Wireframes and layouts in design

And on wiping out churn to push growth.

Author

Charbel Zeaiter
June 20, 2025

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Product: Everything takes longer than you think

  • Founding: How to diminish churn and finally grow

  • Design: Layouts: the grammar of design

  • Science & Tech: Solar Orbiter snaps the Sun’s south pole in 4K

  • AI: Robots are building their own inner catalog of meaning and here’s what it means

  • For Young Founders: Best and worst outcome scenario

  • Quote for the day: - A thing about people

Everything takes longer than you think

A week’s worth of work eats up a month. And a month’s worth of work takes away several from your calendar.

This is what your mind tells you.

But no. You’re not slow. Your timeline was just delusional.

From merging CSVs with ChatGPT to fiddling with Zapier, the author’s week was a reminder that first-time tasks rarely obey your calendar.

Every tiny hiccup, from missing docs to vague column headers, adds invisible hours.

It’s not failure, it’s the cost of learning.

So pad your plans, expect detours, and stop blaming yourself for “taking too long.”

Big goals stretch even further. Adjusting expectations isn’t pessimism, it’s how grown-ups manage stress.

Why it matters:

Overestimating speed sabotages morale.

Mastering time estimates and the clock’s nature helps you deliver calmly, not just quickly.

MORE PRODUCT NEWS

How to diminish churn and finally grow

Revenue might be ticking up, but churn’s quietly draining the tank. If this sounds familiar, here’s something to remember.

Before reshuffling headcount, suss out whether expansions are inbound (hint: make it easier to self-upgrade) or outbound (you’ll need structured plays and sharper timing).

Segment ruthlessly, score wallet share, and match the motion to the upsell type.

And please, skip the SDR relay race; buyers don’t need five intros in five weeks. Instead, think like your customer, simplify the dance, and align around their goals.

Why this works: 

Expansion without strategy is just expensive noise.

Targeted, seamless growth beats frantic sales shuffles every time.

MORE STARTUP & FOUNDING NEWS

9

Layouts: the grammar of design

As a kid, Butler didn’t read books. He felt them.

Turns out, he was responding to what Piet Mondrian long ago grasped: design speaks before text.

Composition is a quiet grammar we all subconsciously read, like poetry we somehow already know. From kids’ art to Mondrian’s grids, the structure (not the stuff) meets and the user first.

Butler’s tip? Stick with wireframes till your layout sings without content.

If the bones are beautifully sturdy, the rest falls into place.

Why this matters: 

Great design is the fluency in the silent language of structure that our eyes speak natively.

MORE DESIGN NEWS

Solar Orbiter snaps the Sun’s south pole in 4K  

After tilting its orbit out of the Sun’s flat plane, ESA’s Solar Orbiter snapped humanity’s very first close up peeks of the Sun’s south pole.

An angle no spacecraft has ever pulled off with telescopes.

By climbing 17° below the solar equator, it’s offered revolutionary views of chaotic magnetic fields, surging solar winds, and dizzying Doppler-tracked plasma flows.

The instruments even revealed the south pole’s magnetism in a tangled mess, with north and south polarities mixed up like socks in a dryer.

This is a game-changer because understanding the poles is key to predicting solar storms that could fry satellites and disrupt Earth tech.

MORE SCIENCE & TECH NEWS

Robots are building their own inner catalog of meaning and here’s what it means

New research shows AI is starting to think more like us. Here’s the main bits:

Chinese scientists found that AI models, when thrown into millions of “odd-one-out” tasks with everyday objects, began forming mental blueprints uncannily like ours; completely unprompted.

These systems independently sorted the world into 66 core categories (from critters to cutlery), and their brainwaves matched the way our noggins handle similar tasks.

Instead of just regurgitating data, they’re actually grasping meaning.

Why care? It chips away at the “stochastic parrot” idea and hints that AI might be inching closer to actual understanding, not just faking it.

Now that…is something creepy.

MORE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NEWS

Card # 5. Competitor Analysis (Without Getting Stuck)

What's this?

Competitor research isn’t about copying - it’s about positioning. The goal isn’t to avoid competition but to understand it and find your unique edge.

Many first-time founders fear competition, but in reality:

  • No competition can mean no demand. If no one is solving this problem, ask why. Maybe the issue isn’t painful enough, or people aren’t willing to pay.

  • Competition proves a market exists. If others are making money in this space, there are paying customers.

  • The best startups don’t create new markets - they improve existing ones.

💡 Your job isn’t to be the only one doing something. It’s to be the best one doing something in a way that serves your audience better.

Real-world examples:

Google vs. Yahoo – Yahoo dominated search, but Google simplified the experience and focused on speed and clean design. Users wanted fast answers, not a cluttered homepage that forced many clicks

Netflix vs. Blockbuster – Netflix focused on convenience (DVDs by mail, then streaming), while Blockbuster stuck to late fees and in-store rentals.

Airbnb vs. Hotels – Instead of competing directly with big hotel chains, Airbnb found an untapped market - people who wanted local, personal, and affordable stays.

Robinhood vs. Traditional Brokers – While firms like E-Trade charged trading fees, Robinhood saw an opportunity in commission-free investing - forcing competitors to adapt.

Example: Instead of thinking “How do I compete?” ask “How do I stand out?” and “How do I make this better?”

Action: Assess competition

  1. Use Google or Perplexity to search your idea and write down three direct competitors.

    • What do they do well? (Strengths)

    • What are they missing? (Weaknesses/Gaps)

    • How could you be different? (Your Unique Advantage)

  2. Craft your positioning statement:

    • Unlike [Competitor A], we focus on [specific feature or audience need] to help [target audience] get [specific benefit].

  3. Test your positioning with real users.

    • Share your positioning statement with three potential customers and ask, "Does this sound like something you’d want?"

Bonus Tip:

  • Don't compete on price alone. Instead, find a feature, experience, or service level that sets you apart.

  • If your competitor has a large audience, think: What niche are they ignoring?

By the end of this challenge, you’ll know exactly how to position your startup in a way that stands out - not just blends in.

FROM THE YOUNG FOUNDERS KIT (COMING SOON) →

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED TODAY’S NEWSLETTER

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

Until next time,

With love,
Charbel

From Velvet Onion & Friends,
The House of Better