Crelligent — Phased Company-Building Plan
Date: February 16, 2026
Phase 0: Foundations (Month 0–1)
Objective: Set up the legal, financial, and operational infrastructure. Nothing customer-facing yet — just the scaffolding.
Team
- You (Founder) — solo
Actions
| # | Action | Detail | Done When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Register the business | Business name (Crelligent), CAC registration, TIN | Certificate in hand |
| 2 | Open business bank account | Dedicated account, separate from personal | Account active |
| 3 | Set up domain & email | crelligent.com, hello@crelligent.com, Google Workspace | Sending/receiving email |
| 4 | Deploy crelligent-app | Push current Next.js site to Vercel production | Site live at crelligent.com |
| 5 | Set up financial tracking | Spreadsheet or Wave/Zoho for invoicing + expenses | First invoice template ready |
| 6 | Draft contract templates | MSA (Master Service Agreement), SOW template, NDA | Templates reviewed, ready to send |
| 7 | Set up project tools | Slack (client comms), Linear or Notion (task tracking), Google Drive (docs) | Tools configured |
| 8 | Build freelancer shortlist | Identify 2–3 candidates per role (dev, design, content) | Shortlist with rates documented |
| 9 | Create proposal templates | Foundry, Edge, Enterprise proposals ready to customize | ✅ Done |
| 10 | Set up social accounts | LinkedIn (company page), X/Twitter, personal LinkedIn strategy | Accounts live |
Financials
| Item | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| CAC Registration | ₦15,000–₦30,000 |
| Domain + Google Workspace (annual) | $80–$150 |
| Hosting (Vercel free/pro) | $0–$20/mo |
| Tools (Slack free, Linear free, etc.) | $0 |
| Total Phase 0 | ~$100–$200 + registration |
Progression Criteria → Phase 1
- Business registered
- Website live
- Contracts and proposals ready
- Freelancer bench identified
- First piece of content published
Phase 1: Solo + Freelancers (Month 1–6)
Objective: Land your first 3 paying clients, deliver excellently, and build proof. Revenue funds everything.
Team
| Role | Who | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Founder | You | Covers all leadership: sales, architecture, delivery, marketing |
| Freelance Developer | On-demand, per project | Built into project pricing |
| Freelance Designer | On-demand, per project | Built into project pricing |
| Freelance Content Writer | Monthly retainer | $300–$800/mo |
| Virtual Assistant | Monthly retainer | $500–$1,000/mo |
| Bookkeeper | Monthly retainer | $300–$500/mo |
Operating Model
Your Weekly Rhythm:
| Day | Block 1 (Morning) | Block 2 (Afternoon) |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Publish Foundry content (X + LinkedIn) | Sales outreach, follow-ups |
| Tue | Client delivery work | Freelancer check-ins, code/design review |
| Wed | Publish Edge content (LinkedIn) | Architecture, system design |
| Thu | Client delivery work | Proposals, invoicing, admin |
| Fri | Publish Enterprise content (LinkedIn) | Discovery calls, pipeline review |
| Sat | Platform development (VeloDesk/BI Suite) | Strategy, learning |
How You Deliver an Engagement:
1. Win the deal → You run discovery, scope, and proposal
2. Design the system → You produce the system architecture
3. Brief freelancers → Clear specs, acceptance criteria, timeline
4. Freelancers execute → Dev builds, designer designs
5. You QA everything → Architecture compliance, quality check
6. You deliver to client → Presentation, handoff, documentation
7. Collect final payment → Invoice, follow-up, testimonial ask
Revenue Targets
| Vertical | Target | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Foundry | 2 Starter engagements ($5K each) | VeloDesk outreach, X/LinkedIn content |
| Enterprise | 1 Diagnostic ($50K) | Direct executive outreach, referrals |
| Edge | 0 (pipeline building) | ABM research, white paper, relationship building |
Phase 1 Revenue Target: $60K in 6 months
Monthly Financial Targets
| Month | Revenue Target | Overhead | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | $0 (setup) | $1,000 | −$1,000 |
| Month 2 | $0 (pipeline building) | $1,500 | −$1,500 |
| Month 3 | $5,000 (1st Foundry Starter) | $3,000 | +$2,000 |
| Month 4 | $5,000 (2nd Foundry Starter) | $3,500 | +$1,500 |
| Month 5 | $25,000 (Enterprise Diagnostic 50%) | $5,000 | +$20,000 |
| Month 6 | $25,000 (Enterprise Diagnostic 50%) | $5,000 | +$20,000 |
Key Milestones
| Milestone | Target Month |
|---|---|
| First content published | Month 1 |
| First VeloDesk sign-up | Month 1 |
| First discovery call booked | Month 2 |
| First signed contract | Month 3 |
| First project delivered | Month 4 |
| First testimonial / case study | Month 4 |
| 3 clients served | Month 6 |
Key Risks
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| No leads in first 2 months | Direct outreach + personal network activation |
| Freelancer quality issues | Vet with paid test project before real engagement |
| Scope creep on first projects | Iron-clad SOW with change order process |
| Burnout (doing everything) | Strict weekly rhythm, VA handles admin |
Progression Criteria → Phase 2
- 3+ clients delivered successfully
- Revenue consistently > $8K/month
- 2+ testimonials or case studies
- Repeat client or referral received
- Delivery process proven and documented
Phase 2: First Hires (Month 6–12)
Objective: Hire your first 3–4 full-time people to free you from execution so you can focus on sales and architecture.
Team
| Role | Type | Trigger to Hire |
|---|---|---|
| Founder | Full-time | Still covers CEO, Sales, Architecture |
| Full-Stack Developer | Full-time hire #1 | 2+ concurrent projects |
| Content Strategist | Full-time hire #2 | Revenue > $10K/mo consistently |
| Project Manager | Full-time hire #3 | 3+ active engagements |
| UX/UI Designer | Full-time hire #4 | Design needs constant (every project) |
| Freelancers | On-demand | Embedded eng, data, overflow |
| VA + Bookkeeper | Retained | Continue |
Operating Model Shift
| Before (Phase 1) | After (Phase 2) |
|---|---|
| You write all content | Content Strategist runs the calendar |
| You manage freelancers | PM manages delivery and timelines |
| You build + review code | Full-Stack Dev builds, you review architecture only |
| You design everything | Designer produces all assets |
| You do everything | You sell and architect |
Your new role: Founder = Chief Architect + Chief Revenue Officer
Revenue Targets
| Vertical | Target | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Foundry | 2 Growth engagements ($15K each) | Scaled content, VeloDesk PLG |
| Enterprise | 1 Full ESRE™ ($150K–$250K) | From Diagnostic upsell or new |
| Edge | 1 Pilot ($25K–$50K) | First ABM conversion |
Phase 2 Revenue Target: $100K–$150K in 6 months
Org Chart
Founder / CEO
├── Full-Stack Developer
├── UX/UI Designer
├── Content Strategist
├── Project Manager
├── Freelancer bench (on demand)
└── External: VA, Bookkeeper
Key Milestones
| Milestone | Target Month |
|---|---|
| First full-time hire onboarded | Month 7 |
| First engagement PM'd by someone else | Month 8 |
| Content running without founder writing | Month 9 |
| First Edge pilot signed | Month 10 |
| Revenue > $20K/mo | Month 10 |
| ESRE™ engagement active | Month 12 |
Progression Criteria → Phase 3
- Team of 5+ full-time
- Revenue consistently > $25K/month
- All 3 verticals have at least 1 active client
- Founder spending 70%+ time on sales + architecture (not execution)
- At least 1 platform generating sign-ups organically
Phase 3: Scale (Month 12–24)
Objective: Build the real company. Dedicated Vertical Leads, Head of departments, platform growth.
New Hires
| Role | Trigger |
|---|---|
| Vertical Lead, Foundry | Foundry doing 3+ engagements/quarter |
| Vertical Lead, Enterprise | ESRE™ pipeline active |
| BDR / Sales Rep | Pipeline > 10 warm leads/month |
| Embedded Engineer (full-time) | 2+ concurrent Edge pilots |
| Head of Product | Platform MRR > $5K/mo |
| Data Engineer | Analytics demand across 3+ clients |
| Second Full-Stack Dev | Engineering backlog > 1 sprint ahead |
| DevOps Engineer | Production fleet or multi-platform ops |
Org Chart
Founder / CEO
├── Vertical Lead, Foundry ──── BDR (Foundry)
├── Vertical Lead, Enterprise ── Solutions Architect
├── Head of Product ──────────── PM (VeloDesk), PM (BI Suite), PM (MarketPulse)
├── Head of Engineering ──────── Devs, Embedded, DevOps, Data, UX
├── CMO ──────────────────────── Content, Social
├── COO ──────────────────────── PM, Admin
├── Finance Manager
└── People Lead
Revenue Targets
- Target: $50K–$100K/month
- Team: 15–28 full-time + freelancers
- All 3 BUs active with dedicated Vertical Leads
- Platforms generating organic leads and SaaS revenue
Phase Summary
| Phase | Timeline | Team | Revenue | Founder Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Month 0–1 | Solo | $0 | Setup, foundations |
| 1 | Month 1–6 | Solo + freelancers | $60K total | Everything |
| 2 | Month 6–12 | 5 full-time + freelancers | $100K–$150K total | Sales + Architecture |
| 3 | Month 12–24 | 15–28 people | $50K–$100K/mo | CEO — strategy + relationships |