Emails, brainstorming, and light research. I'm planning on doing a small intro video. Basically, who am I, what do I like, where did I come from, why do I like what I do, etc. Be real.

- Maybe move the presentation gallery over to ColdFusion. Currently, it is on a WordPress site and we can change it, but it does not have backend or database capabilities. That could be huge for us, in order to add searching, dynamics, etc. I would also like to build out the details or the full next level. Right now, you can view it, browse around, and get a good general idea. We have had multiple people ask us for more meat (show me, don't just tell me). I was thinking about using a detailed format that I saw on a site that Russell helped me find. It's a help section on the VS Code (code editor or IDE).

- On the pricing page - I was thinking about showing some pricing categories. Things like fixed costs, percentage costs, annual with discounts, and even family or lifetime costs or prices with discounts. On the family or lifetime, help them figure out their price/cost per month and then do that price/cost for ten years. Add a 20% discount and then give them lifetime access. Just a thought. I would like to help build this mini calculator and mini app/widget and then let Chuck put it up on the main adilas website. The goal is to get a ballpark cost/price and then have them contact us to really set the price. We can use it, the calculator, for us and for them. We still want to talk to them. Every business is so different.

- Work more on the 3-part pitch - intro, current offerings, and future offerings

- Focus on what we are building - the community - the buy in will come as we show people what we are doing

- This is for me... Sit down and plan it out on paper... - mix the presentation gallery, some old PDF's and flyers, and the partially done steps to success documents. We started working on those documents years ago. We keep getting pulled off. I want to put it all together in one document or website. Basically, the presentation gallery mixed with the steps to success. Get it all finished up, with walk throughs, step-by-steps, and videos. Make it cool! Really help our users get the quick high-level stuff and also be able to get to the meat and potatoes and how it really works.

- Along with the plan it out stuff, I really want to bring all of the PDF's together in a single page. I also want to do the same things with all of the videos. Basically, a special page for PDF's, flyers, and docs. Also, a special page for all of the small vision videos. That would be really cool. We have so many good things already. I really want to bring them all together in a single place.

Recording notes from the past few days. Lot of learning and piecing things together. This is how I do it. Try to take an active role in the learning process. Get in there, do it, listen, learn, record it, and slowly try to apply it. Do that over and over again.

Meeting with Russell. Life is the bootcamp for eternity, it's pretty intense. Looking over some of his collections. Talking about code and checking things (testing). Russell was saying, build habits that will help you to be successful. Slowing down and really making sure that things are good.

- Talking about videos and gifs (small animations or animated gifs) and how to present things. Plan it out, decide how you want it to be used, mock it up, and then slowly move towards your vision.

- Examples of some good gifs... and good training options... for a code editor product called VS code... https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editing/codebasics - they have sub sections... on VS code, they have a page divided into thirds, main nav on the left, main body in the middle, sub nav on the right (what is on the main body).

- Suggestion - on the presentation gallery... make the theme links really work (part of a small modal popup). He was talking about the sales gallery and making it specific for a real sales tool. Maybe go beyond simple modals and really put a full page together where there is some meat. Get them with the flashy sales stuff, then get them into the guts... a full-on web application with good content.

- For me, look into some CSS changes on the presentation gallery. Looking at some pre-built classes for modal dialog boxes and sizes.

- Screenshots, gifs, and super focused videos - this could be a great sales tool

- Russell really likes the full detail version (like the VS code help section - see link above)

- Small wins and a manageable product

- Looking for partners, investors, and entrepreneurs

- Caution from Russell - watch out for people who will cheat you

- Get them interested and then push them to a live demo - use the main website

- Russell and I did a fun mock-up session where I was pitching adilas (selling the engine or white labeling the platform) and he was playing the investor role. It was fun. I didn't really get to prep it very much, we just started into it.

- How can I prove to you that it will be a good investment (question to me), how will I get paid back (meaning the investor)?

- Figuring out the core and then going from there

- Where we struggle - sales and education

- Russell did a small video... he said that he was going to send me a copy of the video - we started recording our conversation

- We want to offer commissions to help with sales. However, we only want to pay the commissions based off of if things are working out, meaning a deal is made or a sale is made.

- Knowing that the flow will really work - we were talking about white label options and investments. Russell was mostly worried about the flow of data and the processes to get the data in and out of the system. He kept calling it flow and will the flow work? That was one of his main questions.

- Question on future development costs and timelines

- Packages and all the features that the competition has plus more - this was dealing with a way of thinking, if you have a new white label and you wanted to break into a market. You would need all of the features that your competition has plus more.

- When it gets into the weeds, you just push through that as it comes - that's hard to plan for

- It's all about the flow - make it look good, make sure that it functions great, and people like the flow - get that and it will sell. Easy, pretty, powerful!

- Practice pitching to an investor group... getting a chance to talk to people and pitch this thing - ask for feedback - ask them to help educate me and put me through the ringer and help me get better

- There is a difference between investing and white label investing

- Them being concerned about their investments - they are going to want to protect things and have assurances that things are in order

- If you plan out what you want to do, you can hit the mark - take time to plan the project - 80% planning and 20% coding - if that ratio is reversed, you can get in big trouble. Take the time to plan it out and then go hit the mark!

As a further follow-up, the video was uploaded or attached to this element of time. I also reviewed the video and pulled out a number of the questions. See element of time # 12718 in the shop for those details. New note added on 2/24/26.

Emails and small web page changes. Fixing links and navigation options. Small changes.

Phone call with Steve and then a phone call with Bryan. The main subjects were dealing with pricing and how to help figure things out. Here are my notes.

- Pricing has always been a crazy battle.

- Steve, Josh, and Bryan have been working on some ideas for pricing.

- Bryan was running things through AI (ChatGPT). Here is a small summary of what it recommended. As a note, Bryan sent me a file with more of the chat messages and prompts.

----

Adilas Pricing Summary

Monthly Software Fee "Unlike flat monthly fees that hit hardest when times are tough, Adilas scales with your business-low when revenue is low, and never punishes success."

- 0.4% of gross revenue

- Minimum: $59 per month

- For multiple businesses or monthly revenue over $150,000: Please contact us for a custom quote

Setup & Training (One-Time Fee)

- $300 - Includes 5 hours of system activation and personalized training

- $500 - Includes 10 hours of system activation and personalized training

- Hours are tailored to your needs. Most clients are fully operational within the included setup hours.

Additional Services

- Ongoing training: $65/hour

- Custom development & integrations: $100/hour

----

- As we use more AI stuff, we and/or our clients, may be charged more for tokens and token usage. Currently free, but that may increase as we go. We will monitor the tokens.

- Steve was saying that Josh has been pitching the enterprise system, for up to 10 entities, at $2,500/month.

- Some of our competition makes money on the credit card processing. We don't really care what merchant processing company they use.

- Steve was talking about a potential client that has a consignment type location. He was talking about a pricing model per booth or per sub section of the consignment store.

- The per location question always comes into play.

- We need to set some minimums.

- It seems like the sweet spot is a business that does between $40K to $100K per month in gross revenue.

- Pricing is confusing and totally depends on the model, the vertical, the complexity of the client, and expectations.

- We like to talk to the person... It helps us read the person and what they are feeling and looking for.

- Steve and I talked a lot about showing them the value of what they are getting. Josh has been pushing on that as well.

- We were talking about some folks wanting to do their own coding using AI.

- We offer all kinds of managed services, including training, setup, deployment, data entry, fractional bookkeeping, etc.

- Most system are just a POS (point of sale) - adilas is so much more. Often people are comparing prices of what we offer to someone else who is just offering the POS part of the puzzle.

- We should probably be compared to ERP pricing, but that sometime puts it completely out of range for the smaller guys, smaller clients, and companies.

- Steve and I were talking about impressions. He kept saying, we are not trying to give them any impression. People will form an impression, either way. In a way, we don't know how to brand or pitch ourselves.

- Maybe come up with some categories of pricing and let the clients see where they fit. In a way, how do you (as a client) want to be priced? Percentage, fixed price, per vertical, per location, etc. - Not sure.

- Being on the street. I was proposing things and Steve was saying, that's all great, but you need to be out on the street and see how that is received. I was pitching for higher prices.

- Walking a mile in someone else's shoes - you'll get the idea and figure out where they are coming from.

- Most software is priced per vertical. There are so many verticals. Maybe we offer dynamic pricing... Let's talk.

- We were talking about Finetech (merchant processing company) selling our software as an add-on. Something like this... it will be such and such for your merchant processing. If you want, we have connections with an awesome software company that we could add-on for x (some small percentage - Steve was thinking about under .5% or 1/2 a percent).

- Steve was talking about how he feels that processing is going to change. Dealing with more mobile type ways of accepting payments and auto tying things into a POS or some sort of system. Robot type stuff.

- At some point, we would love to bill for usage, storage, and processing (called throughput). He was saying that it would help to have some case studies and some examples. We would love to get there, but we are not ready for that yet.

- One of the most common things that we can tie a price to is revenue. It seems to tie things together.

- Most software systems are sold by the seat. With adilas, you get it all.

- We are trying to get a ballpark price (self serve - online). To really get it tight, we would like to talk to the client.

- Get a hold of us. Let's talk.

- We are US based, for our tech support. Steve was saying that was a big question that he has been hearing. Where is your tech support based out of? Am I going to be able to understand the person on the other line? Legit question.

- Switched over to talking about load balancing our servers. If we were to make some changes there, we could cut some costs. Steve is working with Wayne on this. Dealing with server backend coding languages and licenses.

- Databases, datasources, and converting the bus into motorcycles. Maybe create a new database that has corp-specific database tables or some other changes. We have wanted to do this project for quite some time. We have called it the datasource project or the world building project.

- In database land, if we could make things go away (clients and accounts), we could potentially allow for anybody to setup a system. It would either make the grade or get fully removed. Currently, we don't remove anything, we just set it to inactive (virtual delete).

- Drawing the line somewhere. That could be price, company size, business vertical, etc.

- Questions about servicing the account - if it is so small, it makes it hard to service it, there isn't much buffer to cover any tech support costs. Maybe offer a tech support plan or a be able to pre-pay for a certain number of tech support hours. Just some thoughts. This is mostly for the really tiny accounts.

- Talking costs and split commissions. Say something like this... Our costs are 40%. The remaining 60%, we could split 1/2 and 1/2 or 30% with whomever is selling or servicing the account.

Anyways, some good conversation topics and ideas. We will get it all figured out. Making progress.

Check and push the Smart Groups code

Working with Abby. Small overview of where we are going. After we chatted about a bunch of topics, we did some work on her graphics. See attached for the concept artwork mock-ups. Also, here are some of my other notes:

- Talking about creating vision videos to create the steam (stone soup) or the draw (invitation what draws people in).

- Being interested in people and their stories. Bringing people together. Abby was talking about these people who have been walking from state to state and bringing people together (passive awareness).

- Actions of a small group of people that affect the bigger populous... becoming a cause - what moves me? People will work for money, people, and a cause.

- Bringing things together in the same spot.

- Rule of attraction. Magnetism for something. Picturing things in your head and then bringing those things together.

- Thinking beyond adilas - like life and the universe.

- Abby, thinking outside of the box (a life analogy). Challenging business minded persons and their boxes and/or origination. People like to organize things. It is okay to be different, and some people will resonate (agree/echo) with that.

- Puzzle type analogy - the individual pieces vs the whole. Fitting together, interlock, connect vs just sitting side by side (drawing boxes just next to each other - no real connection vs connected pieces - interlocking and complimentary).

Working with Shannon. We were talking about building up a community - how do you do that? What makes people want to come or show enough potential that they are willing to come and be a pioneer and/or adventurer? We are looking for those people. Pitch it like - open land and I can do what I want. Helping them see that they are starting something new or pioneering something new. We briefly talked about the railroad analogy. How do you find those people?

These are some other notes from our meeting:

- Marketing the dream and the freedom of choice - would that work? We are looking for someone who is already discontent (unsatisfied) and seeking something new or different.

- Helping people see the vision and potential of what is possible.

- We were talking about putting videos on the presentation gallery and letting them get deeper and deeper into the system.

- Helping people with pain and solving real life needs.

- If someone really, really, cares about something, they will spend the time and money to get more into it.

- Telling the story and letting people pick and choose their investment levels (even their investment of time and energy to hear the story).

- Making templates and one-to-many relationships (videos and pitching the vision).

- Shannon's term - vision videos - using vision videos vs laser focused training videos. They are different.

- Stone soup (fable or analogy) is not about the food, it is more about the draw or the community. Maybe adilas is not about the software, it is more about the options and what it offers.

- After talking about this stuff, we spent some time working on some of the other business plans. Still pretty rough, but here is the link to that page (adilas plans).