The four pillars: Viability, Acquisition, Leadership, Operations

The pillars are the four jobs every business has to do well, no matter its size or industry: Viability (cash, pricing, and profit), Acquisition (finding and keeping the right customers), Leadership (running the business with intention — the team, and yourself), and Operations (how the day-to-day work gets done). V, A, L, O. Each pillar runs through all four phases, and each earns its own 100–500 pillar score so you can see exactly where you're strong and where you're thin.

Do this

1. Learn the four: Viability keeps the lights on, Acquisition keeps the phone ringing, Leadership keeps it all pointed somewhere, Operations delivers what you promised.
2. Check each pillar's own score on the Score screen — a pillar can read 350 while another is still working through Start.
3. Spot your weakest pillar: it's usually the one holding your headline score at its gate.
4. Resist playing favorites — the Framework weighs all four, because a business is only as strong as its weakest pillar.

The Four Pillars, Plainly

MONEY — cash, pricing, and profit. Bank account, bookkeeping, margins, forecasts.

CUSTOMERS — finding and keeping the right customers. Ideal customer, marketing channels, leads, reviews.

WORK — how the day-to-day work gets done. Delivery steps, quality standards, SOPs, capacity.

MANAGEMENT — leading the team, and yourself. Vision, goals, roles, planning rhythms, delegation.

Every pillar crosses every phase, so each has its own Start → Exit journey and its own 100–500 score.