# License Kit · Phase 4 Franchise Playbook **How Trail of Joy scales beyond Kyron without diluting the brand.** The License Kit is what a sub-operator receives when they license the TOJ studio system for their city, vertical, or specialization. Kyron stays the brand + platform. Sub-operators run their local ops. This document is the spec. Deploy when TOJ hits $25K MRR. --- ## Who this is for **Ideal sub-operator profile:** - Solo operator or 2-person shop already running a services business (not starting from zero) - Has 3+ existing clients they could migrate to the TOJ methodology - Comfortable with the "not hype, hardware" voice - Located in a metro Kyron doesn't already serve (or a niche Kyron doesn't cover) - Willing to sign a 12-month minimum term - Has $2,000+ available for initial license fee + first-quarter overhead **Who this is NOT for:** - People trying to "learn how to build websites" - Junior operators without existing clients - Anyone who's a bad brand fit (would drift from TOJ voice) - Anyone who wants to compete with existing sub-operators in the same geo or niche --- ## What sub-operators get ### 1. The Studio Kit (delivered on Day 1) - **Full clone** of the TOJ repos they license (fbtrainer + smallbusiness + authority as applicable) - **All demo templates** — 8+ reference builds ready to fork - **Internal Intake** at `/internal` for their meetings - **Control Tower** at `/tower` for their operations - **Money in the Door** tracker at `/money` - **All persona docs** — Kyron's voice, Subject Medias, Subject Report + role personas - **Claude Code subagents** — copy-lead, qa-lead, kyron-producer (renamed to their producer) ### 2. Brand + naming rights - License to use "Trail of Joy" branding IN THEIR APPROVED GEO/NICHE ONLY - Approved subdomain pattern: `{geo}.tojcampaign.com` or `{niche}.tojcampaign.com` - Cannot use the "Trail of Joy" name in materials that would create confusion with Kyron's own operation - Cannot claim "founded by" — must credit Kyron as founder in About / footer ### 3. Ongoing platform access - SYSTEM.md updates — sub-operator inherits every version bump - Design system updates — new palettes, new sections, new patterns - Subagent updates — new agents Kyron builds - Access to Kyron's kyron-producer subagent as a monthly escalation resource (2 sessions/mo included) ### 4. Marketing support - **1 shared case study slot per quarter** on TOJ mothership — for a sub-operator's best client that quarter - **Cross-promotion** in TOJ IG stories when milestones hit - Access to the shared TOJ ↔ Subject Medias content flywheel ### 5. Operations support - Access to shared client-facing intake, sales sheets, and outreach templates - Access to shared vendor Rolodex (photographers, videographers, brand designers Kyron has vetted) - Emergency escalation to Kyron for QA sign-off on ships > $10K --- ## The pricing model ### Initial license fee **$2,000 one-time** to onboard. Covers: - Repo clone and setup - 4-hour onboarding call with Kyron - Voice training session (how to write like TOJ) - 90-day check-in - Access to the internal Discord / Slack ### Ongoing license **$500/month recurring.** Covers: - Platform access (all updates) - Brand licensing - 2 monthly kyron-producer escalation sessions - Marketing support (case study slot per quarter · IG cross-promo) - Emergency QA sign-off availability ### Revenue share **20% of gross revenue from any client identified as TOJ-branded.** Not: 20% of everything the sub-operator ever earns. **Only clients they onboard using TOJ branding, TOJ demos, TOJ intake, TOJ system.** If a sub-operator has non-TOJ clients they onboarded before or outside this license, those clients are theirs. Zero rev share on non-TOJ work. ### The math for a sub-operator If sub-operator hits **$10K MRR** on their TOJ book: | Line item | Monthly | |-----------|---------| | Gross revenue (TOJ clients) | $10,000 | | TOJ rev share (20%) | ($2,000) | | TOJ license fee | ($500) | | **Sub-operator take** | **$7,500/mo** | Plus setup fees they collect (Basic $1,500 / Premium $4,500) minus 20% share. **They keep 75% of recurring revenue** — that's the pitch. Competitive with running a solo studio, but with an established brand, working templates, working system, and Kyron on call. ### The math for Kyron If Kyron licenses to **5 sub-operators** each averaging **$10K MRR**: | Line item | Monthly | |-----------|---------| | Rev share (5 × $2K) | $10,000 | | License fees (5 × $500) | $2,500 | | **Kyron take from licenses alone** | **$12,500/mo** | At 10 sub-operators: **$25,000/mo passive** (before Kyron does anything with his own TOJ clients). That's when TOJ becomes a real business, not just Kyron's income. --- ## The territory model Sub-operators are exclusive in ONE of: - **Metro area** — e.g., "Nashville-Franklin-Brentwood TN" — no other TOJ operator in that MSA - **Vertical** — e.g., "Yoga instructors nationally" — no other TOJ operator working yoga - **Language** — e.g., "Spanish-language operators nationally" — new language markets Cannot be exclusive in more than one dimension. Kyron approves every territory before signing. Kyron reserves: - Right of first refusal on any territory - All 4 existing verticals (fbtrainer, smallbusiness, authority, nonprofit) at his direct discretion - Subject Medias, Subject Report as his own properties (not licensable) - The "Trail of Joy" mothership itself --- ## The sub-operator obligations Sub-operators must: 1. **Maintain brand voice.** Every ship must pass the qa-lead checklist. Kyron gets veto on ships that violate persona docs. 2. **Report monthly.** Client count + MRR + churn + one paragraph of "what worked this month." 3. **Attend quarterly all-hands.** Video call with all sub-operators + Kyron. Share wins + blockers. 4. **Contribute to the case study library.** Every 3rd ship becomes a case study using the [template](case-study-factory/README.md). 5. **Refuse cross-territory poaching.** No approaching other sub-operators' clients. 6. **12-month minimum term.** Cancel any time after month 12 with 30 days notice. Failing to maintain brand voice or hitting 3+ QA fails in a quarter is grounds for license termination. --- ## What Kyron doesn't do Kyron is not: - A day-to-day advisor to sub-operator clients - Available for on-demand support (2 escalations/month covers this) - Responsible for sub-operator's client acquisition (they do their own outreach) - On the hook for sub-operator's contract disputes with their clients - Investing capital into sub-operators' businesses Kyron IS: - The brand steward - The system architect - The persona voice - The QA backstop - The escalation for hard calls --- ## The onboarding flow **Week 1:** Application + interview. Kyron approves fit + territory. **Week 2:** License fee paid ($2,000 initial + first month $500). NDA + license agreement signed. **Week 3:** Repos cloned to sub-operator's GitHub · Vercel deploys wired · subdomains provisioned. 4-hour onboarding call with Kyron covers: - SYSTEM.md read-through - Persona doc training (voice) - Internal Intake walk-through - Money Tracker setup - Subagent spawn examples **Week 4:** Sub-operator ships their first "practice" snapshot — a re-brand of one of their existing clients — as the QA training exercise. **Week 5+:** Sub-operator begins their own outreach + client acquisition. **Day 90:** First check-in with Kyron. Review Money Tracker, adjust playbook, approve any territory adjustments. --- ## The sample License Agreement clauses *(Not legal advice — Kyron will need a real lawyer to draft the actual agreement. These are the terms in plain English.)* ### Term 12 months minimum. Auto-renews for 12-month terms unless cancelled with 30 days notice before renewal. ### Territory Exclusive in {metro OR vertical OR language} defined in Schedule A. Sub-operator cannot solicit clients outside their territory using TOJ branding. ### Revenue share Sub-operator pays TOJ 20% of gross revenue from any client onboarded using TOJ branding, TOJ demos, or TOJ intake within 60 days of last TOJ material interaction. Paid monthly on the 15th for prior month's collections. ### Brand rules Sub-operator uses TOJ branding only in approved formats. Cannot register any variant of "Trail of Joy" in domain names, trademarks, or business names. Every published snapshot must show "A Trail of Joy Studio" or equivalent attribution in the footer. ### QA + termination Kyron has veto over any ship that violates persona docs. 3+ QA fails in a quarter triggers Performance Improvement Period (30 days). Failure to remediate = license termination + 90-day non-compete in territory. ### Trade secrets Persona docs, subagent files, and SYSTEM.md are TOJ trade secrets. Cannot be shared with third parties. On termination, sub-operator deletes all TOJ materials from their repos + tools. ### Non-solicitation Sub-operator cannot solicit other TOJ sub-operators' clients for 24 months after termination. --- ## What sub-operators should NOT expect - ❌ Guaranteed clients - ❌ Guaranteed revenue - ❌ Free updates to the brand (they get updates to the system, not a rebrand) - ❌ Access to Kyron's personal Rolodex (Subject Medias, Subject Report athletes, etc.) - ❌ Ability to spin off their own competing operation using TOJ methods - ❌ White-label rights (they operate under TOJ brand, not their own) --- ## When to launch the License Kit Not before TOJ hits **$25K MRR** and Kyron has: - 10+ paying TOJ clients delivered - 5+ published case studies - Documented playbook for each vertical - Confidence he can maintain QA across sub-operators Launching too early = quality control disaster + brand dilution. --- ## The first 3 sub-operators to approach (post-launch) Kyron should NOT recruit sub-operators cold. The first 3 come from his existing network — people who've already seen TOJ work and asked how they could do it. Warm-warm signals to watch for: - Existing coaches saying "man, can you make my buddy's site too?" - Prospects who don't fit TOJ direct (too small, wrong geo) referring people they know - Anyone at Coach Hooks / QB Craft / 3Hunnid / Big Griff level who says "I want to do what you do for other coaches in my area" Those are the sub-operator prospects. Approach them 1:1 after Phase 3 hits. --- ## Change log | Date | Change | By | |------|--------|-----| | 2026-07-12 | Initial spec · pricing model · onboarding flow · sample terms | Kyron + Claude |