Starting a company with a blank slate sounds like a dream—but it’s also a trap. In this mini episode, Rodney and Sam respond to a listener question about how to design an organizational operating system from scratch, without inheriting all the baggage of traditional management.

They argue for resisting the urge to over-design early, letting real tension (not theory) drive structure, and focusing on a few foundational practices that scale. From operating rhythms and Kanban boards to experimentation and “sky sensing,” this episode breaks down what’s actually worth putting in place early—and what’s better left until it hurts.

Mentioned references:

"op rhythm": BNW Ep. 118
"strategy": AWWTR Ep. 2
"experimentation": AWWTR Ep. 38
"retrospectives": BNW Ep. 10 with Jordan Husney
Kanban board
The Ready's Experiment Proposal Template
"The Sky" from Depthfinding
Mia Wise

Schedule a Sky Session with us!

Got a work question like this one you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@theready.com

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Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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