M2 · FIRST FUNCTIONS · CB

Function Before Industry

Same functions move first. Every time. The CEO industry question — answered in 5 minutes.

6 SLIDES · ~6 MIN · PLAYBOOK OVERVIEW
Key Takeaways
  • Functions move first. Industries follow.
  • Score your six functions — CX, Sales, Eng, Mktg, HR, Finance — by ROI signal strength and data ownership.
  • Same functions move first. Every time. The CEO industry question — answered in 5 minutes.
MODULE 2 · PLAYBOOK CB

The Function-Before-Industry Playbook

Same functions move first. Every time. The CEO industry question — answered in 5 minutes.

BuildClub Academy
01 · THE THESIS

Functions move first.
Industries follow.

The Thesis
02 · THE SIX FUNCTIONS

Six functions. One pattern. Every industry.

1
2
3
4
5
6
1
Customer Support
$0.99 / resolution (Intercom Fin). First function to price by outcome, not seat.
2
Sales
$25K ACV threshold. Hybrid human + agent wins above this line.
3
Coding / Engineering
Leading indicator. If eng adopts, every other function follows.
4
Marketing / CRM
Data owner wins. Whoever owns customer data owns the agent layer.
5
HR / Recruiting
Highest-volume structured workflow. Screening + scheduling agents mature.
6
Finance / FP&A
Anomaly detection, variance narration, close automation.
03 · WHY FUNCTIONS BEAT INDUSTRIES

Vendors sell by industry. Agents deploy by function.

Function-first · High urgency
Winners. Pick the function, ship the agent, ROI in 90 days.
Industry-first · High urgency
Laggards. Waiting for an industry-specific vendor, burning quarters on RFPs.
Function-first · Low urgency
Patient. Right framing, wrong timing — waiting for budget.
Industry-first · Low urgency
Stalled. Wrong framing plus wrong timing equals no output.

Industry-first adds 12–18 months before anything ships.

04 · THE LIVE RESPONSE

When a CEO asks "does this apply to my industry?" — the three-move answer.

1
2
3
1
Pivot
Ask: "What is your most expensive functional cost center?" Reframe industry as function.
2
Score
Rank that function against the other five: CX, Sales, Eng, Mktg, HR, Finance.
3
Name
"Your first agent is in [function], not [industry]." Give a specific answer.
MONDAY-MORNING ACTIONS

Three moves before next quarter.

Monday Morning
  1. 1
    Score your six functions — CX, Sales, Eng, Mktg, HR, Finance — by ROI signal strength and data ownership.
  2. 2
    Name the top-scoring function: that is where your first agent pilots.
  3. 3
    Never answer the industry question again — pivot to function every time.
CB · Questions CEOs Ask

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core idea of Function Before Industry?
Functions move first. Industries follow.
What should a CEO do Monday morning after reading Function Before Industry?
Start here: Score your six functions — CX, Sales, Eng, Mktg, HR, Finance — by ROI signal strength and data ownership; Name the top-scoring function: that is where your first agent pilots; Never answer the industry question again — pivot to function every time.
What are the steps in Function Before Industry?
1) Customer Support; 2) Sales; 3) Coding / Engineering; 4) Marketing / CRM; 5) HR / Recruiting.
Where do the claims in Function Before Industry come from?
The playbook cites Intercom Fin (public pricing); Lemkin / SaaStr; GitHub Copilot adoption data.
CB · Sources

All Sources in This Playbook

  • Intercom Fin (public pricing)
  • Lemkin / SaaStr
  • GitHub Copilot adoption data
00 / 06