Medium-Term New Domains
Input: $ARGUMENTS
Step 1: Survey Adjacent Possibilities
Map the landscape of domains that are reachable from the current position.
ADJACENT DOMAINS:
1. [Domain name]: [What it is and why it's adjacent to current work]
2. [Domain name]: [What it is and why it's adjacent]
3. [Domain name]: [What it is and why it's adjacent]
...
Rules:
- “Adjacent” means you have some existing capability, knowledge, or asset that transfers
- Include domains that are genuinely new, not extensions of current work
- Cast wide — list 5-10 possibilities before narrowing
- Include at least one surprising or non-obvious option
Step 2: Assess Demand Signals
For each domain, check if there’s actual demand.
DEMAND ASSESSMENT:
1. [Domain]:
- Signal strength: [STRONG / MODERATE / WEAK / SPECULATIVE]
- Evidence: [What specifically indicates demand]
- Trend direction: [GROWING / STABLE / DECLINING]
- Who wants this: [target audience/customer]
2. [Domain]:
...
Rules:
- Strong signal = people are already paying for this or actively requesting it
- Moderate signal = clear interest but unproven willingness to pay/adopt
- Weak signal = you think they should want it but evidence is thin
- Speculative = no evidence, just a bet on the future
- Be honest — most ideas have weaker signals than they feel like
Step 3: Estimate Investment Required
For each domain, estimate what it would take to enter meaningfully.
INVESTMENT ESTIMATE:
1. [Domain]:
- Time to minimum viable entry: [months]
- Resources needed: [people, money, tools, partnerships]
- Key capabilities to build: [what you don't have yet]
- Opportunity cost: [what you'd have to stop or slow down]
2. [Domain]:
...
Rules:
- “Minimum viable entry” is not “world-class” — it’s the smallest version that tests the domain
- Opportunity cost is mandatory — entering a new domain always means less focus elsewhere
- Be specific about capabilities you’d need to build vs. what you already have
Step 4: Evaluate Strategic Fit
Assess how well each domain aligns with long-term direction.
STRATEGIC FIT:
1. [Domain]:
- Alignment with core mission: [HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW]
- Reinforces existing strengths: [YES / PARTIALLY / NO]
- Creates new strategic options: [what doors does this open]
- Risk of distraction: [HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW]
2. [Domain]:
...
Rules:
- A domain can have high demand but low strategic fit — that’s a trap
- “Creates new strategic options” is valuable — domains that open multiple futures score higher
- High distraction risk requires proportionally higher reward to justify
Step 5: Recommend Domains to Enter
Synthesize everything into a recommendation.
DOMAIN RECOMMENDATIONS:
ENTER (high confidence):
- [Domain]: [one-line rationale]
EXPLORE FURTHER (promising but uncertain):
- [Domain]: [what you'd need to learn before committing]
MONITOR (not yet, but watch):
- [Domain]: [what signal would trigger re-evaluation]
SKIP (poor fit despite surface appeal):
- [Domain]: [why]
Rules:
- “Enter” should have strong demand + reasonable investment + good strategic fit
- Limit “Enter” to 1-2 domains — focus matters
- “Skip” is as valuable as “Enter” — it prevents wasted effort
- For each “Explore further,” specify a concrete next step
Integration
Use with:
/stcc-> Finish current clusters before expanding into new domains/cba-> Do a detailed cost-benefit analysis on any “Enter” recommendation/se-> Enumerate the full space of a promising domain before entering/ltai-> Consider how AI agents could accelerate domain entry