AI Review of Partnership Proposal

1. Revenue Projections: Lead with $2M, Not $50M

The $50M number on the site is a 5-year projection. Even if the math is sound, here's what happens in Vadim's head:

He's currently losing $20K/month in the US
You show him $50M in 5 years
The gap between "losing money" and "$50M" is so large it feels like fantasy
He mentally discounts the whole plan, even the realistic parts

What to do instead:

Lead with the Year 1 target: $2M. Break it down so it feels tangible:

$2M/year = $167K/month = $5,560/day

At average order $1,500 = ~4 orders per day

Currently doing ~1-2 orders/day

So you need to 2-3x current volume. That's it.

"We need 4 orders a day" is a conversation. "$50M in 5 years" is a TED talk. Keep the $50M as a "here's the long-term ceiling" appendix, not the headline.

2. The 33% Equity: Milestone Triggers

This is where friendships get damaged. Not because anyone is greedy, because expectations diverge silently.

Alex thinks: "I built the whole growth engine, I earned my 33%."
Vadim thinks: "Revenue hasn't hit target yet, 33% feels too much."

Neither is wrong. The fix is milestone-based vesting: you earn equity in chunks as you deliver results.

Milestone	Equity Earned	Cumulative
New site live + first sale through it	5%	5%
US revenue hits $50K/month (sustained 3 months)	8%	13%
US revenue hits $100K/month (sustained 3 months)	10%	23%
US revenue hits $167K/month ($2M annual, sustained 3 months)	10%	33%

Why this protects the friendship:

Alex knows exactly what he's working toward. No ambiguity.
Vadim never feels like he gave away equity for nothing.
If Alex delivers early, he earns fast. Nobody resents it.
If the US market doesn't work despite best efforts, both sides can walk away without feeling cheated.
The "sustained 3 months" clause prevents gaming. One big month doesn't count.

What else to define:

Equity in what entity exactly? BenchK US LLC? The parent company? Just the US e-commerce revenue?
Voting rights or just profit share?
What happens if BenchK US gets acquired?
Can either party buy out the other's share? At what formula?

3. Who Pays for What: The Expense Table

This is the one that kills friendships over $200 charges. Here's a realistic Phase 1 expense map:

Expense	Monthly Est.	Who Pays	Notes
Ad spend (Google, Meta)	$3,000-10,000	BenchK	Customer acquisition budget
Cloudflare (hosting, Workers)	$20-50	Alex	Part of his tech stack
Domain renewals	$15/year	BenchK	Their brand, their domain
Shopify (if kept during transition)	$79-299	BenchK	Existing cost
AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT)	$100-400	Alex	His tools, his methodology
Email/CRM (Klaviyo, etc.)	$50-300	BenchK	Their customer list
Stock photography / design	$50-200	Discuss	Who initiates, who pays?
SEO tools (Ahrefs, Semrush)	$100-200	Alex	Part of growth work
Alex's time	$0 cash	Alex	Compensated via equity, not salary
Product samples for content	Cost of goods	BenchK	Photos, videos, reviews

The critical rule:

Any single expense over $500 requires a text/email from both sides before spending. Not because of distrust, because memory is unreliable and "I thought you were covering that" is how friends stop being friends.

Also clarify:

If ad spend hits $15K/month because it's working, does BenchK auto-approve or does it need a conversation each time?
If Alex needs a $2,000 tool for something specific, who covers it?
Travel costs if Alex visits the warehouse or they meet in person?

4. Exit Terms: The Friendship Insurance Policy

This is the hardest conversation, and the most important one to have before anyone needs it. Frame it as: "We're writing this so we never have to negotiate under stress."

Scenario A: Alex Leaves Voluntarily

Earned equity (vested milestones)	Alex keeps it. He earned it.
Unvested equity	Forfeited. Returns to BenchK.
Site codebase	BenchK gets a perpetual license to use and modify.
Content (articles, landing pages)	Stays with BenchK. Written for their brand.
AI systems/methodology	Alex keeps. It's his IP.
Transition period	30 days to hand off, document, train a replacement.
Non-compete	Alex won't work with a direct competitor for 12 months.

Scenario B: BenchK Ends the Partnership

Earned equity	Alex keeps. Same as above.
Unvested equity	Forfeited.
Codebase	BenchK gets perpetual license. Same as above.
Transition	30 days, same as above.
Severance	None if equity was earned. If terminated before first milestone, discuss a small kill fee ($5K-10K) for work done.

Scenario C: Someone Wants to Buy BenchK US

Alex's vested equity	Converts to % of sale price.
Unvested equity	Accelerates. All milestones vest on acquisition.
Alex's role post-acquisition	Negotiated separately with buyer.

Scenario D: Disagreement on Direction

Deadlock resolution	BenchK has final say on brand/product decisions. Alex has final say on tech/marketing execution.
Mediation	If they can't agree, use a neutral third party before any legal action.
Cooling off	14-day pause before any termination decision.

5. Monthly Dashboard Page

A simple page on the proposal site that answers "what's happening right now?" Updated monthly.

Sections:

This Month's Focus - 2-3 bullet points (e.g., "Launching Google Shopping ads", "Migrating product pages")
Key Numbers - revenue this month, orders, traffic, ad spend, ROAS
Milestone Progress - visual bar showing progress toward equity milestones
Blockers - anything stalled and who needs to act
Next Month Preview - what's coming

This replaces the "so how's it going?" conversations with data. Both sides look at the same page, same numbers.

Recommended Next Steps

Have the equity conversation first. Agree on milestone triggers before anything else.

Write a 1-page expense agreement. The table above, signed by both.

Add exit terms as a page on the proposal site. Normalize it, don't hide it.

Restructure the revenue page. $2M Year 1 headline, $50M in a "long-term vision" section.

Build the dashboard page. Even a placeholder, so the habit starts Day 1.

Independent Review of Partnership Proposal