IV / VI · What we are not · the anti-extractive boundary · May 2026
We earn before we build.
The orthodox failure is to take time, equity, and attention — and leave the founder worse off when the engagement collapses. The inversion is to earn the place before asking for any of that.
The take-and-don't-add pattern.
01
Take the founder's time
02
Take equity at the door
03
Take their attention and adjust their strategy
04
The engagement collapses
We earn before we build.
01
Earn the place by doing the work
02
Demonstrate the value
03
Ask for the commitment only then
04
The relationship compounds
·The inverse of extraction is scaffolding — see VI · How.