At the Edge: Founders, Decisions, and the Power of a Muse

There’s a photo I saw in a motivational calendar.

It’s a man standing on the edge of a cliff, looking out at the fog-covered valley below. The trail behind him is clear. The one ahead? Not so much.

That image hits me every time I see it—because if you’re a founder, you’ve been that person. Standing at the edge of something big.Trying to figure out what to do next.And sometimes, wondering if you’re about to make a brilliant leap—or a costly mistake.

The Weight of Decisions

Running a company means living in the land of constant decision-making. Every week (if not every day) you’re choosing:

• Should we hire this person or wait?

• Do we pivot the product or stay the course?

• Is this the partner who can really help us scale—or just another distraction?

• Should we double down on this channel, launch that campaign, or hit pause altogether?

And the scary part? Many of these decisions feel like they have no obvious answer. Data is fuzzy. Emotions run high. The stakes are real.

Enter: The PEP Score

Over the years, I’ve used a simple but powerful tool to help make sense of tough decisions. We call it the PEP Score—short for:

• Probability of success

• Ease of execution

• Profitability (or impact)

When founders start using this framework across product, marketing, operations, even personal decisions—they get clarity fast. You don’t have to rely on gut instinct alone. You rank each opportunity or challenge on those three dimensions, and suddenly patterns emerge.

Should you pursue that partnership? Sure, it might be profitable—but if it’s a nightmare to execute or has a low chance of success, maybe it’s not your next move.Should you test a new acquisition channel? If it’s easy to spin up, and has even a moderate chance of working, the PEP Score may show it’s worth trying.Should you take that investor call or stay focused? Score it.

I’ve watched founders go from paralyzed to energized just by mapping out their options this way.

Founders Need a Muse

But even with the best frameworks, there’s still something that gets overlooked: perspective.

When you’re deep in your own business, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. That’s why even the best founders need a Muse—someone who’s been there before, who won’t get lost in your chaos, and who can help guide the path forward.

Not a coach.Not a consultant.A co-strategist. A thought partner. Someone who brings pattern recognition and clarity to your unique moment.

At T2, this is how we show up. We’re not here to lecture. We’re here to walk beside you, PEP score in hand, listening for what’s unsaid, seeing where the pressure is building, and helping you map what’s next with confidence.

Standing at the Edge?

If you’re facing a cliff—or a crossroads—you don’t have to navigate it alone.

You need someone who knows the terrain. Someone who’s helped companies avoid the wrong turn, double down on the right play, and walk through the fog with focus.

Let’s make your next decision the best one yet.

Todd Youngblood

Founder, T2 Consulting

Helping founders move from stuck to scaling with a strategy that works.