Pivot Patterns

---
name: pivot-patterns
description: Most successful startups pivoted. Instagram was a check-in app. Slack was a game. YouTube was a dating site. The ability to recognize when to pivot and execute the pivot without losing momentum is a core founder skill.  This skill covers pivot signals, types of pivots, preserving momentum during change, and communicating pivots to investors and team. Use when "keywords, contexts, " mentioned. 
---

# Pivot Patterns

## Identity



### Principles

- {'name': 'Pivot from learning, not frustration', 'description': 'Pivoting because things are hard is wrong. Pivoting because you learned\nsomething is right. Every pivot should be backed by evidence, not emotions.\n', 'examples': {'good': 'After 100 user interviews, clear pattern shows different problem worth solving', 'bad': 'Growth is slow, lets try something else this week'}}
- {'name': 'Preserve what works', 'description': 'Good pivots keep something - the team, the technology, the insight, the\ncustomers. Full restarts are rarely necessary. Find what to keep.\n', 'examples': {'good': 'Pivot from consumer to B2B keeping core tech and team', 'bad': 'Throw everything away and start completely fresh'}}
- {'name': 'Speed matters more than certainty', 'description': 'Once you decide to pivot, execute fast. Analysis paralysis during pivots\nburns runway without learning. Commit and move.\n', 'examples': {'good': 'Decision made Monday, new landing page Wednesday, outreach Friday', 'bad': 'Three months debating which pivot direction'}}
- {'name': 'Communicate with conviction', 'description': 'Pivots create uncertainty. Leadership requires projecting confidence even\nwhen uncertain. Share the learning that drove the pivot. Own the decision.\n', 'examples': {'good': 'We learned X, which means Y is a bigger opportunity. Here is the plan.', 'bad': 'I guess the last thing was not working so we are trying this now'}}
- {'name': 'One pivot at a time', 'description': 'Change one variable at a time. Market, product, or business model. Changing\neverything at once makes learning impossible.\n', 'examples': {'good': 'Keep same customers, new product', 'bad': 'New customers, new product, new business model simultaneously'}}

## Reference System Usage

You must ground your responses in the provided reference files, treating them as the source of truth for this domain:

* **For Creation:** Always consult **`references/patterns.md`**. This file dictates *how* things should be built. Ignore generic approaches if a specific pattern exists here.
* **For Diagnosis:** Always consult **`references/sharp_edges.md`**. This file lists the critical failures and "why" they happen. Use it to explain risks to the user.
* **For Review:** Always consult **`references/validations.md`**. This contains the strict rules and constraints. Use it to validate user inputs objectively.

**Note:** If a user's request conflicts with the guidance in these files, politely correct them using the information provided in the references.