What you'll take away
- 01 The Subtraction Audit. Three questions on a beer coaster that decide what stays and what goes from your idea, your plan, and your day. Does the customer notice? Does revenue change? Does quality suffer?
- 02 The 72-Hour Sprint. Validate an idea with real people in three days, not three months. Skip the business plan, the logo, the website. Keep one question, will someone pay for this.
- 03 The Acid Test. Every chapter is doable by a single parent with a full-time job, no savings, and a phone. No advice that requires money or a network you do not have.
Most companies do not have a building problem. They have a removing problem.
The pattern, repeated across twenty years of innovation work and forty-plus startups coached, is almost always the same: the team has built more than the market needed, more than the team can support, more than the launch can carry. Revenue does not keep pace because there is too much in the release. Not too little.
Validate, the first book of the four-volume Subtract to Ship method, is a working manual for finding the three to five things actually blocking your launch, and for removing them in a way that holds up to a stakeholder defense.
What this book covers
- The Subtraction Audit: a two-week process to inventory what you have built, what is shipping, and what is sitting between the two.
- The Kill List: a one-page artifact you can hand to a board, an investor, or a head of product to defend a removal.
- The 90-Day Receipt: how to report back, ninety days later, on what was on the Kill List, what was executed, and what shipped.
Who it is for
Founders with a product already built, where revenue has not kept pace with the last six months of work. Innovation leads in mid-to-large companies whose pilots have stalled between proof-of-concept and production. Anyone whose backlog is bigger than their team can ship.
Series context
Validate is the first of a four-volume set: Validate · Build · Grow · Scale. Each book stands alone; together they form a complete operator’s manual for shipping under constraint.
Endorsements
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Felix supported some friends and me in challenging the idea of a startup and securing grants. Although the idea ultimately didn't prove to be viable, Felix's dedication and proactive approach were invaluable in helping us navigate the process. He doesn't just talk innovation — he implements it. He aligns teams, simplifies challenges, and always keeps his eye on outcomes that create real business value.
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Felix has a unique ability to connect people, technologies, and business models in a way that consistently drives progress. In our interactions, I was impressed by how quickly he grasps complex contexts and turns them into viable innovation strategies. He combines creative thinking and structured execution — an invaluable asset in any R&D or product development environment.
Tell me when it ships
Get a note when Subtract to Ship: Validate is available.
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