15 KiB
LetsBe Biz — Founding Member Program Spec
Version: 1.0 Date: February 26, 2026 Owner: Matt Ciaccio (matt@letsbe.solutions) Companion docs: Pricing Model v2.2, Website Copy v1.0, GTM Strategy v1.0 Decision ref: Foundation Document Decision #34
1. Program Overview
The Founding Member Program is a limited offer for the first 100 LetsBe Biz customers. Founding members receive 2× their tier's standard AI token allocation for 12 months at no additional cost. The program serves three purposes: reward early adopters who take a bet on an unproven product, generate critical feedback during the beta period, and build a base of engaged users who have a stake in the product's success.
Program name: "Double the AI" Cap: 100 founding members Duration: 12 months from each member's signup date Status: Opens at paid beta launch (March 2026)
2. Eligibility
Who Qualifies
- Any customer who signs up and pays for a LetsBe Biz subscription while founding member spots remain available
- All four tiers (Lite, Build, Scale, Enterprise) are eligible
- No geographic restrictions — available globally
- No industry or company-size restrictions
Who Does Not Qualify
- Customers who sign up after all 100 spots are claimed
- Customers who receive a refund under the 14-day guarantee (spot is forfeited — see Section 5)
- Internal/test accounts
How Spots Are Counted
- A spot is claimed when a customer completes their first payment (not at signup, not at server provisioning)
- Each paying account = one spot, regardless of how many users are on the account
- Spots are numbered sequentially (#1 through #100) and tracked in the system
3. Benefits
3.1 Core Benefit: 2× AI Tokens
| Tier | Standard tokens/mo | Founding member tokens/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Lite (€29) | ~8M | ~16M |
| Build (€45) | ~15M | ~30M |
| Scale (€75) | ~25M | ~50M |
| Enterprise (€109) | ~40M | ~80M |
The 2× multiplier is applied automatically at the platform level. Founding members see their full allocation in their dashboard — no codes, no manual activation.
3.2 Direct Founder Access
Founding members get a direct communication channel to Matt (founder) for the duration of their membership. This is not a support ticket — it's a conversation.
Implementation: Dedicated email thread, or a shared Slack/chat channel if volume warrants it. The specific channel may evolve, but the commitment is direct, personal access.
Scope: Product feedback, feature requests, bug reports, general questions. Not 24/7 on-call support — but significantly faster and more personal than standard support.
3.3 Roadmap Influence
Founding members participate in product direction through periodic surveys and direct feedback. Their input is weighted more heavily in prioritization decisions during the founding period.
No formal voting system at launch. Keep it lightweight — Matt collects feedback, synthesizes it, and shares what's being prioritized and why. Formalize only if the group grows large enough to need structure.
3.4 Founding Member Badge
A permanent in-product indicator that the account is a founding member. This persists even after the 12-month benefit period ends — it's a permanent recognition of being early.
Implementation: A badge or label on the user's profile/account page. Simple — don't over-engineer this.
3.5 Referral Bonus
Founding members who refer new paying customers receive additional months of 2× tokens.
| Referrals | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1 referred customer signs up | +1 month of 2× tokens |
| 2 referred customers | +2 months |
| 3 referred customers | +3 months |
| ... | ... |
| Maximum | +6 months (18 months total of 2× tokens) |
Rules:
- The referred customer must complete their first payment (same standard as spot-claiming)
- The referred customer does NOT need to be a founding member themselves — they can sign up after the 100 cap is reached
- Referral tracking: each founding member gets a unique referral link or code
- Bonus months are added to the end of the founding period (so a member who signed up in March with 2 referrals gets 2× tokens through May of the following year instead of March)
- The referred customer receives no special benefit from being referred (unless a separate referral program is introduced later)
4. Pricing & Billing
4.1 Pricing
Founding members pay standard tier pricing. There is no discount, surcharge, or special rate.
| Tier | Monthly price |
|---|---|
| Lite | €29 |
| Build | €45 |
| Scale | €75 |
| Enterprise | €109 |
This is intentional. The value proposition is "more product for the same price," not "same product for less money." This preserves pricing integrity and avoids the expectation of ongoing discounts.
4.2 Billing Cycle
- Monthly billing only (no annual option at launch)
- First charge at signup
- Subsequent charges on the same date each month
4.3 Tier Changes
Founding members can upgrade or downgrade their tier at any time. The 2× multiplier applies to whatever tier they're on — it follows the account, not the tier.
- Upgrade: Prorated charge for the remainder of the billing cycle. 2× applies to the new tier immediately.
- Downgrade: Takes effect at the next billing cycle. 2× applies to the new (lower) tier.
4.4 Overage Tokens
If a founding member exceeds their 2× allocation, overage tokens are available at the same cost-based rates as standard customers. The 2× multiplier does not apply to overage purchases — only to the included monthly allocation.
5. Cancellation, Refunds & Reinstatement
5.1 The 14-Day Guarantee
All customers, including founding members, are covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee from their first payment date.
If a founding member requests a refund within 14 days:
- Full refund is issued
- Their founding member spot is forfeited and returned to the pool
- The spot becomes available for the next customer
- The forfeited member can re-sign up, but only if spots are still available — they go to the back of the line
5.2 Cancellation After 14 Days
Use-it-or-lose-it policy: The 12-month founding member clock runs continuously from the signup date, regardless of subscription status.
If a founding member cancels after 14 days:
- No refund for the current billing period (standard policy)
- Their founding member clock continues ticking
- Their founding member spot is not returned to the pool — it's permanently theirs
- If they resubscribe before the 12-month window expires, 2× tokens resume for the remaining months
- If they resubscribe after the 12-month window has passed, they return at standard token allocations
- The founding member badge remains permanently regardless
Example: A member signs up March 1, cancels June 1, and resubscribes September 1. They have 6 months remaining (through March 1 of next year) of 2× tokens. The 3 months they were inactive are gone.
5.3 Non-Payment / Failed Charges
If a payment fails, standard retry logic applies (3 attempts over 7 days). If all attempts fail, the account is suspended. The founding member clock continues during suspension. If the member reactivates within their 12-month window, 2× tokens resume.
6. Program Lifecycle
6.1 Opening
The program opens when the paid beta launches (target: March 2026). Spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no waitlist for founding member spots — either spots are available or they're not.
6.2 During the Program
- The founding member counter is displayed publicly (website and/or in-product) showing how many spots remain
- Matt sends periodic updates to founding members (product updates, feedback requests, roadmap previews)
- Feedback channels remain active throughout the founding period
6.3 Cap Reached (100 Members)
When the 100th founding member signs up:
- The founding member page updates to show "All founding member spots have been claimed"
- The signup flow reverts to standard pricing only
- Mentions of the founding member program are removed from the homepage and pricing page
- The founding member page remains accessible (for existing members and as an archive) but no longer accepts new signups
- No second batch of founding members is planned. If demand warrants it, a separate program with different terms may be created later.
6.4 Month 12 Transition
When a founding member's 12-month period expires:
- Their token allocation reverts to the standard amount for their tier
- An email is sent 30 days before expiration: "Your founding member benefit expires on [date]. Here's what changes."
- A second email at expiration: "Your tokens have returned to standard. Everything else stays the same. Thank you for being a founding member."
- The founding member badge remains permanently
- Founder access channel may be scaled back depending on volume, but founding members retain priority support status
6.5 Referral Extension
Members who earned referral bonus months continue receiving 2× tokens past the standard 12-month mark. The same transition emails apply, adjusted for the extended end date.
7. Technical Implementation
7.1 Data Model
The following fields are needed on the customer/account record:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
isFoundingMember |
Boolean | Whether the account is a founding member |
foundingMemberNumber |
Integer (1-100) | Sequential spot number |
foundingMemberStartDate |
Date | Date first payment was completed |
foundingMemberEndDate |
Date | Calculated: startDate + 12 months + referral bonus months |
tokenMultiplier |
Integer | 2 during founding period, reverts to 1 after |
referralCode |
String | Unique referral code/link for this member |
referralCount |
Integer | Number of successful referrals |
referralBonusMonths |
Integer | Extra months earned (max 6) |
foundingMemberBadge |
Boolean | Permanent — true once, always true |
7.2 Token Allocation Logic
if account.isFoundingMember AND today < account.foundingMemberEndDate:
monthlyTokens = tier.standardTokens * account.tokenMultiplier
else:
monthlyTokens = tier.standardTokens
7.3 Referral Tracking
- Each founding member gets a unique URL:
letsbe.biz/r/{code} - When a referred visitor signs up and completes first payment, the referrer's
referralCountincrements andreferralBonusMonthsincreases by 1 (capped at 6) foundingMemberEndDateis recalculated accordingly- The referrer receives an email notification: "Someone you referred just signed up. You've earned an extra month of Double the AI."
7.4 Counter
A simple counter tracks the number of claimed founding member spots. Displayed on the website and updated in real time (or near-real-time).
spotsRemaining = 100 - count(accounts where isFoundingMember = true AND refundStatus != 'refunded_14day')
8. Communication Plan
8.1 Pre-Launch
| When | What | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 weeks before beta | Tease the founding member program in LinkedIn posts | |
| 1 week before beta | Email waitlist: "Founding member spots open next week" | |
| Launch day | Full announcement across all channels | LinkedIn, Email, Reddit, Website |
8.2 During the Program
| When | What | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Every 25 spots claimed | Milestone update: "75 spots remaining" / "50 spots remaining" | LinkedIn, Email to waitlist |
| Monthly | Product update to founding members | Email / Direct channel |
| Quarterly | Feedback survey to founding members | |
| 30 days before individual expiry | "Your founding member benefit expires soon" | |
| At individual expiry | "Thank you — here's what stays the same" |
8.3 Program Close
| When | What | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 100th member signs up | "All founding member spots are claimed" | Website, LinkedIn, Email |
| Same day | Update website: remove FM CTAs from homepage/pricing | Website |
9. Financial Impact
Summarized from Pricing Model v2.2, Section 8.
9.1 Cost Per Founding Member
The 2× multiplier means each founding member receives their standard token allocation for free as additional capacity. The marginal cost is the AI cost of those extra tokens.
| Tier | Extra AI cost/month | Extra AI cost/year |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | €2.91 | €34.92 |
| Build | €6.76 | €81.12 |
| Scale | €13.46 | €161.52 |
| Enterprise | €25.05 | €300.60 |
9.2 Worst Case Scenario
If all 100 founding members choose Enterprise: €300.60 × 100 = €30,060/year in extra AI costs.
9.3 Realistic Scenario
With a realistic tier distribution (20% Lite, 40% Build, 25% Scale, 15% Enterprise):
| Tier | Members | Extra cost/year |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | 20 | €698 |
| Build | 40 | €3,245 |
| Scale | 25 | €4,038 |
| Enterprise | 15 | €4,509 |
| Total | 100 | €12,490/year |
Effective CAC: ~€125 per founding member per year. Given that these users provide feedback, testimonials, and referrals, this is excellent.
9.4 Referral Bonus Cost
Maximum referral exposure: if all 100 founding members max out referrals (+6 months each), that's 600 extra months of 2× tokens. With the realistic tier mix, that's approximately €6,245 in additional AI costs over 6 months. In practice, a 20–30% referral participation rate is more likely, putting the real cost at €1,200–1,900.
9.5 Margin Impact
All founding member tiers remain margin-positive even with 2× tokens:
| Tier | Standard margin | Founding member margin |
|---|---|---|
| Lite (€29) | 56.9% | 46.9% |
| Build (€45) | 50.3% | 35.3% |
| Scale (€75) | 49.4% | 31.4% |
| Enterprise (€109) | 44.9% | 21.9% |
No tier goes negative. The founding member program is a genuine investment with a quantifiable return, not a loss leader.
10. Open Questions
| # | Question | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| FM1 | Should founding members get early access to new features? | Yes — low cost, high perceived value | Open |
| FM2 | Do we create a private founding member community (Slack/Discord)? | Start with email, add community if demand appears | Open |
| FM3 | Should the founding member badge be visible to other users or only to the member? | Visible — social proof and status | Open |
| FM4 | What happens if a founding member disputes a charge (chargeback)? | Treat as cancellation, forfeit spot | Open |
| FM5 | Can founding member status be transferred to another account? | No — keeps it simple and prevents gaming | Open |
This spec is the source of truth for all founding member program decisions. Update this document when open questions are resolved or program terms change.