My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Crisis Pivot Framework
A systematic approach to rapidly shifting business operations during crisis events to capture emergency demand in new markets
How It Works
Works by leveraging existing manufacturing/operational capabilities and redirecting them toward suddenly critical needs, often with government backing and reduced competition
Components
Identify your core operational capabilities (manufacturing, distribution, relationships)
Map those capabilities to emerging crisis needs
Abandon low-priority existing products immediately
Shift all production to crisis-demanded items
Pursue government and institutional contracts aggressively
Scale manufacturing rapidly while demand is price-insensitive
When to Use
During major crisis events (pandemics, wars, natural disasters) when normal supply chains break down and emergency demand creates massive opportunities
When Not to Use
In stable markets, when you lack manufacturing flexibility, or when crisis demand is clearly temporary with no sustainable transition path
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“A company making LED-lit vodka bottles immediately shifts all production to N95 masks and respirators when COVID hits, winning $113M government contracts by being first to market”
Related Knowledge
Capitalize on emergency PPE demand during health crisis
Securing multi-million dollar government contracts for PPE supplies while maintaining 30-50% margins
Survive in expensive city with minimal capital while building business
Generating enough revenue to cover basic living expenses while building scalable business foundation
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Zero-to-One vs One-to-Hundred Operator Framework
Classification of entrepreneurs as either idea generators who start things (0-1) or operators who scale things (1-100)
Efficient Markets Business Framework
A business model based on identifying and removing inefficiencies in markets where transactions that should occur don't happen due to structural barriers.