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+# Year-One Roadmap
+
+## Guiding principle
+
+Do not start by building a broad neobank or a consumer lending app.
+
+Start with the smallest product that proves the core wedge:
+
+`payment-linked commission calculation plus instant access to earned balances`
+
+## Success goal for year one
+
+By the end of 12 months, the company should prove that employers will adopt a commission-led payout workflow and that employees will use it for faster access to earnings.
+
+The year-one target is not maximum feature breadth. It is proof of product-market fit for the core loop.
+
+## Foundation and partner design
+
+### Months 0-2
+
+#### Objectives
+
+- validate the first customer segment
+- choose partner model for custody, payouts, and compliance
+- lock the ledger and commission system design
+
+#### Workstreams
+
+- run design-partner interviews with target employers
+- map employer commission workflows and exception cases
+- choose payment and banking partner shortlist
+- define balance states: `earned`, `available`, `settled`
+- define reserve and holdback logic for reversals
+- specify onboarding flows for employers and employees
+
+#### Deliverables
+
+- product requirements for v1
+- legal and regulatory issue map
+- partner shortlist and integration plan
+- event model for payments, commissions, adjustments, and payouts
+
+#### Exit criteria
+
+- 5 to 10 serious design partners in pipeline
+- clear v1 scope that does not depend on lending
+- chosen path for `Pix` and custody infrastructure
+
+## Core ledger and instant payout access
+
+### Months 2-5
+
+#### Objectives
+
+- launch the first working employer flow
+- prove that a verified sale can become an eligible commission balance
+- enable instant cash-out for employees
+
+#### Product scope
+
+- employer onboarding
+- employee onboarding through partner KYC
+- payment ingestion or payment reconciliation
+- commission rules engine
+- internal ledger
+- employee balance with `earned`, `available`, and `settled`
+- employer settlement scheduling
+- instant payout access via `Pix` or equivalent instant transfer rail
+- employer dashboard with payout and commission views
+- employee dashboard with balance and payout history
+
+#### Operational scope
+
+- manual support for edge cases
+- conservative limits on instant availability
+- dispute and adjustment workflows
+
+#### Metrics
+
+- number of active employers
+- commission volume processed
+- payout latency
+- adjustment and reversal rate
+- employee activation rate
+
+## Analytics and stored balance
+
+### Months 5-8
+
+#### Objectives
+
+- make the product more valuable to employers
+- improve employee retention of balances
+- reduce the need for manual reporting
+
+#### Product scope
+
+- stored balance in the app
+- clearer balance segmentation and reserve visibility
+- employer analytics for team performance and commission liability
+- projections for upcoming payouts
+- employee insights on earnings pace and history
+- alerts for anomalies and budget spikes
+- admin tools for corrections and policy configuration
+
+#### Metrics
+
+- percent of balances retained in-platform
+- dashboard usage by employers
+- frequency of manual interventions
+- repeat payout behavior per employee
+
+## Card and retention tools
+
+### Months 8-10
+
+#### Objectives
+
+- make the balance more useful without requiring immediate cash-out
+- unlock interchange economics
+
+#### Product scope
+
+- prepaid or debit card issuance through a partner
+- spend from available balance
+- card controls and transaction views
+- balance retention incentives tied to usage, not explicit interest promises
+- stronger notifications and mobile experience
+
+#### Metrics
+
+- card activation rate
+- card spend volume
+- balance retention before and after card launch
+- support load per active user
+
+## Scale features and controlled advance pilot
+
+### Months 10-12
+
+#### Objectives
+
+- deepen product value for employers
+- test a tightly controlled version of advance functionality without becoming credit-led
+
+#### Product scope
+
+- multi-entity or franchise support
+- API or integration layer for ERP, CRM, or POS tools
+- employer cash flow forecasting
+- pilot of employer-backed advances with strict limits
+- improved risk rules for refunds, clawbacks, and employee exits
+
+#### Metrics
+
+- employer expansion within existing accounts
+- integration adoption
+- advance usage and repayment behavior
+- loss or exception rate on pilot advances
+
+## What should stay out of scope in year one
+
+- standalone consumer lending
+- full payroll replacement
+- broad international expansion
+- feature-heavy consumer banking experience
+- deep CRM functionality
+
+## Year-one product philosophy
+
+The roadmap should stay disciplined.
+
+- build the commission ledger first
+- prove instant access to earned money second
+- add retention tools third
+- add credit only after the company has the data and controls to support it
+
+## Recommended milestone sequence
+
+- prove employer demand for payment-linked commission automation
+- prove worker demand for instant access to eligible balances
+- prove safe operating rules around reversals and disputes
+- prove that analytics improves employer retention
+- prove that cards increase balance retention
+- only then test employer-backed advance products