I don’t mean this from a brand building perspective, but rather being clear on the profound impact founders want their products or services to have on their customers (and their customers’ customers, in a B2B2C case), and the role their business will play in the communities they serve. At Star, we call this defining your “endgame.”

Endgame Thinking as a navigator

Endgame Thinking is a future-driven methodology anchored around your long-term goal which constantly adapts your operational realities. This approach offers clarity, direction and a systematic way to address complexity, empowering individuals and organisations to navigate present and future uncertainties with confidence.

By envisioning the future and methodically working backwards, Endgame Thinking calls for a thorough examination of operational realities while fixing on a steadfast endgame that guides actions, even as strategies evolve in response to new technologies, consumer trends, and market dynamics.

This is not just a tool, it’s an operating system. It emphasises setting a clear, long-term goal – your "endgame." It involves working backward from this goal to develop actionable steps, identify key drivers of success and create concrete plans to achieve it.

This strategic framework helps guard against a common pitfall among entrepreneurs: getting overly invested in an initial idea or product based purely on the enthusiasm of a small circle, often close friends and family who naturally want to see them succeed. Operationalising an idea into a successful business is a whole other ball game. Without a clear goal and a disciplined approach, many entrepreneurs risk wasting years and significant resources chasing an unfeasible goal.

How do you choose the right endgame?

It’s wise to spend some time and effort on choosing the right endgame. Not setting this goal will mean time and money wasted, something that most startups can ill afford. It’s not an instant process, and it’s worth setting aside time to talk to colleagues and really get to the core of what it is you all want to achieve.

Defining your endgame involves deep reflection on the ultimate value you want to deliver to your customers and how this aligns with your business goals. Sergii Gorpynich, my fellow co-founder and CTO of Star, eloquently explained why your endgame should focus on end user impact and business values. Here’s how you can start:

Envisioning user impact: Consider the lasting impact your product or service aims to have. What significant problems does it solve? How does it improve the lives of your customers? How does it improve the way your customers live, work, play, learn, move or transact?

Aligning with business operations: Determine how your business needs to operate in order to solve these problems This might involve exploring different business models or building new capabilities.

If articulating your endgame is difficult, ask "Why?" repeatedly for each response you receive. This iterative questioning helps uncover the deeper essence of your initial ideas, revealing the core value proposition and assessing the feasibility of your business concept, and in some cases fundamental questions about your business's very existence. Once done, shift to asking “How?”. This will help you critically analyse the organisational capabilities you need to develop and the specific initiatives you must undertake to reach your endgame.

The compounding benefits of future-back planning

Startup success or failure is often the result of a series of interconnected steps, each building upon the last. Those steps can also easily be disrupted by challengers and competition, market forces and unforeseen circumstances.

A clearly defined endgame acts as your roadmap, ensuring every decision – from feature development to capability building – propels you towards your ultimate goal. By planning backwards, you effectively set a course that anticipates potential obstacles, mitigates risks and reduces unforeseen challenges with a focused and intention executional. This proactive approach not only safeguards your venture against common pitfalls, but also enhances your capacity as a startup to seize opportunities as they arise.