How Founders Drive Real Progress Through Ruthless Prioritization

Startups rarely fail from lack of ambition.

They fail from doing too many things that don’t move the needle.

As a founder, there are always dozens of things you could be doing:

• Sales
• Product management
• Hiring
• Investor communications and updates
• User feedback
• Customer success

But the hardest part of being a founder isn’t the workload. It’s figuring out what truly matters at any given moment.

That’s why my co-founder and I rely on one simple operating principle:

The one thing.

It’s not a productivity hack. It’s a mindset, and it’s helped AiSDR stay focused, move faster, and drive compounding results, even during the hardest weeks.

Here’s how it works.

TLDR:

• Goal: Drive faster progress
• Tactic: Identify and focus on one key priority
• Result: Unlock more momentum, less burnout, and better outcomes

[Game]

Human or AI: Can you tell who’s behind the message? 🕵️‍♀️

We mixed in real AI-generated sales emails. Can you spot them? Warning: It’s harder than you think 😉

PLAY THE GAME

Step #1: Identify the “one thing” that moves the needle

Every day, week, and month, we ask ourselves:

Not a list of priorities (e.g. Priority 1/2/3)

Not “top 3 priorities”.

Just one thing.

This question forces clarity, drives ruthless focus, and helps filter out the noise. 

Sometimes it’s closing deals. Sometimes it’s shipping key features. And sometimes it’s prioritizing stability. 

But there’s always one most important thing.

The key is to identify it early and commit.

Step #2: Protect it at all costs

Choosing the “one thing” is easy.

Defending it is hard.

There are always urgent tasks pulling your attention in different directions. And your teams often have competing needs and priorities. 

As a founder, it’s your job to hold the line.

I recently had a very tough week:

• Sales calls and follow-ups
• Product roadmap decisions and blockers
• Hiring interviews
• Customer success syncs

And on top of it all, I was also ill.

Any one of these could have taken over my calendar and eaten up all my time and attention.

But for that week, I chose to prioritize ARR (annual recurring revenue) as my “one thing” for the week.

I made the call, and had to:

• Cancel or postpone internal product and hiring syncs
• Conserve energy where I could
• Show up for sales calls and follow up on every active deal

Even while sick, I delivered on what mattered most for that week.

That’s what ruthless prioritization looks like.

It’s the power of the “one thing”. It gives you permission to not do everything else.

Step #3: Lead your team to adopt the same mindset

This mindset shift can be challenging for high performers.

Startups are chaotic by nature, and most high performers want to do everything well, and they see every task as important.

But as a leader, your job is to help them zoom out and ask:

Coach them to find their “one thing”, and suddenly:

• They stop floundering between tasks
• They feel more in control
• Their impact compounds

This encourages them to focus their energy on important tasks, and say no to others.

And the more your team runs on clarity, the faster you move as a company.

Results

This isn’t a silver bullet for running a successful startup. 

You’ll still have tough calls and curveballs.

But when you operate with a “one thing” focus, here’s what you gain:

• You know exactly what to work on at the moment
• You end each day with real progress
• Your wins stack up faster than ever

It’s simple. It’s uncomfortable. And it works.

So the next time your to-do list explodes, step back and ask yourself:

What’s the one thing I can do today that moves us forward?

Then go do it.

Test drive our AiSDR 🧠

See how it handles outreach. Ask questions, and let AiSDR show off its sales rep skills (no pressure, just fun).

SEE AISDR IN ACTION