276 lines
7.3 KiB
Markdown
276 lines
7.3 KiB
Markdown
# Strategic Direction
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## Executive Summary
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**Mission**: Bridge the OT/IT gap for small-to-mid manufacturers through edge-first industrial IoT solutions.
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**Vision**: Become the trusted partner for manufacturers who want modern visibility without cloud vendor lock-in.
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**Positioning**: "The OT/IT translator for manufacturers who value data sovereignty and predictable costs."
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## Market Opportunity
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### The Problem
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- **OT/IT Skills Gap**: Controls engineers don't understand cloud; cloud engineers are terrified of PLCs
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- **Enterprise Solutions Too Expensive**: Siemens, Rockwell, GE solutions cost $50k-500k+
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- **Cloud Skepticism**: Manufacturing companies hesitant about AWS/Azure due to data sovereignty, vendor lock-in
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- **Brownfield Challenges**: Legacy equipment needs connectivity but can't afford rip-and-replace
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### The Opportunity
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**Market Size:**
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- Industrial IoT Platform Market: Growing at 13-47% CAGR
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- Virtual PLC Market: $1.8B (2025) → $3.6B (2032)
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- Digital Twin Market: $21B (2025) → $150B (2030)
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**Underserved Segment:**
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- 20-100 employee manufacturers
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- $10-100M annual revenue
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- 1-5 production lines
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- Aging infrastructure
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- No dedicated IT staff
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**Market Gaps:**
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- Enterprise solutions too expensive for SMB
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- Cloud-first vendors don't address data sovereignty concerns
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- Most MSPs lack OT expertise
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- Virtual PLCs still <5% of market (huge whitespace)
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## Competitive Advantages
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### 1. Rare Skill Combination
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- 13 years PLC programming (Allen-Bradley, Siemens)
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- 4 years cloud engineering
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- Speaks both OT and IT languages fluently
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### 2. Edge-First Architecture
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- On-premise or customer hardware deployment
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- No forced cloud migration
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- Works offline (critical for manufacturing)
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- Sub-10ms latency for control applications
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### 3. Bootstrap Economics
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- No VC required
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- Customer-funded growth model
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- Start with $500 capital
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- Scale with cash flow
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### 4. No AWS Conflict
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- Positioned as complementary, not competitive
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- Can integrate WITH AWS/Azure if customer wants
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- Focus on edge processing layer
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- Targets AWS non-customers (data sovereignty crowd)
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### 5. Platform Expertise
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- LXC container experience from ZeroLagHub
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- Multi-tenant architecture proven
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- Can scale efficiently
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## Strategic Positioning
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### What We Are
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**"The Edge-First Industrial IoT Partner"**
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- OT/IT integration specialist
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- Edge monitoring and control
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- Data sovereignty advocate
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- Predictable cost alternative to cloud vendors
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### What We're NOT
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- Cloud platform replacement (we're edge-first)
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- Enterprise software vendor (we're bootstrap/agile)
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- Controls-only integrator (we bridge to IT/analytics)
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- Hardware vendor (we're platform-agnostic)
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## Target Customer Profile
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### Ideal Customer Characteristics
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**Company Profile:**
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- 20-100 employees
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- $10-100M annual revenue
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- Discrete manufacturing, food/bev, or packaging
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- 1-5 production lines
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- Some existing PLCs/SCADA
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- Limited IT resources
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**Pain Points:**
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- "We have no visibility into production"
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- "Our data is trapped in PLCs"
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- "We can't afford Siemens/Rockwell"
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- "We don't trust cloud vendors with our data"
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- "We need better OEE tracking"
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**Buying Triggers:**
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- New plant manager wants KPIs
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- Quality issues requiring root cause analysis
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- Customer audit requirements
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- Capital budget available ($15k-50k)
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- Regulatory compliance needs
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**Decision Makers:**
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- Plant Manager (primary)
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- Maintenance Manager (influencer)
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- Operations Director (budget holder)
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- IT Manager (occasional gatekeeper)
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## Business Model Evolution
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### Phase 1: Consulting (Months 1-3)
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- **Service**: OT/IT integration projects
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- **Revenue**: $150-200/hour or $15k-40k per project
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- **Purpose**: Cash flow, market validation, network building
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### Phase 2: Platform (Months 4-9)
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- **Service**: Edge monitoring + consulting hybrid
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- **Revenue**: $1k-2k/month recurring + project fees
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- **Purpose**: Transition to recurring revenue, build infrastructure
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### Phase 3: Premium AI (Months 10-18)
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- **Service**: Predictive maintenance, computer vision
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- **Revenue**: $4k-8k/month premium tier
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- **Purpose**: Differentiation, margin expansion, moat building
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## Competitive Strategy
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### Against Enterprise Vendors (Siemens, Rockwell, GE)
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**Their Strengths:**
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- Brand recognition
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- Comprehensive solutions
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- Deep pockets
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- Existing customer relationships
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**Our Response:**
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- Target customers they ignore (too small)
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- 10x faster deployment (weeks vs months)
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- 10x lower cost ($20k vs $200k)
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- More flexible (no vendor lock-in)
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### Against Cloud-First Vendors (AWS IoT, Azure)
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**Their Strengths:**
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- Scalability
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- Feature breadth
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- Marketing budgets
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- Integration ecosystem
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**Our Response:**
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- Target data sovereignty conscious customers
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- Edge-first (works offline)
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- Predictable costs (no per-message fees)
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- OT expertise (we understand PLCs)
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### Against Traditional MSPs
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**Their Strengths:**
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- Existing relationships
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- IT expertise
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- Support infrastructure
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**Our Response:**
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- OT expertise they lack
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- Manufacturing-specific knowledge
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- Can actually program PLCs
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- Understand production environments
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## Growth Strategy
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### Year 1: Establish & Validate
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**Goals:**
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- 10-15 customers
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- $35k/month recurring revenue
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- 5-10 case studies
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- Network of 50+ manufacturing contacts
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**Tactics:**
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- Personal network outreach
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- LinkedIn content (OT/IT bridge positioning)
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- Local ISA chapter participation
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- Referral program
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### Year 2: Scale & Systemize
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**Goals:**
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- 30-40 customers
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- $80k-120k/month revenue
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- 2-3 employees/contractors
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- Standardized processes
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**Tactics:**
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- Content marketing
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- Partner with system integrators
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- Attend trade shows (Pack Expo, Automate)
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- Channel partnerships
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### Year 3: Expand & Dominate
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**Goals:**
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- 60-80 customers
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- $200k+/month revenue
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- 5-8 team members
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- Regional presence
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**Tactics:**
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- Geographic expansion
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- Vertical specialization
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- Partner ecosystem
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- Potential acquisition targets
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## Risk Mitigation
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### Key Risks
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1. **AWS Non-Compete Violation**
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- Mitigation: Edge-first positioning, target non-AWS customers
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2. **Slow Customer Acquisition**
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- Mitigation: Start with network, consulting cash flow buffer
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3. **Technical Complexity**
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- Mitigation: Start simple (monitoring only), add features gradually
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4. **Competition from Established Players**
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- Mitigation: Focus on underserved segment, move fast
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5. **Cash Flow During Build Phase**
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- Mitigation: Consulting revenue funds platform development
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## Success Metrics
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### Phase 1 (Months 1-3)
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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 case study published
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### Phase 2 (Months 4-9)
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- [ ] First GTHost server deployed
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- [ ] 5-8 recurring customers
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- [ ] $10k-15k MRR achieved
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- [ ] Multi-tenant architecture proven
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### Phase 3 (Months 10-18)
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- [ ] GPU server operational
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- [ ] 12-20 total customers
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- [ ] $35k+ MRR achieved
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- [ ] First contractor hired
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## Strategic Principles
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1. **Bootstrap Always**: Never take funding if avoidable
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2. **Customer-Funded Growth**: Use their projects to build platform
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3. **Edge-First Forever**: Cloud is optional, edge is mandatory
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4. **OT/IT Bridge**: Always position as the translator, never just one side
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5. **Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast**: Quality over speed
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6. **Data Sovereignty**: Customer owns their data, always
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7. **No Vendor Lock-In**: Platform-agnostic, standards-based
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8. **Manufacturing-First**: Build for production environments, not IT labs
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---
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*Last Updated: December 2025*
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