# Autonomous Agency — Pilot Intake Brief

*Fill this out together. Be blunt. Write fast. We'll refine in strategy.*
*Every section maps to a strategy phase — no orphan questions.*

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## PART 1: THE THESIS
*What you believe and why you're doing this*

**1. Why this, why now? The real reason — not the pitch.**
> 

**2. What's broken in the market that made you say "we should do this"?**
> 

**3. If a journalist wrote one sentence about Autonomous Agency, what should it say?**
> 

**4. What will this look like if it works? (12 months from now, best case)**
> 

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## PART 2: WHAT IT IS
*Define the product/service clearly enough that a stranger gets it*

**5. One-line description — what does Autonomous Agency sell?**
> 

**6. What does the client actually get? (Deliverables, access, outcomes — be specific)**
> 

**7. What does it NOT include? (Scope boundaries — what are you explicitly not doing?)**
> 

**8. How is this different from hiring a traditional agency? From hiring in-house? From using AI tools themselves?**
> vs. traditional agency: 
> vs. in-house: 
> vs. DIY AI tools: 

**9. What's the core technology/methodology that makes this possible?**
> 

**10. Is there existing IP, frameworks, or tools you're bringing in? List them.**
> 

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## PART 3: WHO IT'S FOR
*Be specific — the pilot needs a narrow target*

**11. Describe the ideal pilot client. Industry, size, stage, situation.**
> 

**12. Who's the buyer? (Role, title, what they care about)**
> 

**13. Who's the user/stakeholder who interacts with the service day-to-day?**
> 

**14. What's the trigger event that makes someone need this NOW?**
> (e.g., "just raised Series A and need brand fast", "CMO quit", "launching new product line")

**15. Describe the client you'd reject. Who is NOT a fit?**
> 

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## PART 4: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
*Who else is in this space — broadly*

**16. Who do you actually compete with for budget? (Not who you admire — who takes your money)**
> 

**17. What do all the competitors/alternatives say the same?**
> 

**18. What's the thing nobody in this space is saying or doing?**
> 

**19. Name 3 companies/brands whose approach you admire. 3 that repel you.**
> Admire: 
> Repel: 

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## PART 5: THE PILOT DESIGN
*How the first engagements will actually work*

**20. How many pilot clients are you targeting?**
> 

**21. What's the pilot duration per client?**
> 

**22. What does the engagement look like week-by-week? (Even rough is fine)**
> Week 1: 
> Week 2: 
> Week 3: 
> Week 4: 
> (adjust as needed)

**23. What does the client need to provide? (Access, time, assets, decisions)**
> 

**24. What are the success metrics — for the client AND for you?**
> Client success = 
> Our success = 

**25. What's the biggest risk that could kill a pilot engagement?**
> 

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## PART 6: BUSINESS MODEL
*Money, pricing, and unit economics*

**26. Pricing model — how do you charge? (Retainer, project, outcome-based, hybrid?)**
> 

**27. Price point — what number are you testing?**
> 

**28. How did you arrive at that number? What's the logic?**
> 

**29. What's the cost to deliver per client? (Time, tools, compute, people)**
> 

**30. What does the path from pilot → scale look like? When does it stop being manual?**
> 

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## PART 7: GO-TO-MARKET
*How you'll find and close pilot clients*

**31. How are you finding pilot clients? (Warm intros, outbound, content, community?)**
> 

**32. What's the sales process? Who does what?**
> 

**33. What proof/credibility do you have right now? (Case studies, demos, personal brand)**
> 

**34. What's the ask — what do you need the client to commit to?**
> 

**35. What objections do you expect? How do you answer them?**
> Objection 1: → Answer: 
> Objection 2: → Answer: 
> Objection 3: → Answer: 

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## PART 8: ASSUMPTIONS LOG
*What you've decided but haven't validated*

List every major assumption you're making. Be honest — this is the most valuable part.

| # | Assumption | Confidence (H/M/L) | How we'd validate it |
|---|-----------|-------------------|---------------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |
| 4 | | | |
| 5 | | | |
| 6 | | | |
| 7 | | | |
| 8 | | | |

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## PART 9: OPEN QUESTIONS
*Things you haven't resolved yet — disagreements welcome*

**36. What are the 3 biggest unresolved questions between you?**
> 1. 
> 2. 
> 3. 

**37. Where do Dan, Felipe, and Assaf disagree?**
> 

**38. What would make you kill this before launch?**
> 

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## PART 10: BRAND & VOICE (QUICK)
*Just enough for us to start — not the full brand process*

**39. 3 words that describe how Autonomous Agency should feel:**
> 

**40. What tone do you use with clients? (Pick one: authoritative / collaborative / provocative / clinical / other)**
> 

**41. What will you NEVER say in your marketing?**
> 

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## WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Once this is filled, we run it through CE's strategy process:
1. **Crisis & Context** — validate the market thesis (Parts 1 + 4)
2. **Battlefield** — deep competitive mapping (Part 4 + our research)
3. **Buyer** — sharpen the ideal client profile (Part 3)
4. **Claim** — positioning statement and narrative (Parts 1 + 2)
5. **Conviction** — values and non-negotiables (Part 10)
6. **Voice** — messaging architecture (Part 10 + strategy output)
7. **Look** — visual direction (once strategy is solid)
8. **Assumptions Stress-Test** — run Part 8 through debate + judge process

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*Brief version: 0.1 | Date: 2026-03-05*
*Mapped to: CE Universal Brand Strategy Framework + Intake Engine + Product Marketing Context*