Purpose
Apply the five commandments to a specific business idea (or an existing business) to decide whether it is on a Fastlane road, fixable, or hopeless.
The screen — five binary tests
For each idea, answer Yes/No:
| # | Commandment | Test | Pass condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Control | Can the operator control product, pricing, marketing, brand, customer relationship? | Operator owns the system end-to-end |
| E | Entry | Is starting this business a process requiring barriers, skill, capital, or time? | Not a 10-minute event |
| N | Need | Does it solve a problem someone else has — not just the founder's "I want to" need? | Customers would currently pay |
| T | Time | Can it earn income while the operator is absent (via a money-tree seedling)? | Yes, or there's a clear path to add one |
| S | Scale | Can units sold or unit profit reach high numbers (reach or magnitude)? | Habitat ≥ national; or unit profit ≥ thousands |
Scoring rule
- 5/5 pass — green-light Fastlane idea. Proceed to execution (the Supercharger).
- 4/5 pass with the failure being fixable — identify the fix before starting. (e.g., a local idea + scale plan via franchising = repairable.)
- 3/5 or fewer — drop or fundamentally restructure.
Common violation patterns and remedies
| Pattern | Violates | Typical remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a single franchise | Time (often), Scale (often) | Buy 20+ units, or skip and create the franchise instead |
| Joining MLM as distributor | Control, Entry, sometimes Need | Don't join — build an MLM if distribution is your strategy |
| Local services (massage, cleaning, salon) | Scale, Time | Add chain, license, app, or content product layered on top |
| Affiliate / dropshipper | Control | Build your own brand alongside; diversify hitchhikes |
| Selling info you love but no one needs | Need | Re-target to a paying need adjacent to your knowledge |
Pre-flight checklist
Before committing capital or time to a business idea, screen against CENTS and check:
- Law of Effection — can this scale to affect millions or reach magnitude per customer?
- Wealth Acceleration Factor (WAF) — what's the industry multiple? If <3, even successful operation produces low asset value at exit.
- Five Money-Tree Seedlings — which seedling does this start with, or accept?
Example evaluations
Local coffee shop (Ashlyn from Ch 34):
- C: ✅ (you own it) · E: ⚠️ (mid) · N: ⚠️ (depends on differentiation) · T: ❌ · S: ❌ → Fail. Even if successful, capped at modest income with no time freedom.
Self-published e-book targeted at a paying audience:
- C: ✅ · E: ⚠️ (low — depends on distribution moat) · N: depends · T: ✅ · S: ✅ (global) → Probably pass, with effort needed on Entry (build a moat: brand, list, content depth).
Subscription SaaS for an industry pain point:
- C: ✅ · E: ✅ · N: ✅ · T: ✅ · S: ✅ → Pass — typical Fastlane archetype.