https://jakemarfoglia.com Systems strategy for founders. Essays on philosophy, marketing, systems design, problem solving, and history. First principles thinking applied to business strategy, constraint theory, and building systems that compound. en-us Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/four-traps.html You've built something real. Revenue is there. But growth has plateaued and you can't figure out why. The answer is almost always one of four systemic traps — and the fix isn't what you think. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/four-traps.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/first-principles.html Everyone talks about "first principles thinking" but most people use it as a buzzword. Here's what it actually means to strip a problem back to bedrock — and why it's uncomfortable. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/first-principles.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/attention-asset.html You don't "run" attention. You build it. The companies that win the next decade will treat audience and distribution like compounding infrastructure, not a line item. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/attention-asset.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/find-the-constraint.html Most operators spread resources across twelve priorities. The highest-leverage move is almost always doing the opposite: find the one bottleneck and pour everything into removing it. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/find-the-constraint.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/carnegie-rockefeller.html The industrial titans didn't just work harder. They built systems that made individual effort irrelevant. The lesson hasn't changed — only the tools have. 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Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/why-your-marketing-doesnt-work.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/lessons-from-facebook.html Insider perspective on how the machine actually works — and what operators running their own businesses can learn from it. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/lessons-from-facebook.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/one-unlock.html Stop grinding across twelve priorities. Find the one bottleneck that determines throughput for everything else and pour everything into removing it. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/one-unlock.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/posts/builders-vs-vendors.html The mindset difference between someone who builds alongside you vs. someone who sells to you changes everything about the outcome. 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Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/when-to-turn-around-a-failing-product-launch.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-to-fix-a-broken-marketing-funnel-in-media.html Discover how to diagnose and fix a broken marketing funnel in the media industry. Learn the systems thinking approach to restore funnel effectiveness. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-to-fix-a-broken-marketing-funnel-in-media.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-reduce-operational-complexity.html Understanding why operational complexity is a bottleneck and how reducing it unlocks growth for founders and their teams. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-reduce-operational-complexity.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-to-fix-a-broken-marketing-funnel-in-logistics.html Practical strategies for diagnosing and fixing marketing funnels in the logistics industry using constraint theory and systems thinking. 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Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-to-fix-a-broken-marketing-funnel-in-saas.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-apply-first-principles-thinking-to-business.html Understanding why first principles thinking cuts through conventional wisdom and reveals the real constraints in your business. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-apply-first-principles-thinking-to-business.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-build-a-feedback-loop-between-sales-and-product.html Create a feedback system that connects customer signals from sales directly into product decisions, accelerating product-market fit. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-build-a-feedback-loop-between-sales-and-product.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-build-a-reporting-dashboard-that-drives-action.html Most dashboards are information graveyards. Learn how to build reporting systems that actually drive decisions and action. 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Learn how architecture drives conversion. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-architect-a-customer-journey-that-converts.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/create-a-vendor-management-process.html Build a systematic approach to vendor management that reduces risk, improves performance, and eliminates manual chaos. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/create-a-vendor-management-process.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-to-stop-chasing-viral-content-and-build-distribution.html Stop hoping for virality. Build a distribution system that compounds. Learn the principles behind sustainable audience growth. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/how-to-stop-chasing-viral-content-and-build-distribution.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/when-to-grow-without-burning-out-your-team.html Growth doesn't require burnout. Learn how to scale operations while protecting your team and maintaining culture. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/when-to-grow-without-burning-out-your-team.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-develop-strategic-patience.html The discipline of patience is underrated in business. Understand why strategic patience compounds better than constant motion. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/why-develop-strategic-patience.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/what-is-recognize-when-your-assumptions-are-wrong.html Learn the signals that your assumptions are wrong before they cost you. Build a system for recognizing assumption failure early. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/what-is-recognize-when-your-assumptions-are-wrong.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/make-your-marketing-work-while-you-sleep.html Build marketing systems that generate results without constant manual effort. The architecture of compounding marketing. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/make-your-marketing-work-while-you-sleep.html https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/when-to-expand-into-a-new-market.html Expansion is a systems decision, not a growth decision. Learn when to expand and how to do it without destroying what works. Sat, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://jakemarfoglia.com/learn/when-to-expand-into-a-new-market.html