feat(marketing-plan): add budget, growth-patterns, and team-and-agency-model reference docs
Three new substantive frameworks integrated from Founding Marketing (Corey Haines book) into the marketing-plan skill. Bumps marketing-plan from 1.0.0 to 1.1.0. New reference files: - references/budget-planning.md (168 lines) — two scientific methods for setting the marketing budget: Method 1 Revenue-Based (5-40% of ARR with conservative/standard/aggressive postures) and Method 2 Goal-Based (formula: [(New ARR / (ARPC * 12)) * CAC] / annual retention rate). Includes the 3-3-2-2-2 VC growth path (3x in years 1-2, 2x in years 3-7 from $1M ARR), the 10-20% experimental buffer rule, blended CAC calculation (must include salaries, content, tools, retainers - not just paid spend), and the forecasting reality check (no startup under $100M ARR reliably hits monthly forecasts). - references/growth-patterns.md (148 lines) — the real shape of SaaS growth. Phase identification ($0-10K, $10K-100K, $100K-1M, $1M+) with binding constraints per phase. Linear vs step-function vs layered S-curve growth patterns. Channel x Product x Market S-curve layering principle (start the next curve before the current one plateaus). Includes the "long slow SaaS ramp of death" framing and the case against the exponential-growth myth. - references/team-and-agency-model.md (278 lines) — strategy in-house, execution outsourced principle. Three core marketing functions (Growth = demand engine, Product = story engine, Content = trust engine). pi-shaped marketer framework (vs T-shaped) with high-leverage skill-set combinations. Title progression (Manager -> Lead -> Director -> VP -> Chief) — don't inflate the first hire. Agency selection framework (Individual contractors / Small niche / Small generalist). Three-stage scaling model (Early / Growth / Scale) with internal-vs-external ratio guidance. Enhanced existing files to wire in the new frameworks: - SKILL.md (244 -> 270 lines) — new sections "Setting the budget scientifically," "Growth patterns," "Team and agency model" with pointers to the new reference docs. Expanded "What every plan must customize" from 7 items to 9 (added unit economics + phase of growth). Description still 949 chars (under 1024). - references/funding-stage-unlocks.md — Related docs pointer block. - references/measurement-framework.md — Related docs pointer block, new "Anchoring against the VC growth path" section, new "Forecasting reality check" section. - references/methodology.md — Intake 5 (Team) now probes for pi-shaped vs T-shaped vs tactical-only marketing owner. Intake 6 (Budget) now probes for blended CAC, ARPC, retention rate. - references/plan-template.md — Section 3 adds Phase of SaaS Growth. Section 8 adds required unit economics table. Section 10 adds budget-method framing block at top + per-quarter S-curve position field. Section 11 adds RACI table mapping the three core functions to internal-owner and external-executor. Total new content: ~600 lines across three new reference docs plus ~120 lines of integration edits. SKILL.md remains well under the 500-line convention (270). Validates: 43/43 skills pass validate-skills.sh. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Every plan needs a measurement section that tells the team how to know if the plan is working. This doc is the source for Section 13's measurement subsection.
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**Related docs:**
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- `growth-patterns.md` — the 3-3-2-2-2 VC growth path (3× in years 1–2, 2× in years 3–7 from $1M ARR) and which phase of SaaS growth the company is in ($0–10K / $10K–100K / $100K–1M+)
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- `budget-planning.md` — CAC calculation (blended, not paid-only) and the forecasting reality check (forecasts under $100M ARR are educated guesses, not precise predictions)
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## The north-star principle
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A north star is one metric that captures the business-model thesis at the highest level. It should:
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@@ -135,6 +139,28 @@ For each quarter in Section 10, the plan must include 3–5 specific KPI targets
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- Mostly *compound* metrics — is the flywheel turning? "50%+ of new subs from non-paid channels." "Ambassador-driven 15–25% of new subs."
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- Some *narrative* metrics — does the Series A story write itself? "Blended LTV/CAC > 3."
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## Anchoring against the VC growth path
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For VC-backed clients past $1M ARR, anchor 12-month and multi-year targets against the **3-3-2-2-2 rule** (3× in years 1 and 2, then 2× in years 3 through 7). Hitting it is rare; most companies don't. Anchoring against it forces the plan to either match it and show how, or explicitly defend choosing a slower trajectory. Full table and context in `growth-patterns.md`.
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For non-VC-backed companies (bootstrapped, founder-funded, profit-focused), the 3-3-2-2-2 doesn't apply. Use linear-pattern targets ("$X MRR added per month") or step-function targets ("$Y revenue jump after the enterprise tier launches") instead.
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## Forecasting reality check
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A plan derives a budget and an annual goal. It does not produce a 12-month month-by-month forecast that's reliably accurate to the dollar.
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**Unless the company is publicly traded, all forecasts are educated guesses.** No startup under $100M ARR consistently hits month-by-month forecasts. Quarterly review is when the plan adjusts — not when variance is treated as failure.
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What the plan commits to honestly:
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- The annual goal is a defensible direction-of-travel
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- The budget is the resource commitment that makes the goal plausible
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- The 90-day roadmap (Section 9) is what's actionable now
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- Month-to-month projection is illustrative, not promised
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Founders who over-engineer the forecast end up explaining variance every month instead of executing. The plan should resist this — name the annual target, the quarterly KPIs, and the kill criteria. Don't promise the month.
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Full context in `budget-planning.md`.
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## Kill criteria
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For every channel or initiative, the plan should specify when to stop. Often missing from plans, kill criteria force discipline.
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