All stages
Stage 0 of 9
Calibration
The Stealth Baseline
Framework: The Stealth Baseline · / Ayanokoji Kiyotaka
“Stop asking your first step to prove your genius. Establish the baseline in complete obscurity.”
You are here if
- Your role: The Operative (Researcher)
- Headcount: 0 (Just you)
- Bottom line: Nothing is happening ($0 revenue)
Your one constraint
Spectacle Paralysis (Too many ideas, zero proof)
Your exit gate
- 110 to 20 users have completed your free prototype or service.
- 2You have verifiable before-and-after proof (screenshots, metrics, completed artifacts).
- 3You can explain your offer in one plain sentence without using buzzwords.
- 4At least one person asks: "Can I pay you to keep doing this?"
You move up when: Getting 10–20 people to try your stuff for free and proving it works
Signs you're doing it right
- Users actually finish the prototype
- You receive screenshots of completed results
- People ask if they can keep using it
- You understand why people get stuck
Warning signs to watch for
- You are coding an app before talking to humans
- You spend 3 weeks choosing brand colors and logos
- You try to charge money before verifying it works
- You have 5 different ideas and execute none
Tools for this stage
WorksheetStage 0
The Ego Filter Worksheet
Dump every idea, run the filter, and leave with one project written in one sentence.
The 3-Milestone System
The foundation course. Take one project from named to three verified milestones, with a return rule for the days that go wrong.
Take this course Free courseThe Ego Filter Course
Choose the one project that deserves your focus, and say no to the rest without guilt.
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