Startup phase. Pre-build. $1–2M project
Accommodation, retreats, hospitality
1–2 founders

• Physical retreat space only
• Land secured
• Build planned over next 0–18 months
• Opening after build
• Mixed use: accommodation, retreats, hospitality
• Goal: design once, operate cleanly, avoid rebuilds

This phase is about operability, not vibes.

STAGE — STARTUP / PRE-BUILD

Month 0 to Month 18
Before guests. Before staff.

Core objective

Design the business inside the building
before the building is finished.

Every operational shortcut here becomes a permanent tax later.

Team (lean by design)

• 1–2 founders
• Architect
• Builder / contractor
• Legal and permitting support
• No staff yet

No ops team yet.
No hospitality staff yet.
No EA yet.

Budget (monthly, pre-build phase)

• Software: $50–$150
• Ops support: none or founder-led
• Ops owner: Founder

This phase does not need headcount.
It needs clarity.

Systems in use (only what matters)

• Asana
• Google Drive
• WhatsApp

Nothing else yet.

No Slack.
No Notion complexity.
No PMS yet.

Asana (Pre-build phase)

UTILITY
Project and decision tracking.

BEST FOR
• Design milestones
• Build timelines
• Contractor coordination
• Decision logging
• Dependency visibility

NOT FOR
• Daily site chat
• Documentation storage
• Hospitality workflows

ROLE IN THE SYSTEM
Asana answers one question.
“What decision is next, and who owns it?”

If it affects layout, flow, cost, or staffing, it lives here.

Asana structure (simple and sufficient)

One project: Venue Build Master

Sections
• Vision and Constraints
• Design Decisions
• Permits and Compliance
• Construction Milestones
• Procurement
• Risks and Blockers

Every task must include
• Owner
• Decision required
• Deadline
• Cost impact

Google Drive (Pre-build phase)

UTILITY
Single source of truth for documents.

BEST FOR
• Contracts
• Floor plans
• Budgets
• Drawings
• Vendor details

NOT FOR
• Task tracking
• Communication

ROLE IN THE SYSTEM
Drive stores facts.
Asana stores decisions.

Drive structure (do not overbuild)

Root folder: Venue HQ

Subfolders
• Legal and Permits
• Architecture and Drawings
• Budget and Forecasts
• Vendors and Contacts
• Utilities and Infrastructure

If a document is not referenced in Asana, it is noise.

WhatsApp (Pre-build phase)

UTILITY
Immediate coordination.

BEST FOR
• Builder updates
• Site issues
• Time-sensitive questions

NOT FOR
• Decisions
• Planning
• Instructions

ROLE IN THE SYSTEM
WhatsApp handles today.

If it creates work tomorrow, it moves into Asana.

Founder role (pre-build)

• Vision holder
• Decision maker
• Constraint setter
• Cash flow protector

Founders must personally decide
• Room count
• Room size
• Retreat capacity
• Staff flow
• Back-of-house layout

These are not delegate decisions.

What NOT to add yet

• Cloudbeds
• Slack
• SOP libraries
• Staff onboarding systems
• Hospitality software

Adding these before layout is locked is wasted effort.

Failure mode at this stage

• Designing for aesthetics over operations
• No back-of-house thinking
• No staff flow consideration
• No storage or laundry planning
• No guest volume constraints

These mistakes cost six figures to undo.

Transition trigger

When to move to the next phase

You move to Pre-Operations only when:

• Floor plans are locked
• Room count and types are final
• Retreat group size is defined
• Staffing model is roughly known
• Opening timeline is real

Only then do you introduce
• Cloudbeds
• SOP design
• Hiring plans

SIMPLE REALITY CHECK

Ask this before breaking ground:

“If this opened tomorrow, could a manager run it without us?”

If the answer is unclear, the design is not finished.

PHYSICAL STACK SUMMARY (Pre-build)

• Asana = decisions
• Drive = documents
• WhatsApp = urgency

Nothing else.

FINAL CLARITY

Pre-build is not about speed.
It is about irreversible choices.

Most retreat venues fail before the first guest arrives.
They just don’t know it yet.

COMPARISON

Short answer.
At pre-build / startup phase for a $1–2M physical retreat venue, most tools slow you down.

Here’s the clear, stage-appropriate answer for Trello, ClickUp, and Slack.

Trello

Should you use it at this stage?

Optional. Acceptable. Not ideal.

Where Trello helps

• Very early concepting
• Visual thinkers
• Simple yes or no decisions
• Mood boards and idea sorting

Where Trello fails

• Dependencies
• Timelines
• Cost impact
• Decision tracking

Verdict

If you are:
• 1 founder
• Very early
• No builder onboard yet

Trello is fine temporarily.

Once:
• Architects
• Contractors
• Permits
• Timelines

Enter the picture, Trello breaks.

ClickUp

Should you use it at this stage?

No. Strong no.

Why ClickUp is wrong here

• Too configurable
• Too many fields
• Too much temptation to systemize early
• Encourages fake progress

ClickUp shines when:
• Work repeats
• Tasks flow weekly
• Teams execute

Pre-build work is:
• Irreversible
• Decision heavy
• Constraint driven
• Non-repeating

ClickUp creates activity, not clarity, at this stage.

Slack

Should you use it at this stage?

No. Do not add Slack.

Why Slack hurts pre-build

• Decisions get buried
• Builders do not use it well
• Conversations fragment
• Nothing feels “finished”

Slack assumes:
• Ongoing team
• Repeat coordination
• Async collaboration

Pre-build reality:
• Few people
• High-stakes decisions
• One or two decision makers

Slack creates noise, not alignment.

The correct stack for THIS stage

Pre-build is about decisions, not execution.

Use this only

• Asana
• Google Drive
• WhatsApp

Why this wins:
• Asana forces ownership and deadlines
• Drive holds facts and contracts
• WhatsApp handles site reality

Nothing else earns its place yet.

When EACH tool becomes valid

Trello
• Early ideation only
• Retire once design locks

ClickUp
• Post-opening
• Ops workflows
• Maintenance cycles

Slack
• After hiring managers
• After opening
• Leadership coordination only

Simple decision rule

If the tool:
• Encourages chatting → wrong
• Encourages endless tweaking → wrong
• Encourages irreversible decisions → right

Pre-build mistakes are permanent.
Choose tools that slow you down just enough to think.

Bottom line

At this stage:
• Fewer tools
• Fewer voices
• Fewer decisions per week

But the right decisions.

If you want, I can next:
• Map the exact moment each tool enters
• Create a build-to-open tool transition plan
• Or design a single Asana decision framework for pre-build

Say the word.

ROLE OVERVIEW - "WHO"

EA or COO-Lite

Physical Retreat Venue, Pre-Build Phase

This role exists to protect founders from operational drag while ensuring high-stakes decisions are tracked, documented, and executed cleanly.

This is not hospitality ops.
This is pre-operations governance.

WHEN THIS ROLE IS REQUIRED

Phase A — Early pre-build (months 0–6)

Status: Optional

Founders can run this themselves only if:
• Fewer than 5 external stakeholders
• Decisions still informal
• No overlapping contractors

If complexity rises, add the role.

Phase B — Active design + build prep (months 6–18)

Status: Required

You need this role when:
• Architects and builders are active
• Permits and approvals are in motion
• Decisions become irreversible
• Founders feel decision fatigue

At this point, not having this role costs more than hiring it.

LEVEL REQUIRED (IMPORTANT)

What you do NOT need yet

• Full COO
• Hospitality manager
• GM
• Heavy ops leader

Those come later.

What you DO need

Senior EA or COO-Lite
Someone who:
• Thinks structurally
• Is calm under pressure
• Is comfortable enforcing clarity
• Is trusted by founders

TIME + COST (REALISTIC)

• 8–15 hours per week initially
• Scales to 20 hours during active build decisions
• $800–$2,000 per month depending on seniority

This role pays for itself by preventing bad decisions.

CORE PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• Hold the build process together
• Track decisions, not opinions
• Ensure nothing critical is lost, rushed, or forgotten
• Reduce founder cognitive load

If founders are repeating themselves, the role is failing.

SYSTEMS OWNED BY THIS ROLE

• Asana
• Google Drive
• WhatsApp

Nothing else at this stage.

ROLE DESCRIPTION (PRE-BUILD)

Title

Executive Assistant, Pre-Build Operations
or
COO-Lite, Venue Development

Reports to

Founders only.

Authority level

• Can assign tasks
• Can follow up external parties
• Can enforce documentation standards
• Cannot override founder decisions

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES BY TOOL

Asana (Decision and Build Spine)

Purpose: Decision tracking and accountability

Daily or near-daily:
• Review open decisions
• Track deadlines tied to permits, design, build
• Follow up owners
• Flag delays or missing info

Weekly:
• Maintain the Venue Build Master project
• Prepare a short founder decision list
• Close resolved items
• Ensure cost or scope impacts are noted

Rule enforced:
If a decision affects layout, cost, flow, or timeline, it lives in Asana.

Google Drive (Single Source of Truth)

Purpose: Facts, not conversations

Responsibilities:
• Organize contracts, plans, drawings, budgets
• Ensure naming consistency
• Ensure latest versions are clearly marked
• Link relevant files inside Asana tasks

Rule enforced:
If it is not in Drive, it does not exist.

WhatsApp (Urgency Only)

Purpose: Site reality and time-sensitive issues

Responsibilities:
• Monitor urgent messages
• Redirect decisions into Asana
• Prevent planning inside WhatsApp

Rule enforced:
WhatsApp handles today.
Tomorrow belongs in Asana.

FOUNDER INTERFACE (CRITICAL)

The role provides founders with:

Weekly:
• One decision list
• One risk list
• One timeline check

Founders:
• Decide
• Do not chase
• Do not manage tools

WHAT THIS ROLE DOES NOT DO

• Design the venue
• Run hospitality
• Manage guests
• Hire staff
• Create SOPs for operations

Those come later.

FAILURE MODE IF YOU HIRE THE WRONG LEVEL

If the person:
• Asks where everything goes
• Avoids pushing back
• Needs constant reassurance
• Over-tools the system

They are too junior.

INTERVIEW FILTER QUESTION

Ask this exact question:

“A builder sends a voice note with a change that affects cost and layout. What do you do?”

Correct answer includes:
• Capture the issue
• Log it as a decision in Asana
• Link drawings or budget impact
• Present it clearly to founders

If they jump straight to WhatsApp replies, they are not ready.

SUCCESS METRICS (30–90 DAYS)

After 30 days:
• Fewer repeated conversations
• Clear decision trail
• Founders feel calmer

After 90 days:
• Build timeline feels controlled
• No major surprises
• Decisions are documented

That is success.

SIMPLE TRUTH

This role does not speed things up.
It prevents expensive mistakes.

In pre-build, clarity is profit.