Add recommended 3-phase approach document
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recommended-approach.md
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recommended-approach.md
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# Recommended Approach: 3-Phase Bootstrap Plan
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## Overview
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**Motto**: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast"
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**Philosophy**: Bootstrap with minimal capital, use customer revenue to fund platform development, transition to recurring revenue model.
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---
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## Phase 1: Integration Consulting (Months 1-3)
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### Objective
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Generate cash flow, validate market demand, build network of relationships.
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### Timeline
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**Week 1-2**: Setup
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**Week 3-4**: Outreach
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**Week 5-8**: First pilot project
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**Week 9-12**: Complete pilot, land second project
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### Services Offered
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- OT/IT integration consulting
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- PLC programming for data export
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- Edge gateway setup (on customer hardware)
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- MQTT/OPC UA configuration
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- Grafana dashboard deployment
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- Training and documentation
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### Revenue Model
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- **Hourly**: $150-200/hour
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- **Project**: $15k-40k (100-200 hours)
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- **Retainer**: $2k-5k/month (optional support)
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### Infrastructure
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**NONE** - Deploy on customer hardware:
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- Raspberry Pi 4 or old industrial PC (customer buys)
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- Ubuntu Server + Docker/LXC (free)
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- Mosquitto MQTT + InfluxDB + Grafana (free, open source)
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- Node-RED for PLC integration (free)
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### Capital Requirements
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**Total**: $500
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- LLC filing: $100-300
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- Basic website (Carrd/WordPress): $0-200
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- Business cards: $50
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- LinkedIn Premium: $0 (optional)
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### Activities
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#### Week 1-2: Foundation
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- [ ] Register LLC (1-2 hours, $100-300)
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- [ ] Set up website (4-6 hours, $0-200)
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- Service description
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- Case study section (empty initially)
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- Contact form
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- Bio highlighting OT + cloud expertise
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- [ ] Update LinkedIn profile (1 hour)
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- "OT/IT Integration Consultant"
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- Headline: "I help manufacturers bridge PLC data to dashboards"
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- [ ] Create contact list (20+ from controls engineering days)
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#### Week 3-4: Outreach
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- [ ] Email/call 20 contacts (5 per week)
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- [ ] Message template:
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> "Hey [Name], after 13 years programming PLCs, I spent the last 4 years learning cloud engineering. Now I'm helping manufacturers get visibility into production data without expensive cloud platforms. Know anyone struggling with this?"
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- [ ] Target: 3-5 discovery calls
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- [ ] Join local ISA chapter (optional)
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#### Week 5-8: First Pilot
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- [ ] Land pilot project: $5k-10k (discounted)
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- [ ] Scope: Single production line, basic monitoring
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- PLC data collection (Modbus/OPC UA)
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- MQTT broker on Raspberry Pi
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- Grafana dashboards (3-5 views)
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- Alert configuration
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- [ ] Document EVERYTHING
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- Before/after metrics
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- Technical architecture
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- Customer testimonial
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- [ ] Deliverables:
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- Working edge gateway
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- 3-5 Grafana dashboards
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- Alert rules configured
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- 2-4 hours of training
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- Documentation for maintenance
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#### Week 9-12: Validate & Scale
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- [ ] Complete pilot project
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- [ ] Get written testimonial
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- [ ] Take photos/screenshots
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- [ ] Write case study
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- [ ] Publish to LinkedIn + website
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- [ ] Ask pilot customer for 2-3 referrals
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- [ ] Land second project at full price ($20k-40k)
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- [ ] Begin prospecting for Phase 2 recurring customers
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### Success Metrics (Phase 1)
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- [ ] 2-3 completed consulting projects
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- [ ] $20k-45k revenue generated
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- [ ] 5+ discovery calls completed
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- [ ] 1-2 case studies published
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- [ ] 10+ new LinkedIn connections
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- [ ] 3-5 warm prospects for Phase 2
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### Expected Outcomes
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- **Revenue**: $20k-45k in 90 days
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- **Profit**: ~$19k-43k (95% margin)
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- **Network**: 20+ new manufacturing contacts
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- **Validation**: Proven demand for services
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- **Foundation**: Customer base for Phase 2 transition
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---
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## Phase 2: Edge Monitoring Platform (Months 4-9)
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### Objective
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Transition from project-based to recurring revenue, deploy multi-tenant infrastructure.
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### Timeline
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**Month 4-6**: Build platform, convert 2-3 consulting clients
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**Month 7-9**: Add 3-5 new monitoring customers, refine product
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### Services Offered
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**Consulting** (continued, reduced):
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- 1-2 projects/month for cash flow
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- Integration work for monitoring customers
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**New - Monitoring Platform**:
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- Edge monitoring as a service
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- Setup + monthly subscription
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- Remote management
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- Alert management
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- Data backup and retention
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### Revenue Model
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**Hybrid**:
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- Consulting: $10k-20k/month (declining)
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- Monitoring setup fees: $5k-10k per customer
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- Monitoring recurring: $0 → $10k/month (growing)
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### Infrastructure
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**GTHost Dedicated Server #1:**
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```
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Configuration:
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├── 8 cores, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
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├── Estimated cost: $100-150/month
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├── Capacity: 8-10 customers
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└── Revenue potential: $12k-30k/month
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```
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**Tech Stack:**
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- Ubuntu Server 24 LTS
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- LXC for container isolation (per customer)
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- MQTT broker per container
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- InfluxDB per container (or shared with DB per customer)
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- Grafana (shared with customer-specific dashboards)
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- Automated backup system
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- Monitoring and alerting (UptimeRobot, Prometheus)
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### Capital Requirements
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**Total**: ~$1,000
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- GTHost server: $100-150/month × 2 months
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- Development time: Nights/weekends (sweat equity)
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- Funded from Phase 1 consulting revenue
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### Activities
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#### Month 4-5: Platform Development
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- [ ] Provision GTHost server ($5/day trial first)
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- [ ] Build LXC container template
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- MQTT broker (Mosquitto)
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- InfluxDB instance
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- Grafana user + dashboards
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- Backup scripts
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- [ ] Create provisioning automation
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- New customer onboarding script
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- Container creation
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- Credential generation
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- DNS/subdomain setup
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- [ ] Build simple web portal
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- Customer login
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- Dashboard links
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- Support ticket system
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- Billing integration (Stripe)
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- [ ] Set up monitoring
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- Server health monitoring
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- Customer container monitoring
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- Alert system for failures
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- [ ] Documentation
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- Customer onboarding guide
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- Internal runbook
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- Support procedures
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#### Month 5-6: First Customers
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- [ ] Approach 2-3 existing consulting clients
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- [ ] Pitch: "I've built a monitoring platform. Want to be a pilot customer for $1k/month?"
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- [ ] Deploy for first 2 customers
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- [ ] Gather feedback, iterate
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- [ ] Test backup/restore procedures
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- [ ] Validate multi-tenant isolation
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- [ ] Begin marketing monitoring service
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#### Month 7-9: Growth & Refinement
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- [ ] Add 3-5 new monitoring customers
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- [ ] Continue 1-2 consulting projects/month (cash flow)
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- [ ] Refine platform based on feedback
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- [ ] Build case studies (monitoring-specific)
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- [ ] Automate more operations
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- [ ] Document standard procedures
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- [ ] Plan for second server (if needed)
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### Success Metrics (Phase 2)
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- [ ] GTHost server deployed and stable
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- [ ] 5-8 monitoring customers live
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- [ ] $10k-15k MRR achieved
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- [ ] Multi-tenant architecture proven
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- [ ] 99.5%+ uptime maintained
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- [ ] Customer churn <10%
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- [ ] 3+ new case studies published
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### Expected Outcomes
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- **Month 6 Revenue**: $17k ($15k consulting + $2k MRR)
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- **Month 9 Revenue**: $20k ($10k consulting + $10k MRR)
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- **Infrastructure Cost**: $150/month
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- **Profit Margin**: 85-90%
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- **Platform**: Production-ready, scalable
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- **Foundation**: Ready for Phase 3 premium features
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---
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## Phase 3: GPU-Powered AI Features (Months 10-18)
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### Objective
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Add premium AI-powered features for differentiation and margin expansion.
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### Timeline
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**Month 10-12**: Build AI infrastructure, launch premium tier
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**Month 13-18**: Convert customers, add new premium customers
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### Services Offered
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**Basic Tier** (existing):
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- Edge monitoring
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- Dashboards and alerts
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- $1.5k-2k/month
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**Premium AI Tier** (new):
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- Predictive maintenance
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- Anomaly detection
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- Computer vision quality inspection
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- Advanced analytics
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- $4k-8k/month
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### Revenue Model
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**Fully Recurring**:
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- Basic customers: $1.5k × 8-10 = $12k-15k/month
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- Premium customers: $5k × 4-5 = $20k-25k/month
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- Consulting (occasional): $5k/month
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- **Total**: $37k-45k/month
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### Infrastructure
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**Server #1** (Basic tier):
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- 8 cores, 32GB, 1TB
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- 8-10 customers
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- $100-150/month
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**Server #2** (Premium AI tier):
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```
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Configuration:
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├── 16 cores, 64GB RAM
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├── NVIDIA Tesla P4 8GB GPU
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├── 2TB NVMe SSD
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├── Estimated cost: $350-450/month
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├── Capacity: 3-5 premium customers
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└── Revenue potential: $15k-40k/month
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```
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### Capital Requirements
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**Total**: ~$3,000
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- GPU server: $400/month × 3 months
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- ML model development time
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- Funded from Phase 2 profits
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### Activities
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#### Month 10-11: AI Infrastructure
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- [ ] Provision GTHost server with Tesla P4 GPU
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- [ ] Install ML frameworks
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- TensorFlow or PyTorch
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- Scikit-learn
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- ONNX Runtime (optimized inference)
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- [ ] Build predictive maintenance models
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- Anomaly detection (vibration, temperature)
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- Failure prediction
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- Remaining useful life (RUL)
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- [ ] Computer vision setup (if pursued)
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- Object detection
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- Quality inspection
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- Defect classification
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- [ ] Test GPU inference performance
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- [ ] Create premium tier documentation
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#### Month 12: Premium Launch
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- [ ] Select 2 customers to upgrade (beta pricing)
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- [ ] Deploy AI features
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- [ ] Gather data for model training
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- [ ] Refine models based on customer data
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- [ ] Measure ROI for customers
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- [ ] Create case studies showing value
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#### Month 13-18: Scale Premium
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- [ ] Convert 2-3 more customers to premium
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- [ ] Market premium tier to prospects
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- [ ] Hire first contractor ($3k-5k/month)
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- Customer support
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- Deployment assistance
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- Basic troubleshooting
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- [ ] Formalize processes
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- [ ] Build sales pipeline
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- [ ] Plan for additional servers if needed
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### Success Metrics (Phase 3)
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- [ ] GPU server operational
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- [ ] 4-6 premium tier customers
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- [ ] $35k+ MRR total
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- [ ] First employee/contractor hired
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- [ ] 95%+ customer satisfaction
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- [ ] 3+ AI-specific case studies
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- [ ] ROI demonstrated for customers
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### Expected Outcomes
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- **Month 18 Revenue**: $40k-50k/month
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- **Infrastructure Cost**: $500-600/month (2 servers)
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- **Contractor Cost**: $5k/month
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- **Net Profit**: $34k-44k/month
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- **Annual Run Rate**: $480k-600k
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- **Positioning**: Premium AI-powered industrial IoT platform
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---
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## Transition Strategy Between Phases
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### Phase 1 → Phase 2
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**Trigger**: When you have:
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- 2-3 completed consulting projects
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- $20k+ in the bank
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- 2-3 customers willing to pilot monitoring
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**Transition**:
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- Reduce consulting to 50% time
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- Invest 50% time in platform development
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- Use consulting cash to fund infrastructure
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- Convert consulting customers to monitoring
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### Phase 2 → Phase 3
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**Trigger**: When you have:
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- 5+ monitoring customers ($10k+ MRR)
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- Consistent $20k+/month total revenue
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- Stable platform with <5% churn
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- Cash reserves to fund GPU server for 3 months
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**Transition**:
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- Add GPU server (funded from Phase 2 profits)
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- Build AI features
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- Beta test with 2 willing customers
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- Launch premium tier
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- Hire first contractor to handle growth
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---
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## Risk Mitigation
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### Phase 1 Risks
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**Risk**: Can't find customers
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**Mitigation**: 13 years of network, LinkedIn outreach, local ISA chapter
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**Risk**: Projects take too long
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**Mitigation**: Scope small (40-80 hours max), resist feature creep
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**Risk**: Customers don't pay
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**Mitigation**: 50% deposit upfront, milestone payments
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### Phase 2 Risks
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**Risk**: Platform technical failures
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**Mitigation**: Start with 2-3 customers, test thoroughly, backup systems
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**Risk**: Can't transition consulting customers
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**Mitigation**: Offer discounted pilot pricing, add value not available before
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**Risk**: Infrastructure costs escalate
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**Mitigation**: Multi-tenant architecture, start with basic GTHost config
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### Phase 3 Risks
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**Risk**: AI features don't deliver value
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**Mitigation**: Beta test with willing customers, measure ROI, iterate
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**Risk**: GPU costs too high
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**Mitigation**: Start with 2-3 premium customers to fund server
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**Risk**: Can't hire good contractor
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**Mitigation**: Use Upwork/Fiverr first, hire part-time before full-time
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---
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## Key Success Factors
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1. **Start Small**: $500 capital, basic consulting
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2. **Customer-Funded**: Use their money to build platform
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3. **Validate First**: Consulting proves demand before platform build
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4. **Recurring Focus**: Always transition to subscriptions when possible
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5. **Edge-First**: Maintains AWS non-compete compliance
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6. **Iterative**: Build → Test → Refine, don't try to be perfect
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7. **Network Effects**: Each customer = 2-3 referrals
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8. **Documentation**: Case studies critical for next phase
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---
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## Timeline Summary
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| Month | Phase | Focus | Revenue | Profit |
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|-------|-------|-------|---------|--------|
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| 1-2 | 1 | Setup, first project | $5k | $4.5k |
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| 3 | 1 | Second project | $20k | $19k |
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| 4-5 | 2 | Platform dev | $17k | $16k |
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| 6 | 2 | First monitoring customers | $20k | $19k |
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| 9 | 2 | Growing MRR | $20k | $19k |
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| 12 | 3 | Premium launch | $25k | $23k |
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| 18 | 3 | Full premium | $40k | $34k |
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**Cumulative 18 months**: ~$350k revenue, ~$300k profit
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---
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## Next Steps
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See `go-to-market.md` for detailed 90-day action plan.
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---
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*Last Updated: December 2025*
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