veripath/founding-partner-audit/selection-checklist.md

Founding Partner — Selection Checklist

One page per candidate. Fill it out before any invitation goes out.

Non-negotiables (either fails → no seat, no exceptions)

1. Network density — owner is a genuine node in the local network (Chamber, Rotary, peer owners, suppliers). "Has a Chamber card" is not evidence; verify who they actually know or move through. This is the referral engine. Without it, the seat produces nothing.
2. Vertical fit — Phase 1 is salons / personal care only. Other verticals go on a waitlist, never into a seat.

Scored criteria (need 4 of 5)

#	Criterion	Pass evidence
1	Visible gap, easily fixable	Run the existing cold audit (dop-cold-audit skill) before offering. Gap must be obvious AND fixable in ≤ ~30h of work. If impact wouldn't be visible in 30 days, the gap is too deep.
2	Network density	(Non-negotiable #1, scored here too)
3	Vertical fit	(Non-negotiable #2, scored here too)
4	Reciprocity type	Owner talks about other businesses generously, gives rather than collects. A transactional hunter will convert the gift into a haggling session.
5	Deliverability	We can reach the surfaces (GBP owner, site access or owner cooperation) and produce the report in 2 weeks.

Decision rule: 4/5 AND both non-negotiables pass → seat candidate. Anything less → no. Do not "almost in." A seat given to the wrong owner cannot be taken back and poisons the reference.

Stop rules

• More than 2 candidates in the same sub-market (they'd be each other's competitors; proof assets get muddy).
• Owner unreachable after 2 genuine touches.
• High gap but no network density → that's a normal lead-gen prospect, not a Founding Partner. Route to standard beta pipeline instead.