M4 — Founder Frame Worksheet
Six pages. The point: make the risks, the runways and the legal gaps visible. A frame you can't see can't protect you.
Page 1 — Risk register (top 3-5)
Pull from prompt 2's matrix. Only the high-likelihood-or-fatal risks make this page. Everything else is acknowledged and ignored.
| Risk (one sentence) | Likelihood (L/M/H) | Severity (Recov / Serious / Fatal) | Why this one and not the others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | |||
| 2. | |||
| 3. | |||
| 4. | |||
| 5. |
- The risk I'm most tempted to deny: _____ (and why I'm denying it)
Page 2 — Mitigation matrix
For each risk on Page 1, write the action — not the intention. If you can't do it in the next 30 days, it isn't a mitigation, it's a wish.
| Risk | Structural fix now / trigger-response plan / early-warning metric | First action (must be doable in 30 days) | Date I commit to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | |||
| 2. | |||
| 3. | |||
| 4. | |||
| 5. |
- The one risk I will not have mitigated in 30 days, and why I accept that: _____
Page 3 — Three-runway calculator
Months, not dollars. A balance sheet doesn't tell you when you'll break.
Personal runway
- Monthly essentials (rent/mortgage + food + family + healthcare + insurance + debt servicing): $___
- Monthly realistic (essentials + one family trip / kid activities / car / minor lifestyle): $___
- Liquid savings: $___
- Partner monthly income contribution (if applicable): $___
- Bare survival runway (savings ÷ essentials − partner income): ___ months
- Realistic runway (savings ÷ realistic burn − partner income): ___ months
- Breaking-point runway (months before mortgage / school / partner ultimatum forces a change): ___ months
Business runway (pull from M3 stress test)
- Scenario A (60% of forecast) — cash-negative month: ___
- Scenario B (forecast on 60-day terms) — cash-negative month: ___
- Scenario C (20% churn at month 4) — cash-negative month: ___
- Capital required to bridge to breakeven (worst scenario): $___
Emotional runway
- Months I can take buyer no's straight without breaking: ___
- Months of evenings/weekends my family carries before something gives: ___
- Months earning less than the lowest-paid person on my old team before identity cracks: ___
- The shortest of all three runway numbers — this is my real runway: ___ months
Page 4 — Legal scaffolding checklist
Caveat: scaffolding, not legal advice. Every item on this page validates with an accountant or lawyer before it goes live. The checklist makes sure nothing gets forgotten.
Entity + tax
- Current entity structure: _____ (sole trader / Pty Ltd / trust / other)
- Trigger that says move up to next structure: _____
- Next review date with accountant: _____
- ABN / business registration current: ___
- GST registered (if applicable): ___
- Separate business bank account (not personal): ___
IP + brand
- Brand name trademark — jurisdiction: _____ status: _____
- Product name(s) protected (or decision not to): _____
- Domain(s) registered and renewed >1yr ahead: _____
- Methodology / programme names — protection decision: _____
- IP assignment from any contractor who has built / written / designed: _____
Contracts (template OK, lawyer-drafted where flagged)
- Customer T&Cs published on site: ___
- Privacy policy published on site: ___
- Contractor / freelancer agreement template: ___
- Cofounder agreement (if applicable, LAWYER-DRAFTED): ___
- Supplier agreement template: ___
- NDA template (only where it actually matters): ___
- The legal item I will close in the next 14 days: _____
Page 5 — Founder fragility audit
The honest page. No-one else needs to see it. The risks above are about the business — this page is about the human running it.
- I sleep ___ hours a night on average. Below 6 means the frame is already cracking.
- I've spoken to my partner / closest person about the worst-case scenario: yes / no
- They are aligned / nervous / quietly opposed (circle one)
- If the business fails in 12 months, the worst tangible consequence is: _____
- The version of that consequence I can live with is: _____
- The version I can't is: _____
- The person I'll call when I want to quit at month 7: _____
- The version of me at the start of this I'll remind myself of: _____
- The line I will not cross even if the business demands it: _____
Page 6 — The one-page founder frame
Print this. Pin it somewhere you'll see it the day you're scared.
Risks I'm tracking (3-5):
| # | Risk | Mitigation in motion | Early-warning metric I check weekly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
My three runways (in months):
- Personal: ___ months (trigger date: ___)
- Business: ___ months (cash-negative month under worst scenario: ___)
- Emotional: ___ months (the person I call when I want to quit: ___)
Legal scaffolding status:
- Entity: ___ (next review: ___)
- IP: ___ (next milestone: ___)
- Contracts: ___ of ___ in place (next contract closed by: ___)
Signed and dated by me: ___ Date: ___
Witnessed by one other person who'll hold me to it: ___