Framework
7 Core Founder Needs
Seven inputs that keep a founder running, each feeding a different capacity — with a target cadence for every one.
What makes this more than a wellness checklist: each need funds a specific capacity. Exercise buys willpower. Sleep buys patience. Solitude buys clarity. Vacation buys perspective. Skip one and you don't just feel worse — a particular capability degrades, usually in the week you need it most.
How to use it
- Score each need out of 10 for the last month. The chronically low ones are your energy leaks.
- Set your own cadences — the ones shown are starting points, not prescriptions.
- Put the two biggest gaps into your habit stack or straight into the calendar this week, then check them in your weekly energy review.
- Under pressure, defend these first — they fund exactly the capacities that pressure taxes.
Cheat meals are on the list on purpose: sustainable beats perfect. A diet with three cheats a week is one you'll still be running next year.
Source / credit
Related capabilities
Related tools
Work with Ben
Want help installing this?
Outstride OS is the system behind Ben's founder coaching — pre-seed to Series C. If this page names something you are living right now, start a conversation.