Pivot, persevere, or pack it in?

Hey friends 👋We’re coming up on 75 episodes (yes, we’re calling that a win), and this week we’re tackling the decision every founder faces: should you pivot, persevere, or pack it in?It’s easy to confuse “hasn’t worked yet” with “never going to work.” But the difference between those two things is where smart founders separate themselves from the pack.We break down the evidence-based framework for making these calls. Not the hustle culture “never quit” nonsense, and not the “fail fast” hand-waving either.The real question is when should you go all in, and when should you cut your losses while you still have resources left?Then we put it to the test with three realistic scenarios: an AI cold email tool competing with ChatGPT, a freelancer management platform debating focus, and a social book app burning through runway with no revenue model—and, yeah, we had thoughts on that one!For each startup, we rate them on our conviction scale and show you exactly what evidence we’re looking at. Think of it as strength training for your decision-making muscles.Seth Godin nailed it in The Dip: winners don’t win because they never quit. They win because they quit everything else and go all in on the right thing.Frivolous Thoughts:* JDM discovers a criminally underrated Muppets show from 2015* Cameron reveals the surprising origin story behind Claude AI’s name…and it deserves a podcast by itself.As always, thanks for listening.—Cameron and JDM This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zerototraction.substack.com