GROW by Good Combinator

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GROW by Good Combinator is the skills library for building AI-era ventures, products, and institutions. The flagship track is the Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) Certification — eight courses that take you from what an FDE is through running a practice as a founder. Each lesson pairs a working operator's method with a concrete artifact you can use the same day. Course 1: FDE Foundations is free. Hosted by Doug Liles, founder of Good Combinator and an elected Special District Commissioner in South Walton, Florida. New lessons drop Tuesdays. Start at goodcombinator.com/grow.

  1. [Course 2 Lesson 2.6] Systems of Record - GROW by Good Combinator

    1h ago

    [Course 2 Lesson 2.6] Systems of Record - GROW by Good Combinator

    Name the System of Record before you build: the canonical-write and silence tests. In Lesson 2.6 of GROW Course 2 (Discovery & Communication), Doug Liles works through it with you. Two tests that tell you which system is authoritative — before you wire anything to it. What you'll take away - Record vs. Reference - The canonical-write test - The silence test Chapters (0:00) Cold open & the promise (3:08) Record vs. Reference (6:17) The canonical-write test (9:26) The silence test (12:35) Naming the SoR (15:44) Why it matters for agents (18:53) The artifact & what to do Monday Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free) - https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_2_6 Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced. Public release This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator. Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library Episode metadata Show: GROW by Good Combinator Course: Course 2 - Discovery & Communication Lesson: 2.6 Season/Episode: 2/6 Runtime: 22:02 Access label: public-full-lesson Source channel: spotify Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-2/2.6/2.6 Deep Dive Audio.m4a Taxonomy: Domain=Discovery & Communication; Career stage=Junior FDE; Skill level=Foundations; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=Communicate CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled Transcript and accessibility Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-2/lesson-2.6/transcript Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch. Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here. Credits Host: Doug Liles Producer: Good Combinator Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)

    22 min
  2. [Course 2 Lesson 2.5] Business Language to Jira-Ready Specs - GROW by Good Combinator

    1d ago

    [Course 2 Lesson 2.5] Business Language to Jira-Ready Specs - GROW by Good Combinator

    Translate business language into Jira-ready specs: user stories, AC, DoD, INVEST. In Lesson 2.5 of GROW Course 2 (Discovery & Communication), Doug Liles works through it with you. A translation method that turns a sponsor's words into specs engineers can build. What you'll take away - The translation gap - User stories - Acceptance criteria Chapters (0:00) Cold open & the promise (3:20) The translation gap (6:41) User stories (10:02) Acceptance criteria (13:22) Definition of Done (16:43) The INVEST test (20:04) The artifact & what to do Monday Mentioned and cited - INVEST criteria (Bill Wake) Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free) - https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_2_5 Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced. Public release This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator. Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library Episode metadata Show: GROW by Good Combinator Course: Course 2 - Discovery & Communication Lesson: 2.5 Season/Episode: 2/5 Runtime: 23:25 Access label: public-full-lesson Source channel: spotify Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-2/2.5/2.5 Deep Dive Audio.m4a Taxonomy: Domain=Discovery & Communication; Career stage=Junior FDE; Skill level=Foundations; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=Communicate CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled Transcript and accessibility Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-2/lesson-2.5/transcript Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch. Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here. Credits Host: Doug Liles Producer: Good Combinator Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)

    23 min
  3. [Course 2 Lesson 2.4] The Pyramid Principle - GROW by Good Combinator

    2d ago

    [Course 2 Lesson 2.4] The Pyramid Principle - GROW by Good Combinator

    Answer first: structure any exec memo with SCQA and the Pyramid Principle. In Lesson 2.4 of GROW Course 2 (Discovery & Communication), Doug Liles works through it with you. An answer-first memo structure executives can absorb in minutes. What you'll take away - Answer-first thinking - SCQA setup - Building the pyramid Chapters (0:00) Cold open & the promise (6:08) Answer-first thinking (12:17) SCQA setup (18:26) Building the pyramid (24:34) Grouping and ordering (30:43) A memo, rebuilt (36:52) The artifact & what to do Monday Mentioned and cited - Minto, The Pyramid Principle Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free) - https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_2_4 Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced. Public release This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator. Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library Episode metadata Show: GROW by Good Combinator Course: Course 2 - Discovery & Communication Lesson: 2.4 Season/Episode: 2/4 Runtime: 43:01 Access label: public-full-lesson Source channel: spotify Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-2/2.4/2.4 Deep Dive Audio.m4a Taxonomy: Domain=Discovery & Communication; Career stage=Junior FDE; Skill level=Foundations; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=Communicate CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled Transcript and accessibility Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-2/lesson-2.4/transcript Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch. Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here. Credits Host: Doug Liles Producer: Good Combinator Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)

    43 min
  4. [Course 2 Lesson 2.3] MECE Decomposition - GROW by Good Combinator

    3d ago

    [Course 2 Lesson 2.3] MECE Decomposition - GROW by Good Combinator

    Break a vague AI strategy into MECE pieces: three levels, twelve leaves, no overlaps.  In Lesson 2.3 of GROW Course 2 (Discovery & Communication), Doug Liles works through it with you. A MECE decomposition you can run on any fuzzy strategy ask.  What you'll take away - What MECE means - The three-level rule - The max-twelve-leaves rule  Chapters (0:00) Cold open & the promise (7:40) What MECE means (15:21) The three-level rule (23:01) The max-twelve-leaves rule (30:42) Testing for overlap (38:22) Worked example (46:03) The artifact & what to do Monday  Mentioned and cited - Minto, The Pyramid Principle  Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free) - https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_2_3  Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced.  Public release This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator. Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library  Episode metadata Show: GROW by Good Combinator Course: Course 2 - Discovery & Communication Lesson: 2.3 Season/Episode: 2/3 Runtime: 53:44 Access label: public-full-lesson Source channel: spotify Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-2/2.3/2.3 Deep Dive Audio.m4a Taxonomy: Domain=Discovery & Communication; Career stage=Junior FDE; Skill level=Foundations; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=Communicate CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled  Transcript and accessibility Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-2/lesson-2.3/transcript Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch. Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here.  Credits Host: Doug Liles Producer: Good Combinator Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)

    54 min
  5. [Course 2 Lesson 2.2] The Discovery Call: 5-Whys at BlueRidge - GROW by Good Combinator

    4d ago

    [Course 2 Lesson 2.2] The Discovery Call: 5-Whys at BlueRidge - GROW by Good Combinator

    Run the 5-Whys ladder on a real claims-denial case and find the problem under the problem. In Lesson 2.2 of GROW Course 2 (Discovery & Communication), Doug Liles works through it with you. A repeatable discovery-call structure that gets to root cause instead of the stated symptom. What you'll take away - The stated problem - The 5-Whys ladder - BlueRidge claims-denial case Chapters (0:00) Cold open & the promise (5:39) The stated problem (11:18) The 5-Whys ladder (16:57) BlueRidge claims-denial case (22:36) Root cause vs. symptom (28:15) What to write down (33:54) The artifact & what to do Monday Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free) - https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_2_2 Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced. Public release This full FDE Certification audio lesson is available publicly as part of GROW by Good Combinator. Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library Episode metadata Show: GROW by Good Combinator Course: Course 2 - Discovery & Communication Lesson: 2.2 Season/Episode: 2/2 Runtime: 39:34 Access label: public-full-lesson Source channel: spotify Source audio: app/lessons/assets/course-2/2.2/2.2 Deep Dive Audio.m4a Taxonomy: Domain=Discovery & Communication; Career stage=Junior FDE; Skill level=Foundations; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=Communicate CRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, cert_enrolled Transcript and accessibility Final transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-2/lesson-2.2/transcript Accessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch. Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here. Credits Host: Doug Liles Producer: Good Combinator Audio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)

    40 min
  6. [Course 2 Lesson 2.1] The Soft Stack - GROW by Good Combinator

    4d ago

    [Course 2 Lesson 2.1] The Soft Stack - GROW by Good Combinator

    Why 77% of AI agent pilots die from non-technical causes — and the Soft Stack. In Lesson 2.1 of GROW Course 2 (Discovery & Communication), Doug Liles works through it with you. The five Soft Stack disciplines, framed as engineering work rather than 'people skills.' What you'll take away- Why pilots really die- The five disciplines- Stakeholder Cartography Chapters(0:00) Cold open & the promise(7:14) Why pilots really die(14:28) The five disciplines(21:42) Stakeholder Cartography(28:56) The trust model(36:10) The Meridian Trust case(43:24) The artifact & what to do Monday Mentioned and cited- Mayer, Davis & Schoorman trust model (1995)- Mendelow's Power-Interest Matrix Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free)- https://fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons/FDE_Lesson_2_1 Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced. Access and launch statusThis is paid GROW Skills Library implementation content.Keep this Spotify episode as a draft until Spotify Subscriptions or approved Open Access is configured.Continue in GROW Skills Library: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/library Episode metadataShow: GROW by Good CombinatorCourse: Course 2 - Discovery & CommunicationLesson: 2.1Season/Episode: 2/1Runtime: 50:39Access label: paid-subscription-onlySource channel: spotifySource audio: app/lessons/assets/course-2/2.1/2.1 Deep Dive Audio.m4aTaxonomy: Domain=Discovery & Communication; Career stage=Junior FDE; Skill level=Foundations; Asset type=Lesson; Outcome=CommunicateCRM events: course_started, lesson_completed, subscription_started, cert_enrolled Transcript and accessibilityFinal transcript required before launch: https://goodcombinator.com/grow/courses/course-2/lesson-2.1/transcriptAccessibility requirement: reviewed audio, clear title, descriptive show notes, and transcript availability before launch.Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM and disclosed here. CreditsHost: Doug LilesProducer: Good CombinatorAudio: NotebookLM AI narration (disclosed)

    51 min
  7. S1 E2 · The FDE Trinity — GROW by Good Combinator

    May 27

    S1 E2 · The FDE Trinity — GROW by Good Combinator

    The three capabilities — engineer, consultant, product owner — that define an FDE. In Lesson 1.2 of GROW Course 1 (Forward Deployed Engineer Foundations), Doug Liles works through it with you: the Trinity model and an honest self-assessment of where your edges and gaps are. What you'll take away The Trinity modelEngineer edgeConsultant edgeChapters(0:00) Cold open & the promise(7:00) The Trinity model(14:00) Engineer edge(21:01) Consultant edge(28:01) Product-owner edge(35:02) Reading your own gaps(42:02) The artifact & what to do Monday Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free): fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced. ConnectFree FDE library: fde.goodcombinator.aiPaid library and ecosystem: goodcombinator.com/growPodcast: AI for Good — Transforming Communities

    49 min
  8. S1 E3 · The Four-Stage Maturation Loop — GROW by Good Combinator

    May 27

    S1 E3 · The Four-Stage Maturation Loop — GROW by Good Combinator

    Land, Expand, Scale, Embed: the loop that turns one pilot into an owned account. In Lesson 1.3 of GROW Course 1 (Forward Deployed Engineer Foundations), Doug Liles works through it with you: the four-stage loop and the signal that tells you it is time to move to the next stage. What you'll take away The four stagesLandExpandChapters(0:00) Cold open & the promise(7:12) The four stages(14:24) Land(21:37) Expand(28:49) Scale(36:01) Embed(43:14) Stage-transition signals(50:26) The artifact & what to do Monday Study guide, slide deck, blog companion, infographic (free): fde.goodcombinator.ai/lessons Audio companion is AI-narrated using NotebookLM. Explainer video is human-produced. ConnectFree FDE library: fde.goodcombinator.aiPaid library and ecosystem: goodcombinator.com/growPodcast: AI for Good — Transforming Communities

    58 min
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About

GROW by Good Combinator is the skills library for building AI-era ventures, products, and institutions. The flagship track is the Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) Certification — eight courses that take you from what an FDE is through running a practice as a founder. Each lesson pairs a working operator's method with a concrete artifact you can use the same day. Course 1: FDE Foundations is free. Hosted by Doug Liles, founder of Good Combinator and an elected Special District Commissioner in South Walton, Florida. New lessons drop Tuesdays. Start at goodcombinator.com/grow.

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  • Creator
    Good Combinator
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
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    © Good Combinator
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    GROW by Good Combinator