TradeLedger (working name)

Idea status: Idea stage · Target: an MRR ladder ($1k → $50k by month 24) instead of one fixed number · Verdict: No as a system of record for "any trade". Go as the fire-extinguisher inspection system of record, and only with trade access. · Last updated: 30 Sept 2026

Start here → WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md: odds at each MRR level (with conditions, ~15 hrs/week vs full-time: $1k ~55% / 70%, $5k ~27% / 44%, $10k ~14% / 28%, $20k ~5% / 14%), customer math, 12 do's, 14 avoids, checkpoints.

Where this idea came from: the 30 Sept 2026 micro-SaaS research. Its thesis is that a system of record for one unglamorous trade (jobs, inspection and compliance logs, equipment inventory, crew scheduling) is a durable small business. Its precedents are ZenMaid (cleaning) and Rentman (AV and event rental), both built by founders from inside their trade. The trade was not given, so this assessment compares four candidates (fire-extinguisher inspection, pest control, party and event rental, backflow testing) and picks one. See analysis/02.

"TradeLedger" is a working name. Check trademark and domain before using it publicly.

Research was run on 30 Sept 2026, with a confidence level on each claim. See research/10-verified-research.md.

Folder layout

tradeledger/
├── WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md      ← final analysis and decision (read first)
├── README.md                    ← this index
├── analysis/                    ← the investor-style assessment
│   ├── 00-one-page-brief.md
│   ├── 01-verdict.md
│   ├── 02-market-reality-check.md
│   ├── 03-feature-scrutiny.md
│   ├── 04-expanded-feature-catalog.md
│   ├── 05-pre-mortem.md
│   ├── 06-fundability.md
│   ├── 07-gaps.md
│   └── 09-assumptions-and-open-inputs.md
├── plans/                       ← execution plans
│   ├── 08-90-day-plan.md
│   └── 11-24-month-gated-roadmap.md
└── research/                    ← verified, cited evidence
    └── 10-verified-research.md

File numbers match the other ideas in this portfolio, so cross-references like "doc 08" work the same way.

Documents

#	Document	What it answers
—	WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md	Final decision: MRR ladder, Tier A/B, founder-only conditions, customer math, 12 do's, 14 avoids, checkpoints
00	analysis/00-one-page-brief.md	The whole assessment on one page
01	analysis/01-verdict.md	MRR ladder for each trade and time commitment, base-rate proxies, Tier A/B, fundable yes/no
02	analysis/02-market-reality-check.md	The four trades scored, the buyer, pain score, incumbents and prices, vitamin vs painkiller, market size
03	analysis/03-feature-scrutiny.md	The idea's stated features (jobs, compliance logs, inventory, scheduling) classified for the chosen trade
04	analysis/04-expanded-feature-catalog.md	About 45 features extinguisher shops ask for, classified and prioritised
05	analysis/05-pre-mortem.md	Top 3 causes of death, their warning signs, whether each is fixable
06	analysis/06-fundability.md	Would I invest, the skeptic's questions, proof points, bootstrap vs raise
07	analysis/07-gaps.md	Gaps to pay, renew and refer, plus compliance, liability and team
08	plans/08-90-day-plan.md	First 90 days, week by week, for both time commitments
09	analysis/09-assumptions-and-open-inputs.md	Assumptions made, and the inputs that would change the verdict
10	research/10-verified-research.md	Cited research with confidence levels, and what's still unverified
11	plans/11-24-month-gated-roadmap.md	Month 0–24 phases, gates, revenue path, budget guardrails

Caveat

Team, trade access, geography and hours per week available were not provided. The assumptions are in analysis/09. Still unverified:

the number of US businesses that service portable extinguishers;
NFPA 10 intervals (from general knowledge; not re-read in this run);
state technician licensing;
whether the reporting portals have APIs;
owner complaints on Reddit and Facebook, which couldn't be fetched.

See research/10.