FIRST PAID PILOT LAB
One useful offer. Four weeks of practice and evidence.
The Wealth Experiment | Ashley Kays
https://wealthexperiment.live/first-paid-pilot/

This free workbook can be used on its own. Downloading it does not apply to,
enroll in, or reserve a place in the paid lab. The lab is $500 total for four
weeks, with a planned maximum of 10 participants. Dates, fit, participation
terms, and your place are confirmed before payment.

The goal is to test a small, useful offer with real people. A paying customer
is a possible result, not a promise. Keep your actual observations separate
from your plans. A decision to change or pause an idea is useful evidence too.

HOW TO USE THIS WORKBOOK

1. Keep your own working copy. This downloaded file does not save or send
   your answers to Wealth Experiment.
2. Use buyer aliases in your practice notes. Remove confidential and personal
   information before sharing a sample with the group or putting it into AI.
3. Set a realistic time budget. The planned lab format is one 90-minute live
   session each week, plus about two to three hours of practice between sessions.
4. Complete one defined artifact each week and bring specific questions for
   review. The lab includes one artifact review per participant per week.
5. Use the evidence CSV to record time, costs, customer responses, payments,
   and refunds. Leave unknown amounts blank; enter zero only when it is known.

MY STARTING POINT

Skill I can already use to help someone:

Example of work I can responsibly show or recreate with fictional details:

People or organizations I can realistically reach:

Time available each week:

Maximum experiment spending I choose for these four weeks:

What I want to learn, even if nobody buys:


WEEK 1 — CHOOSE ONE BUYER AND ONE PROBLEM

Exercise 1: Describe the person and the task.
Who experiences the problem? Be specific about their role and situation.

What task are they already trying to complete?

What makes it inconvenient, slow, confusing, or costly?

What evidence do I have? Separate conversations, observations, and guesses.

How are they handling it today?

Exercise 2: Write a bounded pilot offer.
I help [specific buyer] complete [specific task or deliverable].

The pilot includes:

The customer provides:

The deliverable is ready when these checks pass:

Delivery timing I could reasonably agree to:

Number of revisions included:

Pilot price I want to test, and currency:

Expected direct costs and total effort:

Tasks that would require a separate agreement:

Exercise 3: Identify five relevant people to learn from.
Use aliases. Note why the problem might matter to each person and how you
can appropriately ask for a short conversation.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

REVIEW CHECK
Can someone explain the offer back to me in one sentence?
Can I deliver the agreed work with the time and skills I have?
Is the promised deliverable within my control?
What is the weakest assumption I need to test first?

WEEK 1 ARTIFACT: One-page pilot offer, with one question for feedback.


WEEK 2 — MAKE A SAMPLE YOU CAN STAND BEHIND

Exercise 1: Choose a representative sample.
What will the sample demonstrate?

Which details are fictional, anonymized, or used with permission?

What should a good version include?

What would make the output unsuitable to use?

Exercise 2: Brief the AI tool, then review the result.
Use this starting structure with information you are allowed to share:

"Help me draft [deliverable] for [audience and situation].
The source material is [approved, non-sensitive context].
Include [specific requirements]. Use this format: [format].
Identify missing information instead of inventing it.
Separate what the source supports from suggestions that need review."

What did I change after checking the output?

Which facts, calculations, links, tone, and requirements did I verify?

Who needs to approve the work before it is used?

Exercise 3: Record the complete workflow.
Inputs:
Steps:
AI assistance:
Human review:
Acceptance checks:
Handoff:

Record preparation, prompting, review, corrections, customer communication,
and failed attempts. Include setup time even if you hope to reuse the process.

Time for first attempt:
Time for second attempt:
Direct tool or material costs:
Quality differences between attempts:
What remains uncertain:

REVIEW CHECK
Does the sample show the actual work I would sell?
Have I labeled a demonstration as a demonstration?
Could I repeat this process without hiding important manual work?
Do the proposed price and effort make sense for a small pilot?

WEEK 2 ARTIFACT: Reviewed sample plus a short delivery checklist.


WEEK 3 — HAVE THE BUYER CONVERSATIONS

Exercise 1: Practice a respectful invitation.

"I’m testing a small service for [specific person] who needs [task].
I’m trying to understand how you handle it today. Would you be open to a
brief conversation? If it is relevant, I can show you the sample afterward."

Adapt this in your own voice and send only where the contact is appropriate.
Respect a decline or request not to follow up. This workbook sends nothing.

Exercise 2: Ask before pitching.
What is difficult about doing this task today?
When did the problem last happen?
What have you already tried?
Who decides whether to pay for help with it?
What would a useful result need to include?
What would make this offer irrelevant or inconvenient for you?

For each conversation, write:
Buyer alias and date:
What they actually said:
My interpretation, clearly marked:
Current alternative:
Buying questions or objections:
Agreed next step, if any:

Exercise 3: Make a clear paid-pilot invitation when appropriate.

"Based on what you described, I can deliver [bounded result] for [price].
It includes [deliverables and revision limit], using [inputs you need].
I would suggest [realistic timing]. Would you like a short written scope
to review?"

Before taking payment, agree on the scope, price, timing, acceptance checks,
payment arrangements, and cancellation or refund terms in writing.

My concise pilot proposal:
Customer problem:
Deliverables:
Inputs and responsibilities:
Acceptance checks:
Timing and revision limit:
Price, currency, and agreed payment arrangements:
Cancellation or refund terms to agree:
Next decision and owner:

REVIEW CHECK
Track invitations, replies, completed conversations, proposals, accepted
proposals, and money received as different events. A friendly comment,
verbal interest, or unpaid invoice is not collected revenue.

WEEK 3 ARTIFACT: Pitch and proposal, with notes from actual conversations.
If you have no responses yet, bring the invitation and targeting choices.


WEEK 4 — USE THE EVIDENCE TO CHOOSE YOUR NEXT MOVE

If a pilot sold:
What was agreed and delivered?
What passed the acceptance checks?
What did the customer say, in their own words?
How much money was actually received?
Were any payments refunded or fees deducted?
How much time did sales, preparation, delivery, and support take?
What would change before offering it again?

If a pilot has not sold:
Who was reached and what did they say?
Which assumption is unsupported?
Was the obstacle relevance, timing, trust, price, scope, or reaching buyers?
What is the smallest useful change to test?
What evidence would persuade me to stop spending time on this idea?

MY EVIDENCE REVIEW
Dates covered:
Relevant invitations sent:
Replies received:
Completed buyer conversations:
Proposals made:
Proposals accepted:
Customers who actually paid:
Gross money received, with currency:
Refunds:
Payment fees and direct expenses:
Allocated software or other experiment costs:
Hours on sales, setup, delivery, review, and support:
Unpaid commitments or invoices, tracked separately:

Contribution before tax and unallocated overhead:
Money received minus refunds, fees, and recorded experiment costs.
Avoid calling this take-home pay or full profit if costs are missing.

Contribution per hour:
Contribution divided by total recorded hours, only if hours are greater
than zero and the time record is complete. This is one small experiment,
not a forecast or a claim about typical results.

MY NEXT 30 DAYS
Decision: continue / change / pause
Evidence behind that decision:
One specific audience:
One offer or change to test:
Smallest next action:
Weekly time and spending limit:
Evidence I will record:
Date I will review the decision:

WEEK 4 ARTIFACT: Evidence review and next 30-day experiment plan.


FEEDBACK AND SHARING

For each weekly review, submit or show one defined artifact using the
channel Ashley confirms for the cohort. Ask one specific question. Keep
customer details private. No public upload or private participant portal
is created by this workbook.

Example review request:
"Here is my one-page offer. I’m unsure whether the deliverable is specific
enough for this buyer. Which part is still unclear?"

If you later request a testimonial, ask for an honest account of the work.
Do not script an earnings result or condition a benefit on a positive review.
Get permission before publishing a name, quotation, screenshot, or work sample.

Independent resources:
Pilot lab: https://wealthexperiment.live/first-paid-pilot/
Workflow run log: https://wealthexperiment.live/tools/workflow-run-log/
Pilot notes: https://wealthexperiment.live/tools/pilot-notes/
Free introductory workshop: https://wealthexperiment.live/two-mondays/

Questions about fit or timing:
https://cal.com/waymakerai/15min

Original learning material from The Wealth Experiment. Product names used
in demonstrations belong to their respective owners. Training is independent;
software subscriptions and customer income are not included or guaranteed.