Note: Nothing here is set in stone. These are ideas and options to discuss. Looking for input on what makes sense, what's missing, and what's the right approach.
We're building a network of local village leaders - one person per city who runs the local childcare community and earns 5% of local revenue.
The problem: How do we make this fair?
- How do they know they're getting their real cut?
- How do we take territory away if they stop working?
- How do we do that fairly, without lawsuits and drama?
- How do we prove to everyone that the system is fair?
The answer: Put it on-chain. Rules are code. Everyone can verify.
Operators need to trust they're getting paid fairly.
Traditional: "Trust our spreadsheet." On-chain: Every transaction recorded. They can verify every dollar themselves.
Revenue event:
├── City: Winston-Salem
├── Amount: $20
├── Operator cut: $1.00 (5%)
├── Tokens minted: 1.00 TEND
└── Operator can see this anytime
Problem: Bad caregivers move towns and start fresh. Care.com lets them create new profiles with zero history.
Solution: On-chain identity follows them forever.
Caregiver ID: 0x7a3f...
├── Winston-Salem: 2.1 stars (47 reviews)
├── Complaints: 3 verified
├── Charlotte profile: LINKED
└── Cannot escape history
Complaints are NEVER deleted. They can be refuted (caregiver adds their side), but both the complaint AND response are permanent. No one can erase history.
Problem: Traditional franchises can fire you anytime. "Performance issues" - no specifics, no recourse.
Solution: Operators can only be removed by:
- Clear metrics failure (automatic - smart contract executes)
- 2/3 community vote (democratic)
Cannot be removed by:
- Platform founders saying "we don't like them"
- Arbitrary decision
- Single angry customer
Rules are code. The contract executes. No human decides.
Uber, Airbnb change commission rates whenever they want. "Accept or leave."
Our approach: Revenue split is in the smart contract. Can't be changed without governance vote. Operators have voting power.
Every American city has:
- Weak or zero Google local results for "nanny near me"
- Active Facebook groups with hundreds/thousands of parents
- Moderators already doing this work FOR FREE
Example: Winston-Salem, NC
- Population: 250,000
- Google search "nanny near me": ONE result (ghost listing, 1 review, no website)
- Local Facebook childcare group: 800+ members
The Facebook group moderators are already:
- Running the community
- Vetting caregivers informally
- Answering questions
- Trusted locally
They get nothing. Facebook gets the ad revenue.
"You're already the person everyone asks for childcare recommendations. Why not own that?
You get winstonsalem.tendvillage.com. You get 5% of every subscription in your city. Tracked on blockchain - verify every dollar yourself.
You can't be fired on a whim. Only for clear metrics failure or if your community votes you out. The rules are public code, not someone's mood."
- Get paid for work they already do
- Own something - their subdomain, their territory
- Can't be cheated - blockchain transparency
- Can't be fired arbitrarily - democratic governance
- Local business - can register LLC, use home address on Google Business Profile
Each operator sets up:
- Google Business Profile: "TendVillage Winston-Salem"
- Address: Their home (real local address)
- Phone: Local number
- Website: winstonsalem.tendvillage.com
Google shows local results based on distance. A real person with a real address beats Care.com's "serving all of America" every time.
1,000 cities = 1,000 Google Business listings = massive organic traffic
They work hard for 6 months, build it up. Then they stop showing up. Revenue keeps coming. They still get 5% for doing nothing.
Can't just fire them: "You fired me unfairly!" → lawsuits, drama, bad reputation
Our approach: Rules are code.
IF response_time > 48_hours FOR 7_days THEN strike += 1
IF strikes >= 3 THEN territory_status = OPEN
No human decides. Contract executes. They see the rules before signing up.
Question: What's the right balance? Too strict = good operators get caught by life events. Too loose = lazy operators squat forever.
When someone loses (or gives up) a territory:
- First come first served? Bots win.
- Auction? Rich people buy everything.
- Waitlist? How to rank fairly?
- Election? Could work - community votes.
Question: What's the fairest mechanism?
Performance data lives in our database (response times, satisfaction scores, logins). Need to get it on-chain in a way operators trust.
Options:
- Centralized oracle (we push data) - simple but "trust us"
- Optimistic approach (we post, they can dispute within 7 days)
- Something else?
Question: What's the right pattern here?
Operators stake to claim territory. Bad behavior = slashed.
Questions:
- How much stake? Flat? Based on city size?
- Stake in USDC or platform token?
- Slashing schedule - how much per violation?
Not for speculation. For accounting.
| Feature | Design |
|---|---|
| Minted by | Platform only (on revenue events) |
| Tradeable | NO - not on exchanges |
| Redeemable | YES - through platform only, for USD |
| Purpose | Transparent record of earnings |
Operators see their token balance = their earnings. They can verify every transaction that created those tokens. Cash out anytime via platform (we send USD).
Why not just use a dashboard?
"Trust our dashboard" is what everyone says. On-chain means they can verify independently. No disputes about "you're hiding revenue."
How do we reward the people who take a risk on us early?
First 10-50 operators are betting on something unproven. They deserve more than someone who joins when we have 500 cities.
Option A: Higher Revenue Share Forever
- First 50 operators: 25% cut forever
- Next 200 operators: 20% cut
- Everyone after: 15% cut
- Reward loyalty, locked in
Option B: Token Allocation
- Founding operators get token grants
- Tokens = governance power + potential future value
- If platform succeeds, early believers benefit
- Similar to employee equity
Option C: Reduced/No Stake Requirement
- Later operators must stake $500 to claim territory
- Founding operators: $0 stake (or heavily reduced)
- Lower barrier, rewards trust
Option D: Territory Priority
- Founding operators get first pick of cities
- Can claim larger/better markets
- Later operators get what's left
Option E: Profit Sharing Pool
- X% of platform profits goes to "founding pool"
- Distributed among first 50 operators
- On top of their regular cut
Operators must prove they're actually embedded in the community - not just living there, but connected.
Points-based verification:
| Proof | Points | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Admin of local Facebook group (500+ members) | 50 | Already trusted, already doing the work |
| Admin of neighborhood-specific group (Ardmore vs "Winston-Salem") | +20 bonus | Hyperlocal is even better |
| Physical address verified in territory | 30 | Can't remote-run from NYC |
| Google Business Profile set up | 10 | Shows commitment |
| Attended 2+ local events (documented) | 10 | Actually embedded |
| Referral from existing operator | 20 | Network vouching |
Minimum 80 points to claim territory.
Why Facebook group admins are ideal:
- They already have the audience
- They're already fielding "who's a good babysitter?" posts
- They've proven they can moderate a community
- It's verifiable (we can see they're admin)
- They're doing this work FOR FREE right now
The insight: Every city has people who are already the go-to person for local recommendations. They run the neighborhood Facebook groups. They know everyone. They're the "linchpin" of their community. We're not creating operators - we're finding people who already ARE operators and giving them tools + revenue.
Think of it like employee equity but for territory builders:
Vesting model (one idea, not set in stone):
- Claim territory → start "vesting"
- Year 1: Earn 25% of your equity stake
- Year 2: Another 25%
- Year 4: Fully vested (100%)
- Leave early: Keep what you vested, lose the rest
Founder's Residual (another idea):
Even if they leave or get kicked out, they keep a small cut forever:
Active operator: 20% of local revenue
↓
They leave/get removed
↓
Residual forever: 2-5% of local revenue
They built something. They brought in the first 50 families. Even if they move on, they get a few hundred bucks a month forever. Rewards the people who took the early risk.
BUT - they have to earn it first:
Can't just claim territory, do nothing, and get residual forever. Need a qualifying period:
Claim territory
↓
Must hit minimum metrics for 12 months:
- X families onboarded
- X caregivers active
- Response time maintained
- Satisfaction score maintained
↓
THEN residual is locked in forever
↓
Fail to qualify? No residual. Territory opens. Clean break.
Open questions:
- How long is the qualifying period? 6 months? 12 months?
- What metrics must they hit?
- Can they re-qualify if they fail the first time?
What they're vesting into (open question):
- Could be platform tokens
- Could be % of their territory's future value
- Could be profit share from their city forever (even if they step back)
- Could be a residual that never goes away
Onboarding rewards:
- Every caregiver they bring in: bonus tokens
- Every family they convert: bonus tokens
- Building the network = building their stake
Operator onboards 50 caregivers → 500 bonus tokens
Operator converts 100 families → 1000 bonus tokens
Tokens vest over 2 years
-
How to define "founding"? First 50? First 100? First year?
-
Should it be revocable? If founding operator stops performing, do they keep founding benefits?
-
Can founding status be sold/transferred? If someone sells their territory, does the new owner get founding benefits?
-
How to handle on-chain? Different contract terms for founding vs regular operators?
-
Equity vs tokens vs revenue share? What's the right mechanism?
-
How to verify "local"? What proof is enough? Can it be on-chain?
-
Vesting mechanics - How to implement on-chain? Cliff period? Acceleration?
-
Revenue mirroring - Payments come via Stripe. How to reliably record on-chain?
-
Territory registry - On-chain record of who owns what city. Claiming, transfers, forfeitures.
-
Performance oracle - Get database metrics on-chain in trustworthy way.
-
Consequence engine - Smart contract that executes strikes, slashing, territory opens.
-
Dispute mechanism - What if operator says "the metrics are wrong"?
-
Which L2? Base? Polygon? Need cheap gas for lots of small transactions.
-
Token standard - Simple ERC-20? Or something more custom?
-
Legal structure - Is this token a security? How to stay compliant?
Two-sided marketplace for childcare:
- Families search for caregivers, pay $20/month to message
- Caregivers create free profiles, optionally pay for featured placement
| Stream | Price |
|---|---|
| Family subscription | $20/month |
| Featured caregiver listing | $10/month |
| Background checks | $35 (we keep $5) |
| Option | Operator Cut | Platform Cut | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 5% | 95% | Lower risk for us, less attractive to operators |
| Standard | 10% | 90% | Competitive with typical franchise models |
| Generous | 20% | 80% | Very attractive, builds loyalty fast |
| Tiered | 10% → 20% | 90% → 80% | Earn higher % as they hit milestones |
Open questions:
- What's the right number to attract quality operators?
- Should it be flat or tiered?
- What about the residual if they leave?
- None of this is decided - looking for input.
Tiered model example:
- First 6 months: 10%
- After 100 subscribers: 15%
- After 500 subscribers: 20%
- Top performers: 25%?
| City Size | Count in US |
|---|---|
| 50,000 - 100,000 | ~800 cities |
| 100,000 - 250,000 | ~200 cities |
| 250,000 - 500,000 | ~70 cities |
Target: 1,000+ cities
| Year | Cities | MRR | Operator Payouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | $12,000 | $600/month |
| 2 | 200 | $360,000 | $18,000/month |
| 3 | 1,000 | $2,400,000 | $120,000/month |
Available .coms (checked 2026-02-05):
| Domain | Vibe |
|---|---|
| tendvillage.com | "It takes a village" + tender care |
| tendtribe.com | Your tribe of caregivers |
"Tend" = tend to children, tender care, tending a garden. Soft, nurturing, not corporate.
The business: Local childcare marketplace. 1,000 cities. One operator per city earning 5%.
Why blockchain:
- Operators can verify their revenue (transparency)
- Bad caregivers can't hide (permanent records)
- Operators can't be fired arbitrarily (democratic governance)
- Rules can't change without consent (code is law)
What we need: Smart contract architecture for territory ownership, revenue tracking, and governance.
The goal: A system where everyone can verify they're being treated fairly. No "trust us" - anyone can audit the contract.