Target: an MRR ladder, not one number. Full-time plan: $12–15k MRR by month 24, with $20k as the stretch. ~15 hrs/week plan: $3–5k MRR. Both profitable, ≥85% gross margin (MVRs passed through), ≤2% monthly logo churn after month 6.
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 the pain (Months 0–3; Oct–Dec 2026) → Gates: day 45, day 90
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Customers | 25 owner interviews (12 at ~15 hrs/week). Concierge catch-up and upkeep for 5–10 paying landscaping firms. |
| Expertise | Paid DOT compliance advisor signed. E&O insurance quoted and bound before the first paid firm. |
| Product | Web + mobile web v1: checker, drivers and documents, driver text link with OCR, expiry engine, § 391.25 review on a phone, catch-up gap list, binder PDF, retention log. |
| Distribution | Checker live. 10 SEO pages. One state landscape association and 3 insurance agents contacted. Personal outreach to 20 census firms a week. |
| Pricing | Crew $59, Company $119, Fleet $199, catch-up $149. Pilots get founding pricing locked for 12 months. |
| Exit | Day 45: 5 paying (3). Day 90: 15 firms on the app (8), 100% complete files, zero missed reminders. |
Phase 2: Spring hiring and repeatability (Months 4–6; Jan–Mar 2027) → Gate: month 6
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Product | Spring hiring mode (bulk invite, completion board). Previous-employer inquiry tracker. Road test certificate on a phone. Guided import for the catch-up. Spanish driver screens if interviews confirm the need. |
| Distribution | Association winter meeting or webinar. Insurance-agent referral offer. 10 more SEO pages by state. Referral offer: 1 month free per referred firm. |
| Ops | Help center, onboarding emails, reminder-delivery monitoring with escalation. |
| Metrics | Outcome dashboard per firm: files complete, cards due, reviews done on time. |
| Exit | $1.5k MRR (~18 firms); ~15 hrs/week: $700 (~8). Churn ≤2%/mo. ≥30% of trials from search or referral. |
Phase 3: Vehicles, MVRs and a second channel (Months 7–12; Apr–Sep 2027) → Gate: month 12
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Product | Vehicles: list with GVWR and trailer pairings, maintenance due dates (§ 396.3), annual inspection record, defect report → repair certification (§ 396.11). MVR ordering through a licensed vendor at cost + $2, after counsel's sign-off. Insurer pack. |
| Distribution | Apply to one field-service app marketplace (Jobber, LMN or Aspire; terms unverified). Samsara Technology Partner listing only if 5+ customers use Samsara. |
| Retention | Winter-prep campaign in the autumn and a push to annual plans before November. |
| Exit | $5k MRR (~59 firms); ~15 hrs/week: $2k (~24). ≥60% on annual. |
Phase 4: Second trade and scale what works (Months 13–24; Oct 2027–Sep 2028) → Gates: months 18 and 24
| Track | Work |
|---|
| Product | Second trade: HVAC, plumbing and electrical (the same rule set, different language and pages). CDL add-on for mixed fleets: Clearinghouse annual-query reminders and log, test-result storage. More states' intrastate rules, each signed off by the advisor. |
| Distribution | Double down on the single best channel from months 1–12. Consider white-label seats for insurance agents or safety consultants (Pivot B as an add-on channel, not a pivot). |
| Team | First hire: part-time support and onboarding, not another engineer. |
| Checkpoint | Month 18: $8k MRR (~94 firms); ~15 hrs/week: $3k (~35). A miss means concentrating on the single best channel. |
| Decision at month 24 | $12–15k MRR and profitable: keep running it. At $20k: target stretch hit. Below $2k: stop, or pivot within fleet compliance records for firms without a safety manager. |
| Exit | Full-time: $12–15k MRR, profitable. ~15 hrs/week: $3–5k MRR, profitable. |
Revenue path (illustrative, not a forecast)
| Month | Firms (full-time) | MRR (full-time) | Firms (~15 hrs/week) | MRR (~15 hrs/week) |
|---|
| 3 | 8 | ~$0.6k | 3 | ~$0.2k |
| 6 | 18 | ~$1.5k | 8 | ~$0.7k |
| 12 | 59 | ~$5k | 24 | ~$2k |
| 18 | 94 | ~$8k | 35 | ~$3k |
| 24 | 150–175 | ~$12.8–15k | 45–55 | ~$3.8–4.7k |
| Stretch | 235 | ~$20k | — | — |
This assumes a blended ~$85 a firm after annual discounts, monthly churn of 1.5–2% after month 6 (with a winter bump), and 50%+ of new firms from search, association or referral by month 12. MRR excludes catch-up fees and MVR pass-through. If churn runs above 4%, or blended price falls below $60, this path doesn't work. Fix retention and pricing before spending on growth.
Budget guardrails (bootstrapped)
- Hosting, SMS, OCR, e-signature and storage below 8% of revenue.
- E&O insurance and the advisor are non-negotiable fixed costs. Budget for them before launch.
- MVR fees are always passed through. Never bundled.
- Zero paid acquisition before month 6. After that, only channels with CAC payback under 4 months.
- Keep 12 months of runway at all times. If runway falls below 6 months, cut to the DQ core and the best channel.