Your Decision Making Process (Klassic Kern)
Fri Feb 06 2026
Making decisions is perhaps the most important skill an entrepreneur can possess. To move from a vague idea to a structured project, Frank Kern uses a specific "Decision-Making Worksheet" to ensure every move aligns with long-term success.
Phase 1: The Big Picture Before looking at the decision itself, you must ground yourself in your ultimate destination.
Clarify Your 20-Year Goal: Define exactly where you want to be two decades from now. For Frank, this is building a sustainable $100M company with a minimum 35% profit margin.
Define Your Purpose: Identify the "why" behind your business. Frank’s purpose is to have a measurably positive impact on the global economy by changing how consumers view marketers.
Identify the Decision at Hand: State clearly what you are considering. (Example: Launching a flagship program to cold media via a webinar funnel).
The "Alignment" Gut Check: Ask yourself: Will this move me significantly closer to my 20-year goal? If the answer is no, stop there.
Phase 2: Success Criteria & Deadlines If the decision aligns with your goals, you must define what "winning" looks like.
Four Indicators of Success: List four specific results that prove the decision was right. Frank’s examples include attracting qualified prospects and achieving a 3x ROI on ad spend.
Set a Hard Deadline: Determine by when these success criteria must be met to turn the decision into a tracked project.
Phase 3: The Benefit Analysis Analyze the impact of the decision across two different timelines:
Short-Term Benefits: Immediate wins, such as gathering data, building goodwill, or turning a quick profit.
Long-Term Benefits: Lasting impacts, such as business scalability, permanent list growth, and transforming the lives of clients.
Phase 4: Risk Assessment (The "Reality Check") It is easy to get caught up in the "happy world" of benefits; this phase demands total honesty about potential downsides.
Calculate the Cost: What is the actual financial investment required for the test?
Identify What Can Go Wrong: List every fear, from suffering core business distraction to losing the entire test budget or "looking dumb."
The Risk vs. Reward Comparison: Compare your "long-term benefits" against "what can go wrong." Ask: Is the potential long-term gain worth the risk of these downsides?
Final Step: Immediate Action If you decide the risk is worth it, commit immediately by identifying the three next steps you can take to get the project started today.
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Making decisions is perhaps the most important skill an entrepreneur can possess. To move from a vague idea to a structured project, Frank Kern uses a specific "Decision-Making Worksheet" to ensure every move aligns with long-term success. Phase 1: The Big Picture Before looking at the decision itself, you must ground yourself in your ultimate destination. Clarify Your 20-Year Goal: Define exactly where you want to be two decades from now. For Frank, this is building a sustainable $100M company with a minimum 35% profit margin. Define Your Purpose: Identify the "why" behind your business. Frank’s purpose is to have a measurably positive impact on the global economy by changing how consumers view marketers. Identify the Decision at Hand: State clearly what you are considering. (Example: Launching a flagship program to cold media via a webinar funnel). The "Alignment" Gut Check: Ask yourself: Will this move me significantly closer to my 20-year goal? If the answer is no, stop there. Phase 2: Success Criteria & Deadlines If the decision aligns with your goals, you must define what "winning" looks like. Four Indicators of Success: List four specific results that prove the decision was right. Frank’s examples include attracting qualified prospects and achieving a 3x ROI on ad spend. Set a Hard Deadline: Determine by when these success criteria must be met to turn the decision into a tracked project. Phase 3: The Benefit Analysis Analyze the impact of the decision across two different timelines: Short-Term Benefits: Immediate wins, such as gathering data, building goodwill, or turning a quick profit. Long-Term Benefits: Lasting impacts, such as business scalability, permanent list growth, and transforming the lives of clients. Phase 4: Risk Assessment (The "Reality Check") It is easy to get caught up in the "happy world" of benefits; this phase demands total honesty about potential downsides. Calculate the Cost: What is the actual financial investment required for the test? Identify What Can Go Wrong: List every fear, from suffering core business distraction to losing the entire test budget or "looking dumb." The Risk vs. Reward Comparison: Compare your "long-term benefits" against "what can go wrong." Ask: Is the potential long-term gain worth the risk of these downsides? Final Step: Immediate Action If you decide the risk is worth it, commit immediately by identifying the three next steps you can take to get the project started today.