Richard Rumelt separates a coherent response to a real obstacle from slogans and vague ambitions. It earns fourth: a founder can have many activities without a clear reason they belong together.
We prefer it to #5 when simplification alone cannot resolve a hard choice. It stays below #3 because operational systems are more immediately tangible for many small-business beginners. Our reading exercise: name the obstacle, then check whether your next actions address it. A revenue target describes an outcome; it does not explain a route.
Source: Penguin Random House · Photo: Financial Times · CC BY 2.0. Resized/recompressed; source license retained.
