Micro-Checks: Simplifying to 3 Questions a Day

After PeakOps, I realized something painful:
Every time I added sophistication, I killed adoption.

Predictive analytics? Too abstract.
Engagement dashboards? Too much overhead.
AI video analysis? Too much friction.

The pattern was clear. I kept building what impressed investors, not what created habits.

So I stripped everything away.

The Radical Simplification

What if restaurant managers didn't have to upload videos, review dashboards, or learn new software?

What if we just asked them three critical questions every morning?

That's it.
No login required. No app to download. No platform to navigate.

Just click a link in the email. Answer three questions. Takes 60 seconds.

The Magic Link Approach

Every morning at 8am (or whenever the manager prefers), they get an email:

Click the link. No password. No login. Just a secure magic link that takes you directly to today's questions.

Answer. Done. Back to your day.

Why This Might Actually Work

I learned from every previous pivot:

Micro-checks aren't about impressive technology.
They're about behavior change.

Daily habit. Low friction. High consistency.

The Questions Matter

I spent weeks researching what actually causes failed health inspections.
Not abstract compliance scores. Specific, recurring issues:

• Temperature logs not maintained daily
• PPE worn inconsistently
• Maintenance issues left unaddressed
• Cleaning schedules skipped during busy periods
• Cross-contamination from shared equipment

Most of these are prevented by daily awareness, not sophisticated detection.
The micro-check questions target what matters most.

Simple. Specific. Actionable.

The Data We Actually Need

Here's what corporate operations teams told me they want:

"I don't need fancy AI scores. I need to know which stores are checking temps daily and which ones are skipping it."

With micro-checks, they get:

• Daily completion rates per location
• Trend data on recurring issues
• Early warning when patterns emerge
• Manager accountability without micromanagement

Simple aggregated data that shows who's building the habit and who needs support.

Building for the Busiest Day

PeakOps failed because it added work on busy days.

Micro-checks are designed for chaos:
Opening with two call-offs? Pull out your phone, click the email link, answer in 60 seconds while the coffee brews.

Equipment breakdown during lunch rush? Mark it in the micro-check, get back to the line.

The system adapts to their reality, not the other way around.

What Could Still Go Wrong

I'm not pretending this is guaranteed to work.
I've been wrong before. Multiple times.

Potential failure modes:

• Email fatigue (just another inbox notification)
• Managers clicking through without actually checking
• Questions too generic to be useful
• Corporate teams wanting more sophisticated data
• Hard to monetize simplicity compared to AI platforms

But here's the difference: I'm testing behavior change, not technology validation.

The Honest Truth

I don't know if micro-checks will work.
I don't have product-market fit yet.
I haven't proven people will pay for this.

But I've learned that:

Each pivot stripped away what wasn't working.
Each failure taught me what customers actually need.

What's Next

We're running pilots with three restaurant groups.
Not asking for money yet. Just testing if managers will actually complete the checks daily.

If completion rates stay above 80% for 30 days, we'll know the habit sticks.
If corporate teams say the data helps them identify issues earlier, we'll know there's value.

Then we'll figure out pricing.

For now, we're focused on one thing:
Can we help managers build the daily inspection habit that prevents surprises?

That's the real test of product-market fit.
Not impressive technology. Sustained behavior change.

Stay tuned. This experiment isn't over yet.