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