The goal
Launch my side project and get 10 paying customers by this time next year
Make it yours: change the highlighted parts, the numbers and the wording. In Ascanti the dates are set from the quarter you start in.
How you'll know you got there
my side project is live and 10 people have paid for it.
Why this works
Most side projects stall while they're being built, because there's no deadline and nobody waiting for them. This plan flips the order: talk to people who have the problem first, launch something small to them early, and let paying customers tell you what to build next. Short, regular sessions work better than the occasional weekend.
Milestones
One checkpoint for each of the first three quarters. The goal itself lands in the fourth.
- Quarter 1Validated: 10 conversations with potential users and a one-page plan
- Quarter 2Launched: a first version live and in front of real users
- Quarter 3First revenue: paying customers and a list of what they want next
Key results
Numbers you can check at any point to see whether you're on track.
- Conversations with potential users: 20 conversations
- Paying customers: 10 customers
- Focused build time: 150 hours
Starter habits
Work on my side project for 45 focused minutes
4 times / week · weekly habitTalk to one potential user
1 time / week · weekly habit
Your first week
- Write one sentence: who it's for and the problem it solves
- List 10 people who have that problem
- Message 3 of them to ask about the problem (not the idea)
- Block 4 recurring build sessions in my calendar
- Decide the smallest version I could launch in 8 weeks
Use it in Ascanti
Pick this template in Goals, adjust the numbers and dates, untick anything you don't want, and Ascanti creates the goal with its milestones, key results, habits and week-one tasks in one step. Progress on the tasks and key results rolls up to the goal.
Ascanti is in private beta. Join the waitlist and we'll send you an invite.