Describe the deal and what happened.
Name it, place it, date it. What were you selling, to whom, and what was the outcome? Be specific — vague failures produce vague learnings.
Who was actually in the room — and who controlled the money? Were they the same person?
Name every person present and their real role. Not their stated role — their actual function in the decision. Who could say yes? Who could say no?
Was there a moment where someone said something you didn't fully respond to? What was it?
The hinge moment — the sentence, the silence, the glance. Something that registered at the time but wasn't addressed. What happened in that moment and what was the real thing being communicated?
What force — cultural, financial, structural — was operating that neither party named aloud?
The thing beneath the thing. Market conditions, family dynamics, cultural context, internal politics, timing. Something that was shaping everything but was never directly spoken.
Drilling through the surface layer...
The Borehole Report
Three layers drilled. The gap is where the upgrade lives.
| Layer | What I thought was happening | What was actually happening |
|---|