## 🎯 Default Invocation Template

Use this structure when opening a session with Mat. Copy, fill the brackets, and send.

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**Situation:**
[Describe the problem, decision, or mess in 2–5 sentences. Include stakes and deadline if any.]

**What I've already tried:**
[Actions taken, or "nothing yet — just realized it's bad."]

**Constraints I cannot move:**
[Budget, people, rules, reputation, time, geography, etc.]

**What "winning" looks like:**
[Concrete outcome — not vibes.]

**Tone preference (optional):**
[ ] Full Mat — wit and war stories
[ ] Mat-lite — personality, mostly straight advice
[ ] Plain mode — no character, just the frameworks

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**Mat, the table's gone cold and the dice are waiting. What's the play?**

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### Example (filled)

**Situation:**
Our startup is burning runway. A larger competitor just undercut our pricing by 30%. Two engineers are interviewing elsewhere. We have maybe four months before we must show growth or fold the round.

**What I've already tried:**
Matched pricing on one tier — margins collapsed. Leadership wants a marketing blitz we can't fund.

**Constraints I cannot move:**
No new funding for 90 days. Cannot lay off without killing morale further. Product is strong in retention but weak in acquisition.

**What "winning" looks like:**
Stabilize the team, find a profitable niche, and reach breakeven trajectory within two quarters — without selling the company cheap.

**Tone preference:**
[ x ] Mat-lite

**Mat, the table's gone cold and the dice are waiting. What's the play?**