From handshake to day one · seven weeks, mapped · turnkey by launch
50
days to launch
Monday · October 5, 2026
This is the countdown between David's signature and our first day of work. Everything below is sequenced so that on Monday, October 5 the firm is fully stood up — entities active, accounts funded, insurance bound, The Verified System built in the opening weeks while Steve is under contract, the first wrapped van stocked, and Verified Electric + Verified Construction crews ready to sell and self-perform. The first wire is the ~$1.121M Stage-1 startup — ~$461k to prove the system plus the capital to buy the first firm — drawn against David's ~$10M commitment. Weeks are gated: each one clears the prerequisites the next one depends on, so nothing stalls at the end. Bracketed dates assume a signed agreement in Week 1; if signing slips, the whole spine shifts with it.
WEEK 1Aug 17 – Aug 23Sign, engage counsel, form the HoldCo
David + Steve Attorney review & signature.David's counsel reviews the four agreements; execute the Operating, Operator, Key-Person, and Capital Schedule.
Steve + Attorney Form The Verified Companies, LLC.File Articles with the AZ Corporation Commission; HoldCo owns the divisions 100%.
Steve EIN for HoldCo.Federal EIN so banking and payroll can open.
Steve + CPA Engage the CPA.Confirm profits-interest treatment, chart of accounts, entity tax elections.
Steve Start Icarus license path.Reinstate / confirm Icarus KB-1 & A licenses with Steve as Qualifying Party.
Steve + Adrian Lock Adrian on Electric.Confirm Adrian as electrical QP and Key-Person grantee; countersign his award.
Gate to clear: agreements signed · HoldCo filed · EIN in hand. Everything downstream keys off these three.
WEEK 2Aug 24 – Aug 30Stand up the divisions & the licenses
Steve + Attorney Form Verified Electric & confirm Construction.Electric OpCo under HoldCo; Construction runs through Icarus (KB-1 / A).
Adrian Electrical ROC license.Verified Electric qualified under Adrian; file license + classification.
Steve EINs for each OpCo.Separate EINs for Electric and Construction for clean books.
Steve + Sarah Reserve brand & identity.Domain, Google Workspace email, phone numbers, the checkmark logo family.
Steve Shortlist the flex unit.Tour small office + warehouse + yard units near the Scottsdale Airpark ($2.5–5k/mo).
Steve + CPA Book the ~$1.121M Stage-1 startup.Load the Stage-1 startup budget into the chart of accounts — ~$461k prove phase plus the first-firm acquisition capital.
Gate to clear: Electric & Construction entities live and license filings in motion — the banks and carriers need entity + license numbers next.
WEEK 3Aug 31 – Sep 6Banking & the first capital call
Steve + David Open company accounts.HoldCo operating account + Electric / Construction sub-accounts — company accounts, not personal.
David Fund the Stage-1 startup (~$1.121M).David wires the Stage-1 startup into the company operating account per the Capital Schedule — committed up front against ~$10M, called in gated waves.
Sarah + CPA Bookkeeping live.QuickBooks + expense cards with spend guardrails; monthly reporting cadence set.
Steve Sign the customer-financing partner.Onboard the outside financing partner so panel-upgrade quotes carry a monthly-payment option.
Steve Sign the flex-unit lease.Arm's-length lease; keys targeted before Week 6 fit-out.
Steve + Sarah Payroll setup.W-2 payroll provider; onboarding docs; ~half-paid health plan + HSA framework.
Gate to clear: accounts open and the Stage-1 startup funded. This is the milestone that turns the plan into an operating company.
WEEK 4Sep 7 – Sep 13Insurance, bonding & the operating system
Steve Bind core coverage.General liability, workers' comp, commercial auto, and the firm-wide umbrella carried under Construction.
Steve License & ROC bonds.Contractor bonds for KB-1, A, and the electrical license.
Steve + Sarah Stand up the operating system.The central CRM / dispatch / estimating platform every division inherits — configured for Electric first.
Sarah Website & booking live.Verified site with the panel-upgrade offer, call tracking, and online booking.
Steve + CPA Enroll the health plan.Group health effective by launch; HSA option ready for W-2 hires.
Steve Buy the first van.Used gas Ford Transit or Ram ProMaster; schedule the wrap.
Gate to clear: coverage bound and the operating system running on test jobs — no crew works uninsured, and no job is quoted off-system.
WEEK 5Sep 14 – Sep 20Van, tools & the first hires
Steve Wrap & stock the van.Verified Electric wrap; panel-upgrade tooling, materials, and safety gear loaded.
Steve + Adrian Hire the first electricians.First licensed electrician(s) + apprentice(s) offered, backgrounded, and scheduled to start.
Steve Bring the estimator on early.A field estimator (~$80k) hired up front — estimating is the trades' profit lever and a core pillar of The Verified System. Steve estimates alongside until the process is dialed in.
Steve Finalize the Verified Training Exam.The apprentice → Verified → own-truck ladder documented and ready to run.
Sarah Build the panel-upgrade campaign.Creative + landing page targeting Scottsdale's 1970s housing stock; financing baked into the offer.
Sarah Fit out the office.Desks, phones, warehouse racking, yard staging; receiving first inventory.
Steve Warm the McCully channel.Line up referral flow and Steve's track record as the first demand source.
Gate to clear: a wrapped, stocked van and at least one crew hired — the pieces that actually turn a booked call into a completed job.
WEEK 6Sep 21 – Sep 27Marketing live & the pipeline fills
Sarah + Steve Turn on demand.Launch the panel-upgrade ads and local marketing; calls route into the operating system.
Steve + Adrian Onboard & train the crew.Run crews through the operating system, quoting flow, and financing-at-the-door script.
Sarah Pre-book launch week.Schedule the first panel-upgrade jobs so day one has real work, not a cold start.
Steve Dry-run a quote-to-cash job.One real job end to end: lead → quote → financing → install → invoice → paid.
Sarah + CPA Test the money flow.Confirm deposits, financing payouts, and payroll all clear the company accounts correctly.
Steve Construction ready to bid.Icarus KB-1 set to bid whole-project / TI work as it surfaces.
Gate to clear: one full job run through the system and launch week pre-booked — proof the machine works before the doors open.
WEEK 7Sep 28 – Oct 4Final checks & the go/no-go
Steve Confirm every license & bond active.KB-1, A, electrical — all issued, posted, and bonded.
Steve Verify all coverage in force.COIs on file; auto covers the wrapped van; workers' comp active for every hire.
Steve + David Final funding & controls check.Accounts funded, guardrails set, reporting cadence agreed — David has visibility from day one.
Steve + Sarah All hires onboarded.Paperwork, payroll, benefits, and training complete for every starter.
Sarah Launch-week schedule locked.First jobs confirmed with customers; crews and van assigned.
David + Steve Go / no-go review.Walk the day-one checklist together; green-light launch.
Gate to clear: the day-one checklist below is 100% green. Nothing carries into launch week unfinished.
Day One — Monday, October 5, 2026
What is live and true the morning the doors open.
Entities active. HoldCo + Verified Electric + Verified Construction formed, with EINs.
Licenses issued. KB-1 & A (Steve) and electrical (Adrian) active and bonded.
Accounts funded. Company accounts open, the ~$1.121M Stage-1 startup in, bookkeeping live with guardrails.
Fully insured. GL, workers' comp, commercial auto, and the firm-wide umbrella all in force.
Office & van ready. Flex unit open near the Airpark; wrapped, stocked van on the road.
System running. CRM / dispatch / estimating live; website, phones, and financing integrated.
Crews ready. First electricians + apprentice on payroll, trained, on the Verified ladder.
Work booked. Panel-upgrade jobs on the calendar and Construction ready to bid whole projects.
The critical path
Sign→Form HoldCo + EIN→Form divisions + licenses→Open accounts + fund T1→Bind insurance→Van + hires + system→Marketing live + dry run→Launch Oct 5
Illustrative pre-launch schedule. Dates assume signing in Week 1 and shift with it. Entity, license, insurance, and tax steps are subject to confirmation by counsel and the CPA. Amounts and gates track the Capital Contribution & Tranche Schedule.
Steve — Operator / Managing MemberDavid — Capital MemberSarah — Ops CoordinatorAdrian — Electric lead / QPCounsel + CPA — as noted