion.

Read references/scorecard.md when you need the actual scorecard template.

Core Output

Produce a Unit Economics Gate Note with:

1. revenue profile
2. gross margin view
3. fixed-cost impact
4. fund timing
5. strategic learning value
6. go / revise / reject recommendation

Workflow

1. Define the decision unit

Make the unit explicit:

• one client
• one proposal
• one PoC
• one hire
• one tool subscription
• one new product line

If the unit is fuzzy, economics become storytelling.

2. Separate topline from actual contribution

At minimum estimate:

• revenue
• direct delivery cost
• gross margin
• support / ops burden
• founder attention cost
• non-obvious downside risk

3. Check fixed-cost consequences

Ask:

• does this add recurring payroll, vendor, compliance, or support load?
• if revenue stops after one deal, what cost remains?
• does this make the operating model heavier or lighter?

4. Check fund timing

Look at:

• when money comes in
• when delivery cost hits
• payment delays
• deposit / prepay / milestone protection
• downside if collection slips

5. Include learning value, but price it honestly

Learning value matters only if it is likely to unlock:

• reusable asset creation
• case study leverage
• repeatable offer refinement
• strategic access to better deals

Do not use "good learning" to excuse permanently weak margins.

Principles

• Revenue is not margin
• Margin is not liquidity
• Liquidity is not strategy
• A good logo can still be a bad deal
• Fixed-cost creep kills optionality
• Learning value must be tied to reuse or market access

Deliverable Format

Return:

• assumptions
• economics summary
• key risks
• what would make the deal viable
• go / revise / reject call
• the single most important missing number