# Journey > Use this skill when the user is new and doesn't know where to start, asks 'what should I do first,' 'what order do I do things in,' 'where do I begin,' 'I have an idea but don't know what's next,' or seems lost among the available skills. Also use when the user asks for a roadmap or overview of the full process from idea to launched product. This is the starting point — it routes users to the rig… - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-whawkinsiv-solo-founder-skills-journey` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [whawkinsiv](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/whawkinsiv) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [whawkinsiv](https://github.com/whawkinsiv) - **Source:** https://github.com/whawkinsiv/solo-founder-skills/tree/main/skills/journey ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-whawkinsiv-solo-founder-skills-journey ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # The Solo Founder Journey You don't need to know everything. You need to know what to do next. This skill tells you where you are and what skill to use. --- ## Where Are You? Find your current stage. Start there — don't skip ahead. ### Stage 1: "I have an idea" You know a problem exists in your field. You haven't validated whether anyone else cares enough to pay. **Do this:** 1. **translate** — Turn your professional pain into a clear problem statement 2. **validate** — Test whether other people have this pain and will pay to fix it **Time:** 1-2 weeks. **Cost:** $0-200. **Gate:** Do NOT move to Stage 2 until you have signal that real people want this. Signal = email signups, survey responses, or pre-payments. "My friends think it's cool" is not signal. --- ### Stage 2: "I've validated demand — what do I build?" You have evidence people want this. Now you need to decide what the minimum product looks like. **Do this:** 1. **customer-research** — Talk to 10 potential users about their workflow 2. **prioritize** — Decide what to build first (ruthlessly cut scope) 3. **plan** — Write a spec AI tools can execute **Time:** 1-2 weeks. **Gate:** You should have a written spec that describes what the user sees and does, not a list of features. If your spec takes more than 2-4 weeks to build, cut more. --- ### Stage 3: "I'm ready to build" You have a spec. Time to choose your tool and build the thing. **Do this:** 1. **brand-identity-generator** — Set your visual identity so AI tools don't guess 2. **build** — Choose your AI tool (Lovable, Claude Code, Replit, Cursor) and build 3. **database** — Set up your data model and security 4. **secure** — Security checklist before going live 5. **compliance** — If you're in healthcare, finance, education, or another regulated industry **Time:** 2-4 weeks for an MVP. **Gate:** The app works. Happy path is functional. You've tested it yourself. It doesn't need to be perfect — it needs to be usable. --- ### Stage 4: "It works — how do I get it live?" The app works locally or in your dev environment. Time to put it on the internet. **Do this:** 1. **deploy** — Get it live on a custom domain 2. **payments** — Set up Stripe for subscriptions 3. **legal** — Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, business entity 4. **test** — Test the full flow as if you're a new user 5. **monitor** — Set up error tracking and uptime alerts 6. **go-live** — Run the pre-launch checklist before letting anyone in **Time:** 1-2 days for deploy. 1 week for payments + legal. **Gate:** Someone can visit your URL, sign up, use the product, and pay you. **go-live** is your final checkpoint before opening the doors. --- ### Stage 5: "It's live — how do I get users?" Your product is live. Nobody knows about it yet. **Do this:** 1. **landing-page** — Build a landing page that converts 2. **copywriting** — Write copy that speaks your audience's language 3. **launch** — Plan and execute your launch (not just "post on Twitter") 4. **niche-advantage** — If you're building for your own industry, use your network 5. **sales** — Find and reach your first 10-20 customers directly **Time:** 2-4 weeks of active launch effort. **Gate:** You have paying customers (even 5-10) and you're learning from their usage. --- ### Stage 6: "I have early customers — how do I grow?" You have paying customers. Now build the engine. **Do this:** 1. **analytics** — Set up tracking so you know what's working 2. **growth** — Design activation, retention, and referral mechanics 3. **conversion** — Optimize your signup and upgrade flows 4. **email** — Build welcome sequences and lifecycle emails 5. **content** — Start creating content that attracts your audience 6. **seo** — Plan content that ranks and drives organic signups 7. **feedback** — Collect and act on user feedback **Time:** Ongoing. This is the work from now on. --- ### Stage 7: "I'm growing — how do I keep customers?" You're acquiring users. Now make sure they stick. **Do this:** 1. **retention** — Reduce churn and build stickiness 2. **support** — Build self-serve documentation 3. **community** — If you have 100+ active users, consider a community 4. **pricing** — Revisit pricing as you learn what users value 5. **optimize** — Speed, code cleanup, database performance --- ### Stage 8: "I'm established — how do I scale?" You have product-market fit. Revenue is growing. Now scale. **Do this:** 1. **ads** — Paid acquisition once organic is working 2. **hiring** — When to hire vs. keep using AI tools 3. **ai-features** — Add AI-powered features to differentiate 4. **accounting** — Get your books right as revenue grows 5. **finances** — Financial modeling and unit economics --- ## Quick Reference | "I need to..." | Use this skill | |----------------|---------------| | Figure out if my idea is worth building | **translate**, **validate** | | Decide what to build first | **prioritize**, **plan** | | Choose an AI coding tool | **build** | | Set up my database | **database** | | Make it look professional | **brand-identity-generator**, **beautify** | | Get it live on the internet | **deploy** | | Check if I'm ready to launch | **go-live** | | Accept payments | **payments** | | Handle legal stuff | **legal**, **compliance** | | Build a landing page | **landing-page** | | Write marketing copy | **copywriting** | | Plan my launch | **launch** | | Reach my first customers | **sales**, **niche-advantage** | | Set up analytics | **analytics** | | Grow faster | **growth**, **conversion** | | Write emails that convert | **email** | | Create content | **content**, **seo** | | Reduce churn | **retention** | | Handle support | **support** | | Run ads | **ads** | | Hire a developer | **hiring** | | Fix a bug | **debug** | | Something broke in production | **debug**, **monitor** | | Understand my financials | **finances**, **accounting** | | Set pricing | **pricing** | | Make my text sound less AI-generated | **humanize** | ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [whawkinsiv](https://github.com/whawkinsiv) - **Source:** [whawkinsiv/solo-founder-skills](https://github.com/whawkinsiv/solo-founder-skills) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-whawkinsiv-solo-founder-skills-journey - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/whawkinsiv - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.