Zachary Chester · Operator / builder
I help SaaS teams, agencies, and operators turn messy product ideas into working prototypes, market signal, and a clear build/no-build decision.
BEST FIT SaaS wedges · Shopify workflows · internal tools · agency product bets
MemberPortShopify purchases → Discord access
View pilot ↗
The sprint contract
A focused build should answer a decision, not create another artifact for the roadmap. The work is scoped around the smallest useful surface that can produce signal.
Who is this for? What must the workflow prove? What is the smallest credible test?
Prototype the actual interaction, not a presentation of what the interaction might be.
Buyer pull, operator feedback, and product evidence become the next-step decision.
Every idea that crosses this bench ends one of four ways: kill it, refine it, pilot it, or productize it. Two made it all the way to the exit column. The rest of the book is open and running — that's what the ledger below is for.
the receipt prints once. everything on it is real.
| ID | Artifact | Surface | Status | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXP-007 | MemberPort | Shopify → Discord access | Founding pilot | private waitlist ↗ |
| EXP-004 | Riftstorm.gg | Deck building / gaming | Live | riftstorm.gg ↗ |
| EXP-005 | SalesOp AI | AI sales operations | Live | live SaaS |
| EXP-001 | CartFlow | Cart conversion | Pilot | private pilot |
| EXP-002 | Custom Accounts | Membership accounts | Pilot | private pilot |
| EXP-006 | Shopify MCP | AI ↔ store context | Pilot | private pilot |
| EXP-003 | Phantom Node | USD/JPY quant desk | In build | private |
| EXP-008 | RP Journal | Structured journal — ██████ | In build | internal build |
| XIT-001 | Zero-Value Inc | SaaS — $30K MRR in 60 days | Sold | exit 2019 |
| XIT-002 | Expand Your Roots | Supplements — #1 in Canada | Exited | Mutant exclusive |
Agencies have client opportunities they cannot productize. SaaS teams have ideas stuck behind engineering priorities. Operators know where the workflow breaks. I frame the problem, build a focused surface, test the signal, and hand back a next-step decision.