Partnerships break when responsibility shifts and the split stops matching reality. It is never 50/50. Prove there is a market, then score who carries the risk (who funds it) and who carries the responsibility (who does the work), pillar by pillar.
Step 1: Market Check ("Is There A Pie?")
TAM
$150.0M
SAM
$15.0M
SOM (Yr 1 Rev)
$450,000
Customers Needed
150
Market Drop-off
Market clears the bar. $322,500 in year-one gross margin at SOM is worth structuring a deal around. Now score the pillars.
Step 2: The Deal
Cost to deliver = product cost, software, labor to fulfill. Not your ad spend. That lives in the Marketing pillar.
Gross Margin
$2,150
Margin %
71.7%
Unit Economics
Step 3: The Five Pillars
Each pillar starts at 20% of the company's value. Half of that is risk (funding it), half is responsibility (running it). If a pillar is already built and paid for, it comes off the table. The partner cannot earn what already exists.
Marketing
Brand, logo, website, funnels, content, ad spend, ad management. Digital and physical.
Weight
20%
Sales
Offer creation, setting, closing, collecting the money.
Weight
20%
Fulfillment
Delivering what was sold. Logistics, delivery, owning the client relationship.
Weight
20%
Customer Service
Follow-up, reviews, retention, handling problems before they become refunds.
Weight
20%
Operations
HR, payroll, bookkeeping, CPA, taxes, compliance. Making sure people get paid.
Weight
20%
Step 4: The Split
YOU 100%
Partner Equity
0%
Partner Rev Share
0%
Off The Table
0%
Partner Yr 1 Cut
$0
The Split
The partner funds nothing and runs nothing. That is not a partner. That is a spectator.
Step 5: Sales Compensation
Comp comes out of gross margin, never revenue. Pick the model that matches how sales actually gets done in this deal.
Gross Margin / Sale
$2,150
Margin %
71.7%
Setter / Sale
$129
Closer / Sale
$301
You Keep
$1,720
Where Does "You Keep" Go?
Based on your selected model, you keep $13,760 per month. Here is how that actually breaks down.
Automatically calculated from the remainder.
Fed
$2,064
State
$550
Local
$138
Mktg
$1,376
Payroll
$1,376
Other
$1,376
Profit
$6,880
Compare Models
Assuming 8 expected sales per month (96/yr). Adjust expected sales in the W2 or Hybrid models to see how volume changes the math.
Model
Total Comp (Mo)
You Keep (Mo)
% of Margin
Commission: Setter + Closer
$3,440
$13,760
20.0%
Commission: Closer Only
$3,440
$13,760
20.0%
W2 Salary Rep
$5,000
$12,200
29.1%
Base + Commission
$4,845
$12,355
28.2%
Affiliate (% of Revenue)
$7,200
$10,000
41.9%
You Sell It Yourself
$0
$17,200
0.0%
Step 6: Lock In Your Numbers
Send yourself the full breakdown: market math, split, comp model, and every warning your structure triggered. If your numbers are worth a conversation, we will reach out.
Write The Exit First
Your operating agreement is not how you work together. Missions change. Responsibilities shift. That is normal and healthy. The operating agreement is how you stop working together. Answer these before day one, while everybody still likes each other.
If we split, who gets what? Assets, client list, IP, the brand, the systems.
Who is responsible for replacing themselves? Nobody walks until their seat is filled or bought out.
Equity earned for work (sweat) vests over time or claws back. Equity for capital is earned on the wire.
What triggers a buyout, and what is the pricing formula? Decide the math now, not in the fight.
Who controls the bank account, the ad accounts, and the domain? One name on each, written down.
Tax discipline from dollar one: a fixed cut of every deposit moves to a tax account before anyone gets paid.
Want This Installed In Your Business?
This calculator gives you the split. BAMF builds the system behind it: the CRM, the automations, the content flywheel, and the path to market. Bring the product. We bring the infrastructure.