Welcome back to The Cap Table Newsletter! This bi-weekly newsletter shares key insights on angel investing, start-ups, and investment opportunities.
This week, we’re talking about goal-setting…but not the one everybody dreads.
Not resolutions. Not vision boards.
This is about building systems that actually compound.
Let’s start with a story.
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The Part of Shohei Ohtani’s Story Most People Miss
When Shohei Ohtani was 17 years old, he drew a grid on a piece of paper.
Eight boxes by eight boxes. Sixty-four total.
In the center, he wrote a single goal: Become the number one draft pick.
Around it, he listed the pillars he believed would get him there. Then he broke each pillar into specific actions and behaviors.
One of those actions was not about strength, speed, or batting mechanics.
It simply said: Pick up trash.
That same kid just signed a 700 million dollar contract, the largest in sports history.
This was not luck. It was structure.
He used something called The Harada Method, and it works shockingly well for founders.
What the Harada Method Actually Is
The Harada Method is a framework that turns one ambitious goal into repeatable daily behaviors.
Not outcomes. Not aspirations. Behaviors.
At a high level, it works like this:
One central goal
Eight supporting pillars
Sixty-four specific actions
It forces clarity. It removes ambiguity. It replaces motivation with systems.
Let’s translate that into startup terms.
Step 1: Define One Measurable Goal
This goes in the center of the grid.
Not a dream. Not a vibe. Not a slogan.
A single, measurable outcome.
Examples:
Hit one million dollars in ARR
Close a Series A
Reach ten thousand weekly active users
Achieve cash flow breakeven
If you cannot measure it, it does not belong in the center.
Your goal is not achieved at the end of the year. It is built daily.
Step 2: Define Your Eight Pillars
These are the categories that must move together for your goal to be achievable.
For a founder raising a Series A, the eight pillars might look like this:
Product
Team
Revenue
Network
Operations
Market
Personal
Mindset
Each pillar answers a different question.
Product: Is what you are building actually working Team: Do you have the right people to scale Revenue: Is the business model proving itself Network: Are the right people aware of what you are building Operations: Can the company run without chaos Market: Is your positioning clear and differentiated Personal: Can you sustain the pace Mindset: Are you resilient enough to stay in the game
Most founders think about these implicitly. Very few define them explicitly.
Step 3: Turn Pillars Into Actions, Not Goals
This is where almost everyone gets it wrong.
Under each pillar, you write eight actions, not outcomes.
For example, under Network, you do not write: Build investor relationships.
You write:
Send three founder intros per week
Comment thoughtfully on five investor posts per day
Share one insight publicly every Tuesday
Have coffee with one advisor per month
Update investors every two weeks
Ask one founder for feedback weekly
Make one warm intro per week
Attend one high-signal event per month
These are behaviors you can execute regardless of mood, market, or timing.
Repeatable actions beat inspirational goals every time.
Why “Pick Up Trash” Mattered
When Ohtani built his grid, one of his pillars was luck.
Under that pillar, he wrote actions like:
Pick up trash
Treat equipment with respect
Support teammates
He was not trying to be nice. He was systematizing becoming someone people wanted to support.
While other players obsessed over stats, he focused on discipline, character, and trust.
That mindset showed up again in his biggest career decision.
He turned down significantly more guaranteed money in Japan to sign for just 2.3 million dollars with the Angels, because they were the only team that would let him both pitch and hit.
Everyone thought it was risky. It was strategic.
Now he is doing what no one has done since Babe Ruth.
What This Means for Founders
I see founders everywhere with:
OKRs
North Stars
BHAGs
Vision decks
Almost no one has sixty-four specific actions that compound into those goals.
The Harada Method forces you to confront reality.
It asks: What are you actually doing every week that moves this forward
Not someday. Not when things slow down. Not after the next raise.
Now.
Final Takeaway
Most founders will set the same recycled goals next week.
Raise more money. Grow faster. Hire better. Be more disciplined.
Very few will build a system that makes those outcomes inevitable.
The Harada Method is not flashy. It is not trendy. But it works.
Because success is rarely about one big moment. It is about whether your daily behaviors align with the future you say you want.
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My Take
The best founders I know are not the most motivated. They are the most structured.
They remove decision fatigue. They turn ambition into habits. They build systems that carry them forward on the days motivation disappears.
If you are serious about your next milestone, do not just set a goal.
Build the sixty-four actions that make it unavoidable.
Until next week, Elana ✌️
Resources
If you enjoyed this week’s newsletter - feel free to check out some of our past articles:
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