FINCA: Build Roadmap

Idea → first rooms → proof → productize → city expansion

The core rule: don't build the full platform first. Build the room engine, prove return, then productize what works. New here. Known here.

Companion files: strategy = Business & Marketing Plan · weekly tool = 90-Day Execution Dashboard · operating templates = Execution OS Pack + Host Briefing / Partner Onboarding / Post-Event Recap. This roadmap is the sequence; those are the tools.

Phase 0: Lock the foundation (Week 0–2)

• Working brand: Finca, working masterbrand pending legal clearance (Finca = master; Social Club = rooms; Passport = identity; Atlas = places; People = intros; Presence = future). Don't over-invest in public assets pre-clearance.
• One sentence, used everywhere: "Finca is the trusted social layer for becoming known in a new city."
• Lock the 90-day truth: Finca is not an app company yet, it's Rooms + CRM + Partners.
• Founder lanes + weekly call rhythm (Michelle: vision/brand/quality · Mike: partners/revenue/BD · ops/city lead: rooms/hosts/CRM · product/design support). Log decisions in the Decision Log (OS Pack §15).

Phase 1: Minimum operating system (Week 1–3)

• Waitlist (Tally/Typeform → Airtable), capture the intake fields = the start of the Belonging Graph.
• CRM, three tables: Members, Partners, Hosts (schema = OS Pack §2).
• Landing page, hero "New here. Known here.", what/why, first rooms, Founding 100 CTA, partner + host CTAs.
• Three one-pagers: Founding 100, Partner (done), Host briefing (done). WhatsApp/email-ready.

Phase 2: The first room engine (Week 2–4)

• Three formats only (not ten): New Here, Known Here (flagship), Come Alone Supper (the wedge), Local Bridge Night (legitimacy). Optional 4th: Founders & Builders (sponsor-friendly).
• Define each room (target member · emotional job · size · venue · host · guest mix · ticket model · partner logic · arrival flow · intro moment · closing ritual · follow-up · success metric).
• Recruit 3 hosts, emotional intelligence over popularity; train with the Host Briefing template. (Include ≥1 non-founder → Proof #2.)
• Map 20 partner venues, filter for safe arrival, warm staff, local credibility, repeat-visit potential, not-pretentious.

Phase 3: The first partner offer (Week 3–5)

• Founding Partner Pilot (60–90 days): Trusted Place profile · one perk · one hosted room · QR/welcome card · "First 72 Hours" inclusion · monthly recap · renewal convo. (Use the Partner Onboarding template.)
• Price softly, free pilot w/ data, venue minimum-spend, sponsor-covered room, small founding fee, or rev-share. Close commitment first, prove value, then price up.
• Track partner value from day one, saves, redemptions, repeat visits, bookings, feedback, renewal intent. That's what makes the Trusted Places Network real.

Phase 4: Launch the Founding 100 (Week 4–8)

• Criteria: warm · curious · socially generous · internationally minded · locally respectful · likely to return · brings quality people. Quality over volume.
• Invite: "You are not joining a crowd. You are helping shape the first trusted door into the city." Benefits: founding number, early Passport, first access, nomination rights, founding dinner, early perks, first city stamp.
• Nomination loop: "Invite someone who would make the room better", never "invite all your friends."

Phase 5: Run the first private room (Week 5–6)

• Invite-only. Don't overpack (20–40 open house · 8–14 supper).
• Full run-of-show: pre-arrival message → arrival window → host greets each guest → identify solo arrivals privately → first warm intro → welcome → light prompt → organic conversation → partner moment → closing ritual → next invite → recap within 24h.
• Capture proof (→ Proof Library): attendance, no-shows, solo arrivals, felt-welcomed, would-come-alone-again, people met, intro requests, next-room interest, partner feedback, testimonials, safety, consented photos.

Phase 6: The 90-day proof sprint (Days 1–90 from first room)

Prove only the Four Proofs (run them off the 90-Day Dashboard): 1. The rooms work. 2. A non-founder host can reproduce the feeling. 3. First-timers become Regulars (25–30% return/Regular-action in 45–60 days). 4. Partners pay or seriously engage. - Cadence: 2–4 rooms/month (1 flagship · 1 dinner · 1 local-bridge/culture · 1 partner-hosted). Don't overproduce. - Weekly cockpit + weekly founder review (agenda: what happened · did anyone return · did solo arrivals feel safe · did a host reproduce it · did partners see value · what changes · what's next).

Phase 7: Productize manually (Month 2–4)

Turn repeated manual behaviour into simple systems · manual before software: - Manual Passport (Softr/Glide/Notion/even PDF) · Manual Atlas (curated trusted-places list) · Manual Warm Intros (host-mediated, double-consent, 7-day follow-up) · Manual Come Alone Mode (pre-room WhatsApp: who greets you, what to wear, arrival window, how many coming alone, first-hello prompt, quiet-arrival support).

Phase 8: No-code / PWA beta (Month 4–6)

Build only features with proven manual usage: onboarding/arrival-style · room feed · event detail · RSVP · Come Alone Mode · QR/manual check-in · recap · People You Met · warm-intro request · Passport · Atlas · partner perks · privacy · basic host dashboard. Don't build yet: full AI · auto-Presence · native app · marketplace · complex membership tiers · corporate portal · multi-city. Test with Founding 100 + first hosts/partners.

Phase 9: Public launch (Month 6–9)

• Readiness gate (don't launch on vibes): 300–500 qualified waitlist · 100+ attended ≥1 room · visible second-visit return · ≥1 host-led success · 5–10 partner relationships · first redemptions · safety tested · recap loop working · landing page + basic Passport/Atlas · proof library.
• Campaign: "No one arrives alone." Channels: IG · WhatsApp · email · partner QR · venue signage · local creators · founder network · LinkedIn (investor/partner) · SEO guides · PR. Product Hunt only if the PWA is ready, the room is the launch, not Product Hunt.

Phase 10: Decide whether to scale (Month 9–12)

• Scale only if: first-timers return · non-founder hosts run rooms · locals trust it · partners renew/pay · CRM shows repeat behaviour · Passport/Atlas meaningfully used · city playbook documented · CAC realistic · quality holds with volume. If not, improve CDMX, don't expand.
• Build the City OS (launch checklist, host certification, partner onboarding, first-10-rooms, legitimacy checklist, room economics, safety, cockpit, proof library, CRM schema, expansion scorecard).
• Second city only by gates (One City, One Page: OS Pack §13). No vanity expansion.

Phase 11: Raise or bootstrap (Month 9–15)

• Weak metrics → don't raise big; fix room quality, host training, legitimacy, follow-up, partner offer, acquisition.
• Strong metrics → raise around the Regulars metric, second-visit return, host replication, partner revenue, Passport/Atlas usage, city playbook, second-city demand, the cross-city thesis. Story: "Finca is building the trusted identity layer for globally mobile life."
• Use of funds: city ops · product/PWA · host network · partner sales · trust & safety · content/PR · one second-city test. Don't raise to overbuild AI/native too early.

Phase 12: Build the true platform (Year 2+)

Only after CDMX works: full Passport · Living City Map · Host Intelligence System · Warm Intro Engine · Regulars Map · partner analytics dashboard · cross-city Welcome Relay · City Companion · host certification · corporate/relocation layer · city launch dashboard. This is where Finca becomes Airbnb/Uber-level.

The 12-month sequence (at a glance)

Ignore for the first 90 days

Native app · AI companion · auto-Presence · corporate HR · marketplace · merch · multi-city · complex membership tiers · heavy paid ads · too many room formats · big public launch.

The operating mantra

Rooms create trust. Return proves belonging. Hosts make it scalable. Partners fund the system. Passport makes it portable.

Finca: New here. Known here.

FINCA: Cold-Start Playbook

From a handful of contacts to a returning core, when you're not in the city yet

Tables compound; rooms don't. New here. Known here.

Your situation: not in CDMX yet · a handful of warm contacts · can line up a couple of partners · no broad audience (clean break from the old community). This is the exact play to run.

The cold-start math: you are not finding 100 people. You are filling 8 seats, 5 times. A handful of contacts + one co-host + "everyone brings one" gets you there. ~4 good suppers in 8 weeks = a core of ~30 people who know each other. That is your audience.

Doctrine: When you start from zero, don't build a room, build a table. A table creates proof, intimacy, follow-up, and the first repeat behaviour without pretending you already have an audience.

Reframe: losing the old community removes ambiguity, no inherited audience, no legacy politics, no inflated traction, no dispute over what's owned. Finca starts from zero but owns what it builds. That's cleaner for investors and healthier operationally.

Step 1: Recruit the Founding Host (one CDMX co-host, do this first)

The keystone move, your first hire-like recruit, not a venue or a deck. One warm, socially generous person already in CDMX who co-hosts with you. Solves three things at once: bodies on the ground, the non-founder-host test (Proof #2), and local legitimacy (a Local Bridge). Profile: lives in CDMX now · understands locals and newcomers · makes people feel safe arriving alone · taste + emotional intelligence · can invite 3–5 thoughtful people · aligned with "no networking energy" · can follow a host briefing · not trying to make Finca a party brand. Founding Host promise: First host. First table. First to earn when the format works. (Makes it real, not a favour.)

Script:

"I'm building a small, beautifully-hosted supper series for people new to Mexico City and people who love it, the kind of table where no one's a stranger by dessert. I want one founding host with me, and you're the first person I thought of. Can I show you the idea?"

Step 2: Turn your handful into Table #1 (8–10 seats)

List every warm CDMX thread you and Mike have (~12 names). You need 5 yeses, not all of them. Anchor mechanic: confirm 3–4 anchors first (people you know will come and are warm in a room), then tell everyone else "a few great people are already in." Momentum sells the rest. Backfill the last 2–3 from the co-host's network + a couple of carefully-chosen newcomers (recent arrivals in your extended network or referred, invited personally, never mass-posted).

Script:

"On [date] I'm hosting an intimate dinner: 8 people, some new to CDMX, some locals who get it. No networking energy, just a genuinely good table. I'd love you there. Come alone: I'll make the introductions."

Step 3: Partner one venue (for a home, not for money)

Don't sell sponsorship yet. Ask a good restaurant for the back table / private room in exchange for 8–10 covers spending on food and wine. That's your first Trusted Place and venue partner, zero cash out.

Script:

"I'll bring you 8–10 quality diners every two weeks and make you our home table. All I need is the back room held and a warm welcome. If it works, you become our first 'Recommended by FINCA' partner."

Step 4: Design Supper #1 so it must produce return

Format: Come Alone Supper, 8–10, long table. (Use the Host Briefing template.) Run-of-show: 1. Pre-dinner WhatsApp: "You're expected. Here's who you'll meet. Come alone, we've got your first hello." 2. Co-host greets each person at the door. 3. Seat intentionally, alternate newcomer / local. 4. One light go-around prompt, then let it breathe. 5. Short closing toast that names the next supper.

Step 5: The 24-hour follow-up (this is the whole business)

Next morning, a personal note to each guest. Two mechanics do the work: the warm intro (the reason to return) and "bring one who'd make it better" (curated growth, not spam). Use the Post-Event Recap template.

Script:

"So glad you came last night. You and [name] should really meet properly, want me to connect you? Our next table is [date], bring one person who'd make it better."

Step 6: Compound it

Supper #2: re-invite all 8 · each may bring one · backfill with new. Watch the one number: did anyone from #1 come back? If 3–4 of 8 return, you have a company. Repeat every two weeks. By supper #4–5 you have a returning core, a referral waitlist, and a venue that wants you there. Then graduate to a 20-person room and recruit the second host.

At the table stage, a "Regular-forming action" counts broadly: attends Supper #2 · asks for a warm intro · brings one right person · returns to the partner venue · joins the waitlist for the next table · offers to co-host or introduce someone.

Compounding rule, every table should produce three outputs: (1) one person returns · (2) one warm intro is made · (3) one new person is referred. Produce all three and Finca compounds. Miss them and the experience needs work before anything scales.

Timeline

• Pre-move (next 2–4 weeks, from where you are now): lock the co-host · build the 12-name list · soft-confirm 4 anchors · line up the venue · open a tiny Tally waitlist.
• Land in CDMX → Supper #1 within ~2 weeks.
• Suppers every 2 weeks. 8 weeks ≈ 4 tables ≈ your seed network.

Optional rehearsal: if the move is >1 month out, run a practice supper where you are now with friends + friends-of-friends. It rehearses your hosting, run-of-show, and follow-up so you land in CDMX already good at it.

Execution controls · the first five tables are research disguised as hospitality

You're not trying to look successful. You're learning who comes, who returns, who makes the room better, which host can carry it, which venue can be home, and which behaviour repeats.

Guest-mix rule (the mix is the product). Table #1: 2–3 newcomers/recent arrivals · 2–3 globally-minded locals/long-timers · 1–2 connectors · 1–2 creative/founder/operator types · ≥3 comfortable arriving alone · no dominant personality who hijacks the room. It should feel like "I didn't know anyone, but somehow I belonged."

Disqualification filter (early quality is fragile, one wrong person distorts an 8-seat signal). Don't invite the flaky, the conversation-dominators, the network/sell-only, the status-obsessed, the party-expecters, the CDMX-as-playground crowd, or anyone who'd make solo arrivals feel judged.

Table Captain. Each supper, quietly spot one guest who could become a future host / venue introducer / partner lead / Local Bridge / connector / testimonial source. Follow up separately: "You really shaped the energy of the table: I'd love to keep you close as we build this." Turns guests into operators, gently.

The Table Review (within 24h, your earliest Belonging Graph). Founders + co-host answer: who arrived alone · who looked nervous · who opened up · who made the table better · who shouldn't return · who should meet whom · who might host later · who might bring someone excellent · did the venue work · what to change.

Founder Absence Test. Run one table where the co-host leads and you're remote/light/absent. Did guests still feel welcomed, solo arrivals managed, intros made, return wanted, 24h follow-up done? If yes, Finca isn't dependent on you in the room · the most important early signal.

Venue Home Test (after 2 suppers). Did staff remember Finca · did guests like returning · did the venue want you back · easy arrival · good acoustics · warm, local, not-pretentious · could this be "our table"? If yes → first Trusted Place.

Proof Library from day one. After every table capture: 3 quotes · 3 moments · 3 consented photos · 3 intro opportunities · 3 to invite next · 1 venue insight · 1 thing to improve. This becomes the deck, partner proof, landing copy, and host training.

No public hype until return. Show texture, not scale, a place card, a blurred dinner moment, "no one arrives alone." Don't post like there's already a movement. Earn the story before broadcasting it.

The first 5 tables (name the arc, don't wing it one at a time): 1. The First Door, founding table; test arrival + chemistry. 2. The Return, invite Table 1 back; each may bring one. 3. The Local Bridge, balance newcomers with globally-minded locals. 4. The Host Test, the co-host leads (Founder Absence Test). 5. The Regulars Table, only people who returned, referred, hosted, or contributed. By Table 5 you'll know if this has a pulse.

The one-sentence invite (whole team uses the same line): "Finca is a small hosted table for people new to the city and people who love it, come alone, we'll make the introductions." Don't over-explain the platform yet.

Cold-Start Dashboard (the only five fields, until a table returns)

Pause everything else until you have a Founding Host + 15 names

No Open House · no membership/pricing · no app build · no formal venue partnership · no public/PR launch · no giant WhatsApp group · no reviving the old community · no chasing volume. The first proof is intimacy, not scale.

The only metric that matters right now

Of the people at your first table, how many come to a second within ~45 days. Everything else is noise until that number is real.

The next move is not a venue or a deck. It's one co-host and 15 names. Everything else waits on those.

Finca: New here. Known here.

FINCA: 90-Day Execution Dashboard

Working tool. Run through this on the weekly founder call. Update Status + Notes each week. Not a document to polish, a page to use.

North Star: % of qualified first-timers who become Regulars in 45–60 days. >25–30% = we may have a company. Regular (early): 2+ rooms in 45 days, or 1 room + a return action (partner / place / circle). Status key: 🔴 not started · 🟡 in progress · 🟢 proven

1. The Four 90-Day Proofs

Defer (vision, not the 90 days): AI · auto-Presence · Dinner-for-Six engine · native app · marketplace take-rate · corporate/HR · multi-city.

2. Weekly cockpit, the five that matter

Watch (track, don't obsess): solo arrivals · warm intros made · intro acceptance · partner redemptions · event net margin · local:newcomer mix per room · safety incidents · testimonials · next-room bookings. This week's blockers / decisions: ___________

3. Monday Morning checklist, first two weeks

4. Kill / rework criteria · rework the wedge, not the company

Check at day 90. Trip any of these → fix the wedge before building more:

Finca: New here. Known here. · Finca wins if people arrive alone, feel expected, meet well, return, and become regulars, and if trained hosts and trusted partners can repeat that city by city.