Venture Log

Structured lifecycle tracker for Ideas, Projects, and Ventures evaluated through Evidence-Guided Development. Inspired by Itamar Gilad’s idea validation framework.

Tasks (hours of work) do NOT enter this log — apply the “is it worth my time?” mindset mentally.

The Idea Lifecycle

Every Idea follows this flow:

💡 Sparked       → Idea shared with Hermes, logged in this file
    ↓
🔍 Validating    → Grilling session (Evidence-Guided Development)
    ↓                    ↓
  ✅ Validated         ❌ Parked
  (Goal + deadline     (reason recorded)
   + confidence)
    ↓
🏗️ Building      → Active development, Tasks decomposed
    ↓
🚀 MVP           → First usable version live
    ↓
📈 In Production → Real users / real value delivered
    ↓
🏠 Area          → Graduates to PARA Area folder

An Idea is never a Task. Tasks only exist after a Project is validated and decomposed. If work is fuzzy and needs its own Goal + deadline + decomposition, it’s an Idea that needs grilling first.

How a Grilling Session Works

When Francois shares an Idea, Hermes runs a grilling session — a structured Evidence-Guided Development conversation:

1. Goal — What measurable outcome are you after? (“WHY am I doing this?”)
2. Intent — Commercial (revenue) / Portfolio (career/skills) / Fun (joy/learning)
3. Scale — Project (days–weeks) or Venture (months, decomposes into Projects)
4. Deadline — When does this need to be done? (can be refined later)
5. Evidence — What supports this? Market signals? User feedback? Competitor analysis? Or just gut feeling?
6. Confidence — 🟢 High (real evidence) / 🟡 Medium (some signals) / 🔵 For fun (skip validation)

If Intent = fun → record 🔵, skip validation, move to logging.

If Intent = commercial or portfolio → Hermes pushes harder: Who’s the audience? What’s the expected return? What alternatives exist?

Outcome: The Idea becomes either ✅ Validated (with Goal + deadline + confidence) or ❌ Parked (with reason). The grilling conversation itself is the validation artifact — no separate document needed.

Scales

Scale	Duration	Decomposes into	Example
Project	Days–weeks	Tasks	”Add multi-currency to Strata”
Venture	Months	Projects	”Launch Djuly’s dietician business”

Lifecycle Stages

Emoji	Stage	Description
💡	Sparked	Idea first mentioned or prompted
🔍	Validating	Evidence-Guided assessment in progress
✅	Validated	Decision to build (with confidence level)
❌	Parked	Decision NOT to build (with reason)
🏗️	Building	Active development started
🚀	MVP	First usable version live
📈	In Production	Real users / real value being delivered → graduates to PARA Area
🎯	Milestone	Big release, new feature, funding (repeatable)
🪦	Retired	Intentionally shut down or abandoned

When an entry reaches 📈 In Production, it graduates to a PARA Area. The Venture Log entry stays as historical record. Future improvements to that Area enter this log as new Projects.

Confidence Levels (at Validated stage)

• 🟢 High — Real evidence: market data, user feedback, competitor analysis
• 🟡 Medium — Some signals: gut feeling + light research
• 🔵 For fun — Explicitly skipping validation, no confidence claim needed

Active Entries

Name	Scale	Intent	Goal	Confidence	Current Stage	Sparked	Validated	MVP	Notes
Architecture Wiki	Project	Portfolio	Build public credibility as an architect	🟡	🏗️ Building	2026-05	2026-05	—	docs.ducatillon.net, Astro + Starlight
Djuly Dietician	Venture	Commercial	Ensure Djuly has a sustainable income	🟢	💡 Sparked	2026	—	—	First Venture Scaffolding instance. Dietician business in Lille
Château de Bourgon	Project	Portfolio	Modernize family property web presence	🟡	🏗️ Building	—	—	—	Astro migration in progress

Graduated to Area

Entries that reached 📈 In Production and now live as PARA Areas. Listed here for historical tracking.

Name	Scale	Intent	Goal	Confidence	Graduated	Notes
Strata	Venture	Portfolio	Grow net worth over time — track all assets	🟡	pre-log	strata.ducatillon.net, personal finance tracker (like Finary)
Sommelier Arena	Project	Fun	Have fun and learn	🔵	pre-log	sommelier-arena.ducatillon.net
Hugo Air	Project	Fun	Have fun and learn	🔵	pre-log	Hugo theme
Location Yeu	Project	Portfolio	Manage rental property visibility	🟡	pre-log	Rental site
Notes	Project	Portfolio	Publish and compound knowledge	🟡	pre-log	notes.ducatillon.net

Parked Ideas

Name	Scale	Intent	Parked Date	Reason
(none yet)

Retired

Name	Scale	Intent	Retired Date	Reason	Reached Stage
(none yet)