If naming the Existing Market Trap was the first step—This is the second. Because the Existing Market Trap doesn’t show up all at once. It shows up in patterns.
We’ve worked with 125+ companies. And again and again, we witnessed the same stalls.
Stalls that didn’t start with a bad product but started with belief that broke down.
And when we zoomed out, we realized:
There aren’t a million failure modes.
There are 13.
We call them the Deadly Sins.
Today, we’re naming them all.
The 13 Deadly Sins
#1. The Engineer’s Dilemma
You obsess over the product—and forget to design the market.
#2. The Obviously Better Fallacy
You think better features win—without reframing the game.
#3. The Pinball Effect
You react to noise—without clear belief.
#4. The Horizontal Tool Illusion
You build for everyone—and resonate with no one.
#5. The Product-Led Growth Myth
You hope great UX drives growth—but hit a belief wall.
#6. The Market Share Fantasy
You chase TAM slices—you end up fighting for 24%.
#7. The Sales Hype Machine
You scale sales too early—without a clear POV.
#8. The Distribution Delusion
You equate reach with power—and up getting locked in.
#9. The VC Pressure Cooker
You grow fast—but sacrifice clarity for speed.
#10. The Conglomerate Identity Crisis
You have too many products—and no clear POV.
#11. The Brand Vanity Obsession
You polish your brand—but ignore your customers problem.
#12. The Point Tool Ceiling
You solve one problem—and get stuck as a feature.
#13. The Existential Decline
You’re still the King—but the market has moved on.
Now they’re a set of cards.
A real one. Each Deadly Sin has its own card—
designed to be named, held, shared, and solved.
We built them to help teams escape the trap together—
Because once you can name the Sin, you can stop repeating it.
These aren’t playing cards—
They are part tarot. Part trap map. All belief.
Want the Cards?
We’re sending them to founders, CEOs, executives and investors who want to run this with their teams.
For offsites, portfolio sessions, and belief interventions.
Buy at least 10 books for your team → Get the 13 Deadly Sins Playing Cards (Limited Drop)
Book → https://a.co/d/bOjlMKW
Cards → Send your purchase receipt and mailing address to mary@playbigger.com
The 13 Deadly Sins
Know the patterns. Escape the trap.
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