Target: an MRR ladder, not one number. The on-plan path reaches $10k+ MRR full-time or $6k+ MRR at ~15 hrs/week by month 24, profitable, at ≥80% gross margin and ≥70% month-3 retention.
Rule: nothing in a later phase starts until the current phase's gate is hit. Gates and pivot rules are in WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md. The detail for days 1–90 is in 08-90-day-plan.md.
Phase 1: Prove agencies pay (Months 0–3) → Gates G1, G2
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Customers | 20 agency calls in one market. Concierge monthly report for 5+ paying agencies. |
| Product | Thin v1: template-sample axe-core scans, template grouping, multi-client dashboard, white-label PDF, statement generator (1 language), manual checklist with evidence capture, evidence file export. |
| Legal | Claims policy, report disclaimer, terms of service and DPA, all lawyer-reviewed. Professional indemnity insurance quote. |
| Team | Accessibility advisor signed (paid retainer or revenue share). |
| Pricing | Studio €99, Agency €249, Agency Plus €499 per month. Concierge agencies get founding pricing locked for 12 months. |
| Exit | Full-time: 8 accounts, ≥$1k MRR. 15 hrs: 5 accounts, ≥$600 MRR. All month-1 payers renewed. |
Phase 2: Make it recurring (Months 4–6) → Gate G3
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Product | Regression alerts, "fixed?" re-check, Jira/GitHub export, free prospect scan for agencies, cookie-banner check. |
| Distribution | Monthly enforcement tracker in the market language. Care-plan sales kit for agencies. Referral offer: 1 month free per referred paying agency. |
| Ops | Auto-emailed monthly client reports. Onboarding email sequence. Help centre. |
| Metrics | Per account: client sites connected, issues cleared per site, evidence exports, checklists completed. |
| Exit | Full-time: $2k MRR. 15 hrs: $1.2k MRR. ≥70% M3 retention. ≥1 agency reselling to 10+ client sites. |
Phase 3: Expansion and depth (Months 7–12) → Gate G4
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Product | Client portal (read-only). Scripted checkout journeys on Agency Plus. Second statement language. Screen-reader test scripts per template, written with the advisor. |
| Distribution | Listings in platform partner ecosystems where allowed. 1–2 talks at local WordPress or e-commerce meetups. Partner-auditor referral agreements (both directions). |
| Data | Aggregated, anonymised issue data across client sites, the basis for a later index. |
| Exit | Full-time: $5k MRR. 15 hrs: $3k MRR. Logo churn ≤2.5%/month. Average ≥15 client sites per agency account. |
Phase 4: Scale the channel that works (Months 13–24) → Gate G5
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Product | CI check (GitHub Action). Direct plan for in-scope mid-size businesses. WCAG 2.2 rules when the harmonised standard moves. API on Agency Plus. |
| Distribution | Double down on the single best channel from months 1–12. First quarterly accessibility index for the launch market. A second market only if you have a native-language partner. |
| Team | First paid help: a part-time accessibility specialist for checklists and support, not another developer, unless support load demands it. |
| Checkpoint | Month 18: full-time $8k, 15 hrs $4k. Missing it means concentrating on the single best channel. |
| Decision at month 24 | At or above the on-plan figure and profitable: keep running it, and consider a second market or a US version for agencies with US clients. $2–6k: run it profitably. Below $1k: stop or pivot. |
| Exit | Full-time: $10k+ MRR. 15 hrs: $6k+ MRR. Profitable. |
Revenue path (illustrative, not a forecast)
| Month | Full-time: agency accounts | Full-time: direct sites | Full-time: MRR | ~15 hrs/week: agency accounts | ~15 hrs/week: MRR |
|---|
| 3 | 8 | 0 | ~$1k | 5 | ~$600 |
| 6 | 12 | 0 | ~$2k | 8 | ~$1.2k |
| 12 | 22 | 8 | ~$5k | 16 | ~$3k |
| 18 | 34 | 15 | ~$8k | 20 | ~$4k |
| 24 | 42 | 25 | ~$10.4k | 30 | ~$6k |
This assumes blended agency revenue rising from ~$125 (founding prices, small plans) to ~$200 per account as agencies add sites, direct sites at ~$80, monthly logo churn of ≤2.5% after month 6, and 40%+ of new accounts from referral, the prospect scan or content. If agency churn runs above 4%, this path doesn't work. Fix retention (the monthly report habit) before spending on growth.
The $20k level needs ~80 agency accounts plus ~50 direct sites. That's roughly double the full-time path, and it needs either visible fines in the launch market or a second market with a native-language partner.
Budget guardrails (bootstrapped)
- Hosting, scanning compute, email and tools below 10% of revenue. Scan template samples, not every page.
- Advisor retainer, lawyer review and insurance are fixed costs. Budget them before launch (all unverified amounts, get quotes).
- Zero paid acquisition before the month-6 checkpoint. After it, only channels with CAC payback under 3 months.
- Keep 6+ months of fixed costs in reserve at all times.