When 100 strangers built our MVP in 24 hours and made headlines, producers from a major streaming service reached out about making a movie out of our Origin Story.
Since then I've realized each phase of what we do is akin to an episode, or a chapter, in the story of our startup.
Breaking down our journey this way creates focus, clarity, and momentum while keeping everyone emotionally invested in the outcome. This is how we built our MVP in 24 hours, raised 1 million dollars in 24 hours, and rebranded in 24 hours. Everyone was doing their part, marketing, legal, product, dev etc, but everyone knew exactly what we were working toward.
Building a startup as if you're writing the story of it may just be the simplest way to build a billion dollar company. So here's how we're doing it and why:
Many startups (and many people) collapse under the weight of trying to do too much at once.
Traditional execution frameworks push for speed but often sacrifice alignment and well-being. Sometimes things get so complex that great ideas die in notebooks.
At TheSummeet, we're trying something different, so I'm sharing this memo, for our team and for anyone who may find it useful.
We realise our Mission by setting short-term goals that build momentum toward a long-term vision. We call these segments “Chapters”, because they tell the evolving story of the project, each one a meaningful part of the journey.
A Phase sounds fixed and impersonal. A Chapter is alive: something you can contribute to, grow within, and look back on.
In each Chapter, we focus on one specific, shared goal. Everyone is clear on how their work contributes to that goal and how success translates to personal growth. This creates clarity on what matters now, while allowing for flexibility and evolution in the future. Roles and responsibilities adapt with each Chapter.
This short term focus makes everythign easier. Like a tour of duty in battle, there is a clear commitment in time and expected outcome, without over worrying of the long term. We can focus but remain nimble and evolve as circumstances change.
Each Chapter follows the same 6-step rhythm:
We set one primary, specific, and measurable goal. This sharpens focus and prevents mission drift. Example: “Build our identity and tell our story in a way that attracts the right community.”