The 7P Framework

Grow your company in the right order.

WHY before WHO. WHO before WHAT. WHAT before HOW and WHEN. Seven stages every first-time founder runs through, almost always in the wrong order — and a compass for each one, free.

Dr. Özgür Zan

By Dr. Özgür Zan — 25 years, six startups across four countries, one exit, products used by 100M+ people. Free, no sign-in.

Start here ↓

Not sure where to start?

Find your stage in two minutes.

Most founders are working on a later stage than the one actually holding them back. Answer six quick questions — we'll point you to the earliest stage that isn't solid yet, and the one compass to open first.

Find your stage →

Start here

Two ways in.

The 7P Framework is a sequence. Pick up a compass and start now, or read the book that names the whole sequence first — either way works.

New to the framework

Start with the first compass.

You don't need the book to begin. Open the Purpose compass — the first stage — and you'll have a draft in your hands in about fifteen minutes. Free, no sign-in.

Try the Purpose compass →Or read the free e-book first

You've read The Founder's Sequence

You already know the staircase.

Then skip the introductions. Open the compass for the stage you're standing on — or pull the book that fits the problem in front of you.

Open the compasses →Open the Library

The seven stages

One compass per stage.

  1. 01

    PurposeWhy you're building

    The reason you start — and the reason you survive.

  2. 02

    PeopleCo-founders & hiring

    Who builds it with you determines whether it gets built at all.

  3. 03

    PainProblem & customer discovery

    Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.

  4. 04

    ProductWhat to build first

    Build the right thing first — then build it right.

  5. 05

    ProveValidation & PMF

    The market is the only judge that matters.

  6. 06

    ProfitsRevenue & unit economics

    From Purpose to Profits.

  7. 07

    PersistenceFounder endurance

    The one who lasts beats the best.

The Library

The right book for the problem you have now.

49 hand-picked books for first-time founders, paired with the seven stages. Every book personally read; every summary ends with a one-screen Practice Card.

Open the Library →

The ecosystem

Three sites, one sequence.

  • The e-book

    founderssequence.com

    The free e-book that names the seven stages and the order they must be run in. The starting point.

    Read the e-book →

  • You are here

    7pframework.com

    The compasses for each stage, plus a curated Library of book summaries. The product hub.

  • The author

    ozgurzan.com

    Dr. Özgür Zan's personal site — talks, writing, advisory work. The author hub.

    Visit ozgurzan.com →