Hi Friends,
I'm back from a week in Mexico with the family.
Selfie with Leeana on our flight back
One of the most valuable things I do with clients is sit down with the founder and get clear on where the company is going.
We capture it in 1 document, the Company DNA: where the company is going and why, on 1 page. It's the first thing we build together, and it pays back more than anything that comes after it.
Writing it is quick. Getting to real clarity and alignment is the slow part.
Everything here works with or without AI. But AI raises the stakes. Every AI tool your team uses is guessing at your direction until you write it down.
This one is for ambitious growth-stage companies. If you run a lifestyle business you're happy with, you can skip it.
Here's what goes in it, why it matters and how to build yours.
Did someone forward this email to you? Click here to subscribe so you don't miss out on future issues.
Why direction comes first
Strategy works like location in real estate. Pick the wrong location, and no amount of renovation saves the house.
Your direction is the location. Every hire, campaign and AI tool gets built on top of it. When it's unclear, each one guesses, and they all guess differently.
The 1-page idea comes from Alex M. H. Smith's No Bullsh*t Strategy, which Alex and I broke down in issue 4.
Give AI your data
AI drifts on open-ended plans. Ask for a 3-year strategy and you get an average of every strategy it's read. Give it 1 goal, a deadline and your data, and it chases that goal well.
For example, don't tell your AI your follower count. Ask it why it grew. Don't tell it your customers love you. Show it which ones renewed and ask why.
The Company DNA gives AI exactly that: your goal, your deadline, your limits and the data behind your strengths.
Answer these 7 questions
The Company DNA document answers 7 questions.
What do we believe that others missed?
What are our strengths, and what are our weaknesses?
What do we give up?
What's our 1 goal for the next 12 months?
What are our quarterly goals, and how will we know they're working?
What 3 things do we do, and what 3 do we stop?
Answer them on 1 page. Here's what a finished one looks like.
A finished Company DNA for a fictional cleaning company.
Your 4-week plan
Week 1: you and 2 or 3 leaders answer the 7 questions on your own.
Week 2: review your answers with 3 of your best clients. Note what they confirm and what surprises you.
Week 3: compare everyone's answers and agree on 1 version. The CEO breaks ties.
Week 4: align the company around it. Share it with your whole team, use it to make decisions, then put it into your AI tools.
After that, review the quarterly goals each quarter and revisit the whole page every 6 months.
Reply "DNA" and I'll send you the guide, a finished example and a blank 1-page template.
Agree on 1 page as a leadership team. Then give it to every AI tool you use.
Til next time,
--Ali
P.S. I work with a few CEOs at a time as a thinking partner, and this page is where we start. If you'd like help with yours, grab 30 minutes on my calendar.
About Me: I'm Ali Mamujee. I run Allenix, where I work with a handful of B2B CEOs at a time as a thinking partner, building AI revenue systems their teams actually run. I spend more hours with AI than I'd like to admit. Every one of those tools gets this page.
