So you’re thinking about operating
This page is for the recruit — the customer who tapped “Connect in the Alliance” and wants to
know what they’d actually be signing up for. Hand it to them, or use it as the script for the
interview. It’s Jose’s story, because Jose did exactly this.
What the job actually is
You look after a handful of homes near you — keeping their networks quiet and sending each one
a simple monthly statement. The hard parts are handled for you:
- The box does the protecting. You’re not hand-coding firewalls at midnight. You set up the
box, and it runs.
- The statement writes itself from the numbers — you just add the human notes each month
(“patched your TV, re-pointed your DNS when Spectrum got weird”).
- You’re local and trusted. You’re the name on the statement, the person they call. That’s
the whole value, and it’s the part you already have just by being a real neighbor.
It’s a side business that fits around a regular job. Jose started with his own home, added the
two houses on either side, and grew from there.
Your first 30 days
- Week 1 — get vetted. Background check, proof of insurance/bond, a couple of references,
sign the agreement, send in your W-9 (so you can actually get paid — stage 10). The vetting
bar is in
vetting-checklist.md, and it’s strict on purpose: it’s
the thing that makes customers trust you.
- Week 1–2 — learn the box. You follow
localDNS’s install guide on a real home (your
own is perfect) and run its built-in check until everything’s green. If you can do that
unaided, you can operate.
- Week 2–3 — get your first homes. You’re matched to a route near you (08/02) — a block
where there’s already demand. Your first installs are often the neighbors of a home that’s
already happy.
- Week 4 — run your first statements. You write the “Handled For You” notes, the tool builds
the statements, you send them. Your name’s on every one.
The money (working numbers — honest about what’s still open)
You bill your homes the monthly yourself ($35 is the working rate), and you pay the platform
a membership due (a ballpark ~$50/mo — a working number, not final, MARKETING). Rough shape of it:
- 8 homes on a route × $35/mo ≈ $280/month coming in, recurring.
- Plus a $175 setup each time you add a home — that’s your install labor.
- Minus your platform dues (~$50/mo, a working number) and your own costs (your time, the box hardware, gas).
The point of filling a tight block instead of scattered homes is exactly this: eight houses on
one street is a pleasant afternoon a month; eight houses across the metro is a part-time job in
your car. Density is what makes homes #2 through #20 worth it instead of exhausting.
Why people actually do it
- You already use it. You’re not selling something you don’t believe — you live with it.
- Low ceremony. Keep your day job; this fits in the margins.
- It’s a real trade, not gig-app churn. You’re a vetted professional with your name on the
work, not a faceless contractor ID.
The honest caveats
- Vetting is real and you might not pass. That’s the point — the bar protects everyone who
did.
- You’re an independent contractor, not an employee — you run your own homes your own way,
and you handle your own taxes (we send you a 1099; stage 10).
- Dues are a ballpark (~$50/mo) and not locked yet — we’ll be straight with you about the number before you commit.
Ready? The path from here is in operator-funnel.md.