What Is FIRM?
FIRM stands for Future, Issues, Rocks, and Meetings. It’s a simple, free and effective framework that helps you manage your indie dev studio with clarity, focus, accountability, and results.
FIRM is based on systems like the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and Scaling Up, proven systems that have helped thousands of businesses around the world grow faster and stronger. I help my clients implement these and similar systems, but they are a little unwieldy for smaller indies.
To make the benefits of these systems more accessible to indies, I’ve created the smallest possible version of a management system: FIRM.
You can watch me explain the framework in terms of Pokémon, here:
What Will FIRM Help Me With?
As an indie dev, there is only one measure of success: finishing and selling your game. Everything else is a distraction, and there will be time for it later.
Except, when “later” comes around, it might be “too late”.
Your company is bigger than your current game, and it is worthwhile to spend some time setting up the foundations of your company. That way, you don’t have to deal with a ton of unresolved issues when you do finally ship your game.
That’s what FIRM was designed to do: it will 1) help you work on the foundations of your company 2) in as little time as possible, 3) setting you up for more success in the future.
Specifically, FIRM will help you achieve three core objectives:
FOCUS
Get clarity ahead of time on the things you will do and won’t do
ALIGNMENT
Make sure that all efforts align towards your chosen goals
ACCOUNTABILITY
Keep each other accountable for the things you commit to
Is FIRM Right For Me?
FIRM was designed specifically to help with the most common management problems faced by starting and small-sized indie devs. If you match any of problems described below, FIRM is the perfect framework to get you started on building a better studio.
1. You understand the importance of working on your company but don’t know where to start
2. You’ve tried some frameworks or exercises before, but couldn’t make it stick
3. You already have some management elements in place, but are looking for improvement
FIRM Breakdown
FIRM is comprised of four main elements.
Future
Create a compelling vision for your company and communicate it to your team and stakeholders
Issues
Identify, prioritize, and solve the problems and challenges that prevent you from creating your videogame
Rocks
Set quarterly goals and track your progress and performance
Meetings
Run effective and productive meetings that align your team and drive results
Why is FIRM free?
I want this model to be available to as many indie studios as possible. The model is available on a pay-what-you-want basis, and it’s absolutely fine to download it for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is FIRM different from other frameworks?
FIRM borrows elements from other, provern frameworks, but it’s simplified and customized to suit the specific needs and goals of indie developers. FIRM focuses on the four essential components of running your studio more like a company: Future, Issues, Rocks, and Meetings
How can I implement FIRM in my company?
FIRM can be implemented without any help using the provided Notion template.
What are the benefits of using FIRM?
FIRM will help you build and run your dream company with less stress, more fun, and more success. You will be able to:
- Clarify your vision and communicate it to your team and stakeholders
- Solve your problems and challenges faster and easier
- Set realistic and achievable goals and track your progress and performance
- Run productive and enjoyable meetings that keep everyone on the same page and drive results
- Increase your revenue, user satisfaction, quality, and productivity
- Stand out from the competition and become a healthy and thriving studio
Why do you need my email?
Downloading the template through Gumroad lets me track the use and spread of the template. You’ll get a total of three emails from me to collect feedback, and I won’t spam you with any upsells or cross-sells.
If you absolutely don’t want to share your email, enter the rabbit hole:
Enter the rabbit hole
Go deeper
Deeper still
Hey, a door!
You’re standing in a dark room
Look North
As you get closer to the North wall, you notice the second biggest monkey head you have ever seen.
Weird.
Look East
Nothing.
Life sucks… again.
Look West
You fumble around in the dark.
You feel a chest with a heavy, wooden lid. As you open it, light starts to spill out.
Your eyes adjust, and sure enough, there it is…
✨ The FIRM Template ✨
Look South
Hmm, what’s this?