The twelve forms of value — EmbeddedEra mapped onto them¶
Status: proposal — awaiting decision, 2026-09-16. Angel asked to integrate The Personal MBA's twelve standard forms of value (Josh Kaufman) into how we look at making money. This is the map: every form, what we already do, what is already proposed elsewhere, and a verdict. The per-bucket plans are in value-forms-plans. It is the checklist we run any new revenue idea through; the three proposals it sits above are first-money (services), recurring-revenue and products-business.
The map¶
| # | Form (what the customer pays for) | EmbeddedEra today | Proposed / possible | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product — a thing they own | Real Cow boards for one customer; nothing sold to the public | Adafruit/Pololu-style boards from our blocks, first three in the no-lab class (products-business) | Yes, second — after services fund it |
| 2 | Service — work done for them | PCB design, firmware, assembly, test fixtures, redesign; the core | Fixed-scope packages (DFM review, obsolete-part replacement, firmware port) with a price (first-money) | Yes, first — it is the business |
| 3 | Shared resource — a facility many use | The SMT line and testers used only by us | Small-batch assembly for other shops: our line, their boards | Yes — sells idle line time; it is in recurring-revenue as contract assembly |
| 4 | Subscription — ongoing access | None | Monitoring retainer (obsolescence watch on a customer's BOM, monthly report from the ERP + part-lookup); support retainers | Yes — the best fit for recurring money; in recurring-revenue |
| 5 | Resale — buy low, sell high | None | Curated parts kits next to our boards; reels we already stock | Later — only bundled with a product, never as a distributor |
| 6 | Lease — temporary use of an asset | None | Renting the Universal Tester or a fixture to a customer for their own production run | Case by case — it fits the fixture business; price it when a customer asks |
| 7 | Agency — selling on someone's behalf | None | Representing a fab or a component line to local firms | No — a distraction from engineering, thin margin |
| 8 | Audience aggregation — access to an audience | The engineering notes, LinkedIn, YouTube (pipeline live, audience small) | Sponsored notes or tool mentions once traffic exists | Not now — build the audience for products and leads; revisit at real traffic |
| 9 | Loan — money now, repaid later | None | Net-30 terms on assembly runs are a loan we make, not one we sell | No — we are not a lender; keep terms tight |
| 10 | Option — the right to act later | None | Paid design deposits that lock a production slot; reserved capacity for a repeat customer | Yes, small — a deposit that holds a slot is already good practice; write it into the quote template |
| 11 | Insurance — taking on a risk | None | Extended warranty on assembled boards; guaranteed lead time with a penalty | Later — only after warranty data from the tester exists; see terms-and-warranty |
| 12 | Capital — ownership stake | None | Building a product with a customer for equity | No, for now — cash first; an equity deal needs a lawyer and a track record |
What this changes¶
- Every new revenue idea gets a row here first. Which form, what the customer receives, which existing note it belongs to. If it is not one of the twelve, it is not a business.
- The order of the three live proposals is confirmed by the map: service → shared resource and subscription → product. Services pay for the line time and the store.
- Two small additions to write into the quote and terms templates (SOP-011/012 area): a deposit that holds a production slot (option) and net terms only for repeat customers (we do not lend).
What Angel decides¶
- Approve the verdicts column, or change one. That closes the "how do we make money" question at the framework level; the three proposals then carry the detail.
- Whether the tester/fixture lease is offered on the services page or only when asked.
Log¶
- 2026-09-16: written from the twelve standard forms of value in The Personal MBA, mapped over the three open monetisation proposals.