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>
Corey Haines
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