SCRIPT CHECK · 60 SECONDS
Five quick questions show how often it appears, how believable it feels, and what it makes you avoid. You’ll get one private next step.
This is not a diagnosis and there is no pass or fail. It measures the current frequency, credibility, and behavioral cost of “They raised $20M for a worse product”, including the private rule underneath it: If a competitor can raise more money for something you think is weaker, then their business must rank above yours, and your revenue only matters if it can outshout their announcement. The raise gets treated like proof, while your actual…
QUIET
“They raised $20M for a worse product” appears, but it rarely gets the final say. Keep this line available for higher-pressure moments: “Their $20M is fuel they now have to burn on a schedule. My number is small, mine, and actual revenue.”
PRESENT
“They raised $20M for a worse product” wins some small decisions before you catch it. Your useful interruption is: “A raise is a bet someone placed, not a medal someone earned. I don’t rank myself by other people’s bets.”
ACTIVE
“They raised $20M for a worse product” is shaping action often enough to deserve a deliberate counterexample. Start privately and concretely: Open a note or text file, write the competitor’s name and your current MRR on separate lines, then close it. No edits, no sending, just the visible difference between their funding and your number.
DOMINANT
Right now, “They raised $20M for a worse product” is steering many of the moments you measured. That is a pattern reading, not a diagnosis or character verdict. Begin with one reversible receipt: Open a note or text file, write the competitor’s name and your current MRR on separate lines, then close it. No edits, no sending, just the visible difference between their funding and your number.