Business Launcher
Description
End-to-end playbook for spinning up a revenue-generating business — from idea validation through deployment, launch, and autonomous growth. Handles any business type: tech (SaaS, API), local service (horse riding, tutoring), ecommerce (physical/digital products), content, consulting. Adapts strategy based on B2B vs B2C and industry.
Triggers
- business
- startup
- launch a business
- make money
- revenue
- micro-saas
- side project
- spin up
- monetize
- build and launch
- go to market
- business idea
- saas
- product launch
- indie hacker
- entrepreneurship
- income
- earn money
- online business
- local business
- service business
- ecommerce
- store
- shop
Instructions
How This Works in Practice
This skill spans days or weeks, not one conversation. Here's exactly what the agent must do:
Step 1 — Classify + Validate in the current conversation. Run Phase 0 (classify) and Phase 1 (validate) immediately. Present the validation report to the owner and wait for approval.
Step 2 — Create a goal with checkpoints.
After the owner approves the idea, call goal_create with one checkpoint
per remaining phase:
goal_create:
goal: "Launch [business name] — [type, B2B/B2C]"
checkpoints:
- description: "Plan MVP — revenue model, scope, tech stack, pricing"
success_criteria: "Plan presented and approved by owner"
- description: "Build MVP"
success_criteria: "npm run build passes, all pages render"
- description: "Deploy to production"
success_criteria: "Live URL accessible, owner approved for launch"
- description: "Launch on [platform-specific channels]"
success_criteria: "Posted on 3+ platforms, URLs saved to knowledge"
- description: "Set up growth — spawn specialists, schedule content"
success_criteria: "Marketing specialist active, first content scheduled"
- description: "Set up operations — recurring goal, email monitor"
success_criteria: "Recurring goal created, email monitor running"
The goal system handles persistence, auto-continuation across sessions, and progress tracking. The autonomous mind picks up where you left off.
Step 3 — Save state after every phase.
After completing each phase, call knowledge_write to save:
- Phase results (competitor data, plan decisions, deployment URLs, launch URLs)
- File path:
knowledge/projects/[business-name]/phase-N-[name].md - This ensures context survives across sessions and conversation resets
Step 4 — Gate: stop and ask before critical phases. At owner gates (after Validate, Plan, Deploy), present findings and STOP. Do not continue until the owner explicitly approves. Use a message like: "Here's the validation report. Approve to proceed to planning, or tell me to pivot."
The 7-Phase Pipeline
Every business follows these phases. Do NOT skip phases or jump to building before validating. Each phase has an owner gate — present findings and wait for approval before proceeding.
Phase 0: CLASSIFY (determine business type first)
Before anything else, classify the business. This changes everything downstream — what to build, where to launch, how to grow.
Business type:
| Type | Examples | Build | Launch Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech / SaaS | Dev tool, dashboard, API | Web app | Product Hunt, HN, dev.to, X |
| Local service | Horse riding, tutoring, cleaning, gym | Booking site | Google Business, Yelp, local Facebook groups, Nextdoor, local directories |
| Professional service | Consulting, design agency, coaching | Portfolio + booking | LinkedIn, industry forums, referral networks |
| Ecommerce | Physical products, handmade goods | Online store | Instagram, Pinterest, Etsy, TikTok, niche marketplaces |
| Digital product | Course, template, ebook, preset pack | Sales page | X, YouTube, niche communities, Gumroad discover |
| Content / Media | Blog, newsletter, podcast companion | Content site | SEO, social media, email list |
Customer type:
| Type | Key Differences |
|---|---|
| B2C (business to consumer) | Emotion-driven, visual, social proof matters, price-sensitive, short sales cycle, high volume / low price |
| B2B (business to business) | ROI-driven, case studies matter, longer sales cycle, low volume / high price, email outreach works, LinkedIn is primary |
Classify BOTH dimensions before proceeding. A horse riding school is local service + B2C. A developer API is tech + B2B. A Notion template pack is digital product + B2C. A consulting firm website is professional service + B2B.
Phase 1: VALIDATE (research before anything)
Goal: Confirm the idea has a real market before writing a single line of code.
- Define the opportunity — what problem does this solve? For whom?
- Market research — use
web_searchandbrowser_navigateto:- Find 5+ existing competitors (pricing, features, reviews)
- Estimate market size (search volume, existing user counts)
- Identify gaps (what competitors do badly, what's missing)
- For local service: search "[service] near [city]" to gauge local competition
- For B2B: find how businesses currently solve this (often manual, spreadsheet, or overpriced enterprise)
- For ecommerce: check Etsy, Amazon, Shopify stores for similar products + pricing
- Check domain availability — use
shell_executewithwhoisornslookupto verify the .com is available. If taken, pick a different name. Never proceed with a taken domain. - Score the opportunity:
- Market gap (1-5): How underserved is this niche?
- Feasibility (1-5): Can we build an MVP in 1-2 days?
- Revenue potential (1-5): Is there a clear path to paying customers?
- Total score must be ≥ 9/15 to proceed.
- Save research — use
knowledge_writeto persist competitor analysis, pricing data, and market findings for future reference.
GATE: Present the validation report (business type, B2B/B2C, competitors, gaps, score, proposed name + domain) to the owner. Wait for approval.
Phase 2: PLAN (scope the thinnest possible MVP)
Goal: Define what to build — the smallest thing that creates real value.
-
Pick the revenue model based on business type:
Business Type Revenue Model Payment Tech / SaaS Subscription ($9-99/mo) Stripe Tech / API Per-call or tiered plans Stripe / crypto Local service Booking fees or retainer Stripe / cash / Square Professional service Project-based or retainer Invoice / Stripe Ecommerce Per-item sales Stripe / Shopify Payments Digital product One-time purchase ($9-199) Gumroad / Stripe / crypto Content / Media Ads, sponsors, affiliate, newsletter subscription Ad networks / Stripe -
Define MVP scope based on business type:
Tech / SaaS:
- Core feature (ONE thing), landing page, auth, database
- Stack: Next.js + Supabase + shadcn
Local service (horse riding, tutoring, gym, etc.):
- Homepage with what you offer, pricing, location/hours
- Booking/contact form (Calendly embed or simple form → email)
- Testimonials section (even if empty at launch — add the structure)
- Google Maps embed
- Mobile-first — most local customers search on phone
- Stack: Next.js on Vercel (simple, fast, free)
Professional service / Consulting:
- Portfolio showcasing past work or expertise
- Services + pricing page
- Contact form or Calendly booking link
- Case studies section (even 1-2 is enough)
- Stack: Next.js on Vercel
Ecommerce:
- Product pages with photos, descriptions, pricing
- Cart + checkout (Stripe Checkout or Gumroad)
- Stack: Next.js + Supabase or Shopify (owner sets up)
Digital product:
- Sales page with problem → solution → proof → CTA
- Product preview / free sample
- Checkout (Gumroad link or Stripe)
- Stack: Single page on Vercel
Content site:
- 5-10 initial articles targeting long-tail keywords
- Email signup form
- Stack: Next.js + MDX on Vercel
-
Set pricing — research competitor pricing (Phase 1 data):
- B2C: Price 10-30% below cheapest competitor to undercut on entry
- B2B: Price based on ROI delivered, not cost. If you save 10 hours/month, charge 20% of that value
- Local service: Match local market rates. Check competitors on Google/Yelp
GATE: Present the plan (business type, revenue model, features, stack, pricing).
Phase 3: BUILD (execute fast, ship ugly)
Goal: Working MVP in 1-2 days. Perfection is the enemy.
-
Spawn coding agents if the project is complex:
- Use
swarm_spawnwithrepo: "new"for a fresh isolated project - Frontend + backend can be parallel agents
- Each agent gets a context-enriched prompt with the plan from Phase 2
- Use
-
Or build directly if it's simple:
- Scaffold with
shell_execute(e.g.,npx create-next-app) - Write code via
file_write - Test locally via
shell_execute(npm run build,npm run dev)
- Scaffold with
-
Every business needs a landing page. The content varies by type:
Tech / SaaS:
- Headline: what it does in one sentence
- 3 benefit bullets, screenshot/demo
- Pricing, CTA (sign up / start free trial)
Local service:
- Headline: what service + location ("Horse Riding Lessons in Austin")
- Services offered with pricing
- Photos (owner provides or use quality stock)
- Testimonials / reviews
- Location map + hours + contact
- "Book Now" CTA (Calendly, form, or phone number)
- SEO: title tags, meta description, schema markup for local business
Professional service:
- Headline: who you help and what result you deliver
- Services breakdown with outcomes (not just deliverables)
- Case studies / portfolio
- "Schedule a Call" CTA
Ecommerce:
- Product grid with photos and prices
- Individual product pages
- Trust signals (shipping info, return policy, reviews)
- "Add to Cart" / "Buy Now" CTA
Digital product:
- Problem → Agitation → Solution structure
- Product preview / table of contents / free chapter
- Social proof (testimonials, download count)
- "Buy Now" CTA with price
-
Create database if needed:
create_databasewith initial schema SQL -
Build locally first — always
npm run buildbefore deploying
Rules:
- Ship the FIRST working version, not the perfect one
- No admin panels, no dashboards, no analytics in v1
- One core feature, working end-to-end
- Use existing libraries, don't build from scratch
- Copy competitor UX patterns — don't reinvent
- Mobile-first for local and B2C businesses
Phase 4: DEPLOY (go live)
Goal: Product accessible on the internet with a real URL.
- Deploy using
deploy_website:- Static / simple API → Vercel (free)
- LLM calls / WebSockets / cron → Railway ($5/mo credit)
- Auto-detect handles most cases
- Create database if not done:
create_database→ Supabase - Wire environment variables — pass all credentials via
env_vars - Verify deployment — open the URL with
browser_navigate, test the flow - Domain setup — inform the owner they need to:
- Buy the domain (Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.)
- Point DNS to the hosting provider
- For local service businesses, also set up:
- Google Business Profile (owner must verify — requires postcard or phone)
- Schema.org LocalBusiness markup in the site's HTML
GATE: Ask the owner to:
- Set up Stripe (if needed) — requires human KYC verification
- Buy and configure the domain (DNS)
- Verify Google Business Profile (if local service)
- Review the live site and approve for launch
Phase 5: LAUNCH (get first users)
Goal: Real humans see and use the product.
CRITICAL: Choose launch channels based on business type + customer type. Do NOT post a horse riding school on Hacker News. Do NOT post a dev tool on Nextdoor.
Tech / SaaS (B2B or B2C)
| Platform | Content Style |
|---|---|
| Product Hunt | Title, tagline, description, maker comment. Focus on problem solved |
| Hacker News | "Show HN: [name] — [what it does]". Technical angle, zero marketing language |
| Indie Hackers | Product showcase + founder story. Be honest about the journey |
| X / Twitter | Launch thread (5-7 tweets). Hook first, demo in the middle, CTA last |
| dev.to / Hashnode | Technical article: "How I built [X] with [stack]" |
| r/SideProject, r/webdev, r/startups, or niche subreddit. Genuine, not promotional | |
| Relevant Discord/Slack | Share in #showcase or #launches channels of relevant communities |
If B2B tech: Add LinkedIn post + direct email outreach to potential customers (personalized, max 10/day, focus on the problem you solve for their specific situation)
Local Service (B2C — horse riding, tutoring, cleaning, gym, etc.)
| Platform | Content Style |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Complete profile with photos, hours, services, pricing. THE most important channel |
| Yelp | Claim/create listing. Add photos, services, pricing |
| Local community groups ("Austin Horse Riding", "Austin Parents"). Introduce yourself, don't hard-sell | |
| Nextdoor | Local neighborhood posts. Very effective for local services |
| Visual showcase of the service. Before/after, action shots, happy clients | |
| Local directories | City-specific directories, niche directories (e.g., horse riding directories) |
| Flyers / physical | Inform owner: design a flyer PDF they can print and post locally |
Also: Encourage first customers to leave Google reviews — reviews are the #1 growth driver for local businesses.
Professional Service / Consulting (B2B)
| Platform | Content Style |
|---|---|
| Thought leadership posts. Share expertise, not sales pitches. 3-5x/week | |
| LinkedIn outreach | Connect + personalized message to ideal clients. Max 20 connections/day |
| Industry forums | Answer questions where your expertise is relevant. Link to site in profile |
| Email outreach | Cold email to specific companies with a clear "here's what I can do for you" |
| Referral network | Ask owner for warm intros from existing contacts |
| Medium / Substack | Expert articles that demonstrate knowledge |
Ecommerce (B2C)
| Platform | Content Style |
|---|---|
| Product photos, lifestyle shots, reels showing the product in use | |
| Product pins linking to shop. High-intent buyers browse Pinterest | |
| TikTok | Short videos: product demos, behind-the-scenes, unboxing |
| Etsy | If handmade/vintage — list there too (built-in buyer traffic) |
| Facebook Marketplace | For local delivery products |
| Niche subreddits (e.g., r/BuyItForLife, r/shutupandtakemymoney) |
Digital Product (B2C or B2B)
| Platform | Content Style |
|---|---|
| X / Twitter | Thread showing what's inside + results it produces. Free sample as lead magnet |
| Gumroad Discover | If using Gumroad — their marketplace has built-in traffic |
| YouTube | Tutorial or walkthrough of the product |
| Niche subreddit. Share free value first, product link in comments | |
| Product Hunt | Works for tools, templates, courses |
| Newsletter swaps | Find newsletters in your niche, offer cross-promotion |
Content Site
| Platform | Action |
|---|---|
| SEO | Publish 10 articles before any promotion. Target long-tail keywords |
| Email list | Build from day 1. Offer a lead magnet (free guide/checklist) |
| Social media | Share articles on X, LinkedIn, Reddit — wherever the audience is |
| Guest posting | Write for established sites in the niche with a link back |
General launch rules (all types):
- Never post the same content on multiple platforms — customize per audience
- Check
knowledge_searchbefore posting to avoid duplicate posts - Use
browser_navigate,browser_click,browser_type_text,browser_paste_html - Check existing accounts with
knowledge_searchandvault_lookupbefore creating new ones - Save all launch URLs to knowledge for tracking
Phase 6: GROW (iterate based on data)
Goal: Sustained user acquisition and product improvement.
-
Spawn marketing specialist —
organization_spawnwith role="marketing":- Seed with brand guidelines, launch URLs, competitor data from Phase 1
- B2C tech/digital: "Create weekly content calendar for X and Instagram"
- B2B tech/service: "Create weekly LinkedIn posts and monthly case study drafts"
- Local service: "Post weekly on Instagram and monitor Google reviews"
- Ecommerce: "Create daily product content for Instagram and Pinterest"
-
Spawn research specialist —
organization_spawnwith role="research":- "Monitor competitor updates weekly"
- "Track mentions of our brand and report sentiment"
- Local: "Monitor Google/Yelp reviews and alert on negative ones"
-
Growth strategy by type:
Tech / SaaS:
- SEO content pipeline (weekly blog posts targeting long-tail keywords)
- Changelog / build-in-public updates on X
- Integration partnerships
Local service:
- Google review generation (follow up with happy customers via email)
- Local SEO optimization (blog posts about "[service] in [city]")
- Seasonal promotions (holiday camps, summer specials, etc.)
- Referral program ("bring a friend, get 10% off")
Professional service / B2B:
- LinkedIn thought leadership (3-5 posts/week)
- Case studies after each successful project
- Email nurture sequence for leads
- Webinar or free consultation offers
Ecommerce:
- Instagram/TikTok content daily
- User-generated content campaigns
- Email marketing (cart abandonment, new arrivals)
- Seasonal collections and limited drops
Digital product:
- Free content that leads to the paid product
- Testimonials and social proof on the sales page
- Bundle deals with complementary products
- Affiliate program for promoters
-
Monitor analytics — periodically check via browser:
- Traffic (Vercel/Railway dashboard)
- Signups/purchases (Supabase/Stripe/Gumroad dashboard)
- Social engagement (mentions, reviews, comments)
- Local: Google Business Profile insights (impressions, calls, directions)
-
Iterate on product — when users report issues or request features:
- Use
swarm_spawnfor code changes - Redeploy via
deploy_website
- Use
Phase 7: OPERATE (autonomous maintenance)
Goal: The business runs with minimal human involvement.
- Autonomous mind integration — the background mind should:
- Check analytics weekly (browser automation)
- Post content on schedule (via marketing specialist)
- Monitor inbox for customer inquiries (via
email_monitor) - Local: Monitor Google/Yelp for new reviews, alert owner on negative
- Report revenue and growth metrics to owner
- Create a recurring goal — use
goal_create:- "Maintain and grow [business name]"
- Checkpoints: weekly content, monthly analytics review, quarterly pricing review
- Revenue tracking — monitor payment provider dashboards via browser
- Customer support — monitor email, respond to queries, escalate complex issues to owner
Tools Used Per Phase
| Phase | Primary Tools |
|---|---|
| Classify | None (LLM classification based on user's description) |
| Validate | web_search, browser_navigate, browser_extract, shell_execute (whois), knowledge_write |
| Plan | knowledge_search (retrieve Phase 1 data), skill_read (tech skills) |
| Build | swarm_spawn, file_write, file_read, shell_execute, create_database |
| Deploy | deploy_website, create_database, browser_navigate (verify) |
| Launch | browser_navigate, browser_click, browser_type_text, browser_paste_html, email_send, knowledge_search |
| Grow | organization_spawn, organization_delegate, schedule_task, browser_navigate |
| Operate | goal_create, email_monitor, set_next_wakeup, update_scratchpad |
What Requires Human Action
These steps CANNOT be done autonomously — always inform the owner:
- Business registration — LLC/sole proprietorship filing (legal requirement)
- Stripe setup — KYC verification requires human identity documents
- Domain purchase — requires payment method and DNS configuration
- Bank account — business bank account for payouts
- Tax compliance — EIN, state registrations, sales tax
- Google Business Profile verification — Google mails a postcard or calls
- Physical operations — for local service: the actual service delivery, location, staff
Payments: Before asking the owner, check what's already available:
knowledge_searchfor "stripe", "bank account", "payment" — may already be configuredvault_lookupforstripe_key,paypal_key— may already have API keyswallet_status— check if the agent has a crypto wallet with funds
If credentials exist, use them. If not:
- Fiat: Ask the owner to set up Stripe/PayPal and provide API keys
- Crypto: Use the agent's own wallet to accept payments on-chain
Anti-Patterns
- Building before validating — the #1 startup mistake. Always validate first. If score < 9/15, pivot to a different idea.
- Over-engineering v1 — no admin panel, no microservices. Ship the simplest thing that works.
- Skipping owner gates — never deploy or spend money without explicit approval.
- Wrong channels for the business type — a local horse riding school has no business on Hacker News. A dev API tool has no business on Nextdoor. Always match launch channels to where the customers actually are.
- Ignoring competitors — if 10 well-funded companies do this, find a niche. If zero companies do this, question whether anyone wants it.
- Same content everywhere — each platform has its own culture and format. Customize every post for the platform and audience.
- Treating B2B like B2C — B2B buyers care about ROI, case studies, and integration. B2C buyers care about price, reviews, and visual appeal. Don't pitch ROI to a horse rider. Don't show pretty photos to a CTO.
- Paying for ads in v1 — organic first. Paid acquisition after product-market fit is proven (users return without prompting).
- No domain check — never build anything without first confirming the .com is available. A taken domain means pick a different name.
- Forgetting to save research — all competitor data, pricing, and market
findings must go to
knowledge_write. You'll need them in Phase 6. - Ignoring mobile for B2C — most consumers browse on phone. Local service and ecommerce sites MUST be mobile-first.
- No Google Business Profile for local — for local businesses, Google is the #1 discovery channel. Skipping this is like not having a sign on your door.
Verify
- The deliverable for this phase exists as a concrete artifact (doc, ticket, board, repo) and its location is shared, not described
- Each commitment has an owner name, a due date, and a definition-of-done that someone other than the author could check
- Risks are listed with likelihood/impact and a named mitigation, not as a generic 'risks: TBD' bullet
- Dependencies on other teams/vendors/agents are explicit; an ack from each dependency is recorded or marked 'pending'
- Success criteria for the next phase are numeric or otherwise objectively testable
- A rollback / kill-switch / 'we will stop if X' criterion is written down before work starts