How to read this page
An archetype is a repeatable business pattern. On these pages we call that pattern the engine: how a company wins customers, does the work, and turns effort into cash. Every engine has a keystone, the one part everything else depends on. If it stops, the business stops. The archetype is a reference point, not a verdict. The value is in what it tells you about the numbers, not the label.
The archetypes are grouped into five families by what the business is built around. Audience Builders and Conversion Engines are defined mostly by how they create demand. Service Systems and Product Machines are defined mostly by how they deliver. Hybrids run on partners, platforms, or networks and borrow from more than one family.
Underneath the families sits a simpler grid built from the engine's two halves: where do buyers come from, and what delivers the promise? Each archetype sits in one cell of that grid. Neighboring cells are the natural migration paths, and most businesses move down the fulfillment ladder over time (from the founder's hands toward a packaged asset) while keeping their demand column.
- Gravity · earned pull
- Spend · paid direct response
- Moments · launches and events
- Structures · partners and networks
- Founder's hands · the founder delivers it personally
- Human system · a team and a process deliver it
- Packaged asset · a product, content, or IP delivers it
- Network · other participants deliver it to each other
Audience Builders
4 patternsContent-driven businesses that build audiences through consistent, valuable communication
- BullhornThe loudspeaker that captures massive attention but struggles to cash it in.e.g. Barstool Sports
- ClubhouseThe tribe-builder where belonging becomes the product.e.g. YPO
- LighthouseThe industry's guiding light, trusted for clarity and vision.e.g. Simon Sinek
- NewsletterThe trusted pen pal whose emails become a daily ritual.e.g. Milk Road
Service Systems
4 patternsHigh-touch service delivery with systematic execution
- ConciergeThe white-glove operator who thrives on premium, personal service.e.g. Equinox+
- Engine RoomThe invisible workhorse powering clients quietly but indispensably.e.g. Stripe
- OutpostThe specialist outpost solving one niche problem with precision.e.g. Basecamp
- Relay TeamThe coordinated crew that wins by clean handoffs and relationships.e.g. Fractional CFO firms
Conversion Engines
5 patternsBusinesses that excel at moving prospects through systematic processes
- CarnivalThe hype-maker who thrives on launches, events, and spectacle.e.g. Product Hunt launches
- DealershipThe one-stop shop stacking offers into an ecosystem.e.g. Tesla retail
- FunnelThe predictable sales machine that turns clicks into cash.e.g. ClickFunnels
- Tour GuideThe teacher-guide who sells by showing the way forward.e.g. Rick Steves
- VolcanoExplosive launch, weak retention, collapse unless it builds a real keystone fast.e.g. Threads by Meta
Product Machines
3 patternsTechnology and asset-leveraged businesses focused on automation
Hybrids
4 patternsMixed models combining elements from multiple families
- BazaarThe bustling marketplace where buyers and sellers fuel each other.e.g. eBay
- BridgeThe connector stitching ecosystems together through integrations.e.g. Zapier
- FranchiseThe replicator scaling units with playbooks and royalties.e.g. McDonald’s
- LabyrinthThe enterprise giant with complex suites and long-term contracts.e.g. Oracle