A founder opens a completed client agreement with the intention of revising a single sentence in the scope clause. The agreement has already been signed, delivered against, and archived within the business records. The service described in the clause has been performed multiple times, and the business is operating without incident. The revision is prompted by a small but noticeable misalignment between the wording on the page and the way the work now unfolds in practice. The

Founding is the point at which an enterprise ceases to be a draft and begins to have a history. An enterprise may operate for a long time before crossing this point. Work can be produced, services delivered, and outcomes achieved while continuity remains located in the person carrying it. In that state, persistence depends on ongoing effort. Founding marks the relocation of continuity. When it occurs, the enterprise holds its own past. Actions remain attached and continue to

Many entrepreneurs are running businesses that function but do not yet accumulate history. Work happens consistently. Clients are served. Revenue is generated. The business moves week to week without interruption. From the outside, it appears established. Internally, each period still stands largely on its own. Decisions resolve immediate needs but do not bind the future. What happened last quarter does not materially constrain what happens next. Direction can change without