MORE THAN ME: Sustainability Thresholds
The Question: How many people do we need at each stage for this to become self-sustaining—independent of any one person, including the founder?
The Philosophy
“More Than Me” means the platform survives and thrives even if the founder gets hit by a bus tomorrow. At each threshold, the system becomes less dependent on any single person and more dependent on the collective.
Key Economic Assumptions
From the Liana Banyan documentation:
| Variable | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Platform margin | 20% (Cost + 20%) | Margin Economics |
| Margin allocation | 10% ops, 5% R&D, 5% reserves | Margin Economics |
| Medallion stake | $100 base | Medallion Financing |
| Guild entry stake | $500 (Harvest Guild) | Guild Progression |
| Free membership | 30 days, renewable indefinitely | Membership System |
| Credits | 1 credit ≈ $1 | Credit Economics |
Monthly Operating Costs (Estimated by Phase)
| Phase | Monthly Burn | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha (now) | ~$2,500 | ~$30,000 | Hosting, minimal tools, founder unpaid |
| Beta (post-Kickstarter) | ~$8,500 | ~$102,000 | +1-2 contractors, better infrastructure |
| Launch | ~$25,000 | ~$300,000 | Small team (3-5 people) |
| Growth | ~$85,000 | ~$1,020,000 | Foundation phase from $1M campaign |
| Scale | ~$175,000 | ~$2,100,000 | Replication node phase |
| Ecosystem | ~$350,000 | ~$4,200,000 | Full beta launch |
THRESHOLD 1: “The Founder Can Take a Vacation”
50 Active Members
What it means: Basic operations continue without daily founder involvement.
Requirements:
- 50 medallion holders (50 × $100 = $5,000 in stakes)
- At least 10 completing transactions monthly
- Community Discord/communication self-moderating
- Basic documentation complete
Revenue at this stage:
- If each member transacts $50/month average
- Monthly volume: $2,500
- Platform margin (20%): $500
- Gap to Alpha sustainability: ~$2,000/month needed from other sources
What changes: Founder isn’t the only person who knows how everything works. Someone else can answer questions. The community has momentum.
THRESHOLD 2: “The Platform Pays Its Bills”
250 Active Members
What it means: Operating costs covered by platform revenue alone.
Requirements:
- 250 members with stakes ($25,000 in member capital)
- 100+ transacting monthly
- Average transaction: $100/month per active member
- Some members taking contract positions
Revenue calculation:
- Monthly transaction volume: 100 × $100 = $10,000
- Platform margin (20%): $2,000
- Guild stakes flowing: ~$500/month
- Total: ~$2,500/month = Alpha sustainability achieved
What changes: Platform isn’t dependent on founder’s personal income. Bills get paid. Lights stay on.
THRESHOLD 3: “The Founder Gets Paid”
500 Active Members
What it means: Platform can pay a living wage to at least one full-time person.
Requirements:
- 500 members ($50,000 in stakes)
- 200+ transacting monthly
- Average transaction: $150/month per active member
- 20+ taking contract positions
Revenue calculation:
- Monthly transaction volume: 200 × $150 = $30,000
- Platform margin (20%): $6,000
- Guild stakes: ~$2,000/month
- Contract position fees: ~$1,000/month
- Total: ~$9,000/month
- After ops (10%): ~$900 to overhead
- Available for salary: ~$5,000-6,000/month
What changes: This is a real job for someone. The founder (or first hire) can work on this full-time without starving.
THRESHOLD 4: “More Than Me” - True Independence
1,000 Active Members
What it means: Platform survives founder departure. Multiple people earning livings. Self-sustaining flywheel.
Requirements:
- 1,000 members ($100,000 in stakes)
- 400+ transacting monthly
- 50+ in contract positions
- First Guild Council formed
- 3+ people earning income from platform
Revenue calculation:
- Monthly transaction volume: 400 × $200 = $80,000
- Platform margin (20%): $16,000
- Guild stakes flowing: ~$5,000/month
- Contract fees: ~$4,000/month
- Total: ~$25,000/month
What changes:
- Platform has institutional knowledge distributed across multiple people
- Governance begins shifting from founder to councils
- Multiple income streams, not dependent on any one person’s relationships
- The founder could disappear and the platform would continue
THRESHOLD 5: “Real Organization”
5,000 Active Members
What it means: Professional organization with departments, multiple projects, and geographic spread.
Requirements:
- 5,000 members ($500,000 in stakes)
- 2,000+ transacting monthly
- 200+ in contract positions
- Multiple Guild Councils operational
- 3+ independent projects running
- 15-20 people earning income
Revenue calculation:
- Monthly transaction volume: 2,000 × $250 = $500,000
- Platform margin (20%): $100,000
- Guild stakes: ~$25,000/month
- Contract fees: ~$20,000/month
- Total: ~$145,000/month
What changes:
- Full C-suite can be hired
- Multiple product lines
- Geographic expansion possible
- Platform influences market (not just participates)
THRESHOLD 6: “Movement”
20,000+ Active Members
What it means: The model is proven and replicating. Other organizations study and copy it. Policy implications.
Requirements:
- 20,000+ members ($2M+ in stakes)
- 8,000+ transacting monthly
- Multiple independent project nodes
- Academic study/documentation
- Media attention
- Political/policy engagement
Revenue calculation:
- Monthly transaction volume: 8,000 × $300 = $2,400,000
- Platform margin (20%): $480,000
- Annual revenue: $5.76M+
What changes:
- Costco-level proof of concept
- Replication playbook being used by others
- The founder is a historical figure, not an operational necessity
- This is “More Than Me” at civilizational scale
Summary Table: “More Than Me” Milestones
| Threshold | Members | Monthly Revenue | What It Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | ~$500 | Founder can take vacation |
| 2 | 250 | ~$2,500 | Platform pays its bills |
| 3 | 500 | ~$9,000 | Founder gets paid |
| 4 | 1,000 | ~$25,000 | TRUE “More Than Me” |
| 5 | 5,000 | ~$145,000 | Real organization |
| 6 | 20,000+ | ~$480,000 | Movement |
For the Script/Marketing
Simple version:
“Fifty people, and I can take a breath. Two hundred fifty, and the platform pays its own bills. Five hundred, and someone—maybe me, maybe not—can work on this full-time. One thousand… and it doesn’t need me anymore.
That’s the goal. One thousand people.
After that, this belongs to all of us. More than me.”
Even simpler:
“One thousand people. That’s what it takes for this to become ours instead of mine.”
Honest Caveats
These numbers assume:
- Active members (not just signed up, but transacting)
- Reasonable transaction volumes (not everyone buying $10/month)
- Retention (people staying, not churning)
- Real work happening (contract positions filled, skills verified)
The thresholds are estimates, not guarantees. But they’re based on the actual economics of the platform as designed.
Document Created: November 28, 2025 For: Liana Banyan Corporation — Jonathan Jones, Founder