Unit economics
One contractor, before and after
The whole model is this single company repeated. The contractor's joining-date EBITDA is frozen as their floor; everything created above it is shared. Nothing here re-bases the baseline as a percentage of future revenue.
At joining — month 0
$5M
annual revenue
Normalized EBITDA$400K
EBITDA margin8.0%
Frozen baseline set at$400K
Incremental EBITDA$0
JV participation$0
Strong reputation and demand, but owner-dependent: thin management layer, weak systems, excess overhead, unmeasured technician productivity.
24 months
At maturity — month 24
$7.5M
annual revenue
EBITDA$1.5M
EBITDA margin20.0%
Frozen baseline (unchanged)$400K
Incremental EBITDA$1.1M
JV participation (50% of uplift)$550K
Total contractor economics$950K
Centralized demand generation, dispatch discipline, pricing, technician productivity and overhead leverage — delivered by the platform and charged at 8.0% of revenue ($600K).
Maturation curve — drag to any point in time
Quarter 8 of 8 after joiningRevenue
$7.5M
100% through maturation
EBITDA
$1.5M
Margin 20.0%
Incremental EBITDA
$1.1M
Above frozen baseline of $400K
JV share
$550K
Contractor keeps $950K
The formula, exactly as modeled
- Frozen Baseline = normalized EBITDA at joining = $400K
- Incremental = max(Current EBITDA − Frozen Baseline, 0) = $1.1M
- JV Participation = 50% × Incremental = $550K
- Contractor = Frozen Baseline + 50% × Incremental = $950K
- Platform Fee = 8.0% × Revenue = $600K
Target profile (ICP)
Assumption, not agreed termTradesHVAC · Plumbing · Electrical
Core revenue range$3M – $15M
Initial model company$5M / $400K
Entry margin8.0%
- Strong underlying business, brand and customer reputation
- Owner-dependent and under-managed
- Weak systems: dispatch, CRM discipline, pricing, reporting
- Excess overhead or unmanaged cost structure
- Clear, identifiable EBITDA improvement opportunity