MIT researchers Bill Aulet and Paul Cheek call it the execution gap: “There is a wide chasm between a brilliant business plan and successfully taking that plan to market.” Their research shows that most businesses fail not because of bad ideas, but because they struggle to execute. Aulet developed a 24-step framework that helps companies that follow it succeed at higher rates. His insight holds up. Execution drives entrepreneurial success, not chance.
After working with thousands of entrepreneurs through CO.STARTERS and FINSYNC, we’ve seen the real problem. Entrepreneurs have grand plans, but don’t know how to execute big ideas.
We Built a Pipeline When We Needed an Ecosystem
Most support ecosystems still operate like pipelines. An entrepreneur completes an accelerator program, graduates, and is expected to figure out operations on their own. They search for tools. Try to build a track record. Apply for funding. Find a mentor along the way. This approach is easy to measure, but difficult to live within.
Entrepreneurs often leave programs with a solid plan and a clear sense of what should happen next. Then they stall. Not because they lack motivation or intelligence, but because there is no structure to help them execute. No consistent way to track revenue. No clear financial picture. No coordinated support. And the most important question remains unanswered: are we actually making money, or just staying busy?
Confused and overwhelmed, many give up.
Meanwhile, entrepreneur support organizations are doing their best with the limited resources they have. Most are running programs with skeleton crews. They connect entrepreneurs to bankers, lenders, mentors, and coaches. But there’s no mechanism to see if those connections help. Referrals disappear. No visibility or tracking. Just hope and a prayer that the founder gets the support they need to grow and scale.
And here’s the deeper structural problem: Aulet’s framework shows that execution requires six concurrent activities: identifying customers, building value propositions, acquiring customers, making money, designing products, and scaling. These happen together, simultaneously.
Let’s Ask a Different Question
What if we stopped leading with questions like “What’s your business model?” or “What’s your business plan?” and asked something simpler:
“What’s your goal for the next 90 days?”
Not a framework. Not a five-year vision. Just one concrete outcome that would move the business forward in the next three months.
This simple shift makes Aulet’s framework immediately tactical. Haven’t identified your customers yet? How will you identify them in 90 days? Building a value proposition? What will you test in 90 days? Not making money? What’s your plan to generate revenue in 90 days?
Suddenly, execution becomes concrete, manageable, and supportable by the ecosystem around them.
When support aligns around 90-day goals, entrepreneurs need three things working together:
- Market Validation: Testing assumptions with real customers to confirm there is demand for what they are building.
- Financial Discipline: Tracking revenue, costs, and cash flow from the start, not later when things feel more “official.”
- Growth Support: Access to funding conversations and mentorship together, rather than one after the other.
These three pillars work together, just as MIT intended. But they are only effective if the ecosystem is attuned to the entrepreneur’s real needs.
Sounds easier said than done, right? You are a leader of a community group. You invite ten bankers to join you in your program’s opening. Two show up. One stays 20 minutes. None of them follow up with your entrepreneurs afterward.
Who was the accountant you invited? Too busy. The excited mentor? Ghosted after the first meeting. Who’s putting off reviews? Every referral you make is “not ready yet.”
Goodwill is rarely the problem. Bankers strive to avoid referrals in measure and are cautious of repeat unqualified leads. Before they commit to an investment, accountants must see a legitimate business. Mentors are often volunteers in addition to full-time jobs.
The ecosystem partners that you need are willing to help. They get overwhelmed, misaligned with incentives, and have to deal with indigent entrepreneurs without any guidance on when and how to provide support.
Make It a Partnership, Not a Charity
Connecting with a large group of people at once doesn’t work; connecting people at the best time to accomplish specific goals, like getting funded or getting validation for your product idea, works!
First, develop relationships. Start small: Pick one Banker you know and simply say, “I have 3 entrepreneurs in Phase 2 that are in need of what you described last month; would you allow me to connect you with them?” Be specific and add value to your request!
The next step is to build one good Mentor relationship at a time. You do NOT need 15 mentors on day one; you just need 2 solid mentors who will show up. One involved Banker for funding conversations and one Accountant who will conduct quarterly workshops for your entrepreneurs. Have tools in place that assist them in building an infrastructure.
The final step is to focus on 5 Ecosystem Players that you can intentionally connect with around the milestones of your entrepreneurs. This will give you the ability to build out your ecosystem with a small team and be much more effective than spraying and praying for invitations!
When you connect with these Ecosystem Partners, use their language. For Yourself: Don’t say, “We need you to support our entrepreneurs.” Instead, say to Bankers: “We are positioning businesses to be bank-ready in 180 days rather than in 2 years, with clean books and proven revenue before they meet with you!”
Here’s what that coordination looks like in practice across three phases:
- Days 1-90 (Market Validation): Community orgs lead with business model canvas and peer cohorts. Mentors challenge assumptions and refine value propositions.
- Days 91-180 (Financial Discipline): Community orgs check progress and maintain accountability. Mentors review how assumptions match reality. Accountants are available to help with proper categorization and clean books. Bankers begin relationship-building and explain requirements. Financial tools track actual performance.
- Days 181-270 (Growth): Community orgs celebrate wins and connect to expansion resources. Mentors become critical for accountability and growth decisions. Accountants ensure bank-ready books. Lenders review applications based on real data. Tools provide proof of operational health.
Everyone understands when to engage and why. The work feels coordinated instead of chaotic.
Where to Start When You’re Stretched Thin
If you’re running a community organization with limited resources, you don’t need to overhaul everything.
Start with your next cohort. At kickoff, ask every entrepreneur: “What’s your goal for the next 90 days?” Don’t reorganize your program yet. Just shift that one framing question.
Next, map what you already have. Who’s your go-to banker? Which mentor always shows up? What accountant do you trust? Write their names down and assign them to the three phases. This exercise quickly reveals where your ecosystem is strong and where support breaks down.
Keep reporting the metrics your funders want, such as the number of businesses started and jobs created. Internally, begin tracking a small set of milestone outcomes tied to those 90-day goals. For example: “Entrepreneurs identified target customers” or “Generated first revenue.” When you report back, showing both completion and progress creates a clearer picture of execution.
Build a simple feedback loop between phases. After Phase 1, ask a short set of questions: Did you hit your 90-day goal? What support would help next? This does not require new systems. A basic Google form is enough.
The goal is not to add more work. It is to focus existing effort around what entrepreneurs actually need at that point in time.
Be realistic about your ecosystem. If your community lacks engaged bankers or available mentors, look beyond local defaults. Regional CDFIs, online accounting firms, virtual mentor networks like SCORE, and regional economic development organizations can fill gaps. The ecosystem does not need to be perfect. It needs to be coordinated.
What We’re Still Learning
After working with hundreds of entrepreneurs through CO.STARTERS and FINSYNC, we know connectivity is the hardest part. Traditional CRMs track activities but not outcomes. Spreadsheets get outdated. Email chains create chaos.
To keep everyone aligned and visible throughout the entrepreneur’s journey, we have built a simple framework to help. While we’re solving the big infrastructure challenge, there are concrete steps that work right now. We’ve built some of those into tools you can use today.
In our next article, we’ll explore where connections break in most support ecosystems, the technology and process challenges, what’s working, what isn’t, and what we think needs to exist that doesn’t yet.
Take the Next Step
We’ve created a free 90-day planning template you can use with entrepreneurs starting today. It walks through goal-setting and maps the ecosystem partners they need at each phase. Download the Template
CO.STARTERS and FINSYNC are working together to bridge the execution gap with curriculum, tools, and ecosystem connectivity. If you want to explore how this might work for your organization, or just talk through challenges you’re facing. Schedule a Conversation
