More Than Me: Sustainability Thresholds

{{< pudding-progress >}}

The Question

{{< pudding-sticky-quote >}} “How many people do we need at each stage for this to become self-sustaining — independent of any one person, including the founder?” {{< /pudding-sticky-quote >}}

“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.

The Economics

{{< pudding-callout type=“note” title=“Current Platform Economics (March 2026)” >}}

The Six Thresholds

Threshold 1: “The Founder Can Take a Vacation”

{{< pudding-stat number=“50” label=“Active Members” sublabel=“Basic operations continue without daily founder involvement” color=“green” >}}

{{< pudding-reveal direction=“left” >}} What it means: Someone else can answer questions. The community has momentum. Documentation exists. The founder isn’t the only one who knows how everything works.

Revenue at this stage:

• 50 members x $50/month average transactions = $2,500/month volume
• Platform share (13.3%): ~$333/month
• Gap: Still needs other sources to cover ~$2,500/month hosting and tools {{< /pudding-reveal >}}

Threshold 2: “The Platform Pays Its Bills”

{{< pudding-stat number=“250” label=“Active Members” sublabel=“Operating costs covered by platform revenue alone” color=“green” >}}

{{< pudding-reveal direction=“right” >}} What it means: Lights stay on without the founder’s personal income.

Revenue:

• 100+ transacting monthly x $100 average = $10,000 volume
• Platform share: ~$1,330/month
• Membership: $1,250/year
• Total: ~$2,500/month — Alpha sustainability achieved {{< /pudding-reveal >}}

Threshold 3: “The Founder Gets Paid”

{{< pudding-stat number=“500” label=“Active Members” sublabel=“Platform can pay a living wage to at least one full-time person” color=“green” >}}

{{< pudding-reveal >}} Revenue:

• 200+ transacting x $150/month = $30,000 volume
• Platform share: ~$4,000/month
• Service fees + membership: ~$3,000/month
• Total: ~$7,000-$9,000/month
• After operations: $5,000-$6,000 available for salary

What changes: This is a real job for someone. Full-time without starving. {{< /pudding-reveal >}}

Threshold 4: “More Than Me” — True Independence

{{< pudding-stat number=“1,000” label=“Active Members” sublabel=“Platform survives founder departure. The real milestone.” color=“green” >}}

{{< pudding-callout type=“insight” title=“This Is the Goal” >}} What changes at 1,000:

• Institutional knowledge distributed across multiple people
• Governance shifting from founder to councils
• Multiple income streams, not dependent on any one relationship
• 3+ people earning income from the platform
• The founder could disappear and the platform would continue

Revenue: ~$25,000/month from $80,000 transaction volume {{< /pudding-callout >}}

Threshold 5: “Real Organization”

{{< pudding-stat number=“5,000” label=“Active Members” sublabel=“Professional organization with departments and geographic spread” color=“green” >}}

{{< pudding-reveal direction=“left” >}}

• 2,000+ transacting monthly
• 200+ in service positions
• Multiple Guild Councils operational
• 15-20 people earning income
• Revenue: ~$145,000/month
• Full leadership team can be supported
• Geographic expansion possible {{< /pudding-reveal >}}

Threshold 6: “Movement”

{{< pudding-stat number=“20,000+” label=“Active Members” sublabel=“The model is proven and replicating. Others study and copy it.” color=“green” >}}

{{< pudding-reveal direction=“right” >}}

• 8,000+ transacting monthly
• Multiple independent project nodes
• Academic study and documentation
• Media coverage
• Annual revenue: $5.76M+
• The founder is a historical figure, not an operational necessity
• This is “More Than Me” at civilizational scale {{< /pudding-reveal >}}

The Summary

For the Rally

{{< pudding-sticky-quote attribution=“Denken, Founder” >}} “Fifty people, and I can take a breath. Two hundred fifty, and the platform pays its own bills. Five hundred, and someone 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.” {{< /pudding-sticky-quote >}}

Even simpler:

{{< pudding-sticky-quote >}} “One thousand people. That’s what it takes for this to become ours instead of mine.” {{< /pudding-sticky-quote >}}

Honest Caveats

{{< pudding-callout type=“note” title=“What These Numbers Assume” >}}

• Active members (transacting, not just signed up)
• Reasonable transaction volumes
• Retention (people staying, not churning)
• Real work happening (services provided, skills verified)

These are estimates, not guarantees. But they’re based on the actual economics of the platform as designed and deployed. {{< /pudding-callout >}}

Ready to Join?

Walk the Red Carpet — Be one of the thousand. $5/year. Help us get to “More Than Me.”

{{< pudding-callout type=“sec” title=“Legal Notice” >}} Liana Banyan is a cooperative platform. Membership ($5/year) is not a financial security or investment. Revenue projections are estimates based on platform economics (Cost+20%, 83.3/13.3/3.3 split) and are not guaranteed. Service Allocation Authority (SAA) represents earned governance influence, not financial returns. “More Than Me” refers to organizational independence, not investment returns. {{< /pudding-callout >}}

Liana Banyan Corporation — What we build together, we own together.

FOR THE KEEP.