Operations — SV-Wiki

Operations Reality

Core Principle

Humans execute; software enforces discipline.

Key Constraints

Constraint	Value	Rationale
Lead Time	48 hours	Enables batching, reliability, cost control
Advance Booking	Weeks/months	Seasonal items, holidays, planned rotations
Service Days	Building-specific	Batch efficiency

What Software Does

Captures item and service data
Enforces scheduling rules (lead time)
Produces operational metrics
Maintains audit trails

What Software Does NOT Do

Real-time location tracking
Route optimization (future)
Ops micromanagement dashboards (pre-scale)

Scheduling Discipline

48-Hour Lead Time

The 48-hour lead time is a deliberate policy that:

Promotes planned usage — Customers think ahead (seasonal rotations, events)
Improves reliability — Reduces last-minute failures
Enables batching — Multiple stops per trip
Reduces cost volatility — Predictable operations

Advance Scheduling

Customers can book returns weeks or months in advance:

Holiday decorations scheduled in October for December delivery
Seasonal clothes rotations planned quarterly
Event-based items (party supplies) scheduled around dates

Why NOT On-Demand

On-Demand Risk	SV Approach
Cost volatility	Predictable scheduling
Operational chaos	Batched service days
Customer anxiety	Planned, reliable delivery
Low density	Building-specific routes

Operational Workflows

Pickup Flow

1. Customer schedules pickup (Calendly) — 48hr+ notice
2. Webhook creates action (pending_items)
3. Customer selects items in portal
4. Action status → pending_confirmation
5. Ops confirms booking
6. Ops executes pickup
7. Items scanned/verified at facility
8. Item status → stored
9. Action status → completed

Delivery Flow

1. Customer schedules delivery (Calendly) — 48hr+ notice
2. Webhook creates action (pending_items)
3. Customer selects stored items
4. Action status → pending_confirmation
5. Ops confirms booking
6. Ops retrieves items from storage
7. Ops delivers to customer
8. Customer confirms receipt
9. Item status → home
10. Action status → completed

Cancellation Flow

1. Customer cancels in portal
2. Action status → canceled
3. Item status reverts:
   - scheduled_pickup → home
   - scheduled_delivery → stored
4. No penalty (within policy)

Service Types

Service	Code	Description
Pickup	`pickup`	Collect items from customer, transport to storage
Redelivery	`redelivery`	Return stored items to customer
Container Delivery	`container_delivery`	Deliver empty containers (future)

Storage Operations

Facility Model

Micro-hub footprint — Scales via adjacent units / nearby sites
Climate-controlled — Protects customer items
Mapped locations — Every container has documented position

Container Management

Standard containers — Predictable capacity
QR codes — Every item labeled: SV-YYYY-NNNNNN
Scanning workflow — Chain-of-custody documentation

Scaling Pattern

Phase 1: Single unit (e.g., 280 sqft)
Phase 2: Adjacent units (840 sqft, same location)
Phase 3: Nearby micro-hub (new location, same market)
Phase 4: New market micro-hub

Metrics

Survival Metrics (Rolling 6 Months)

Metric	Target	Notes
Active Subscribers	Track growth	Core revenue driver
Contribution Margin	$200–$250/customer/mo	Unit economics health
Pickup/Return Cost	Minimize	Density dependent
Founder Support	$15k–$20k/mo	Sustainability draw
Exception Rate	Minimize	Service quality

Defensibility Metrics (12–18 Months)

Metric	Definition
CUM	Containers Under Management
IUM	Items Under Management
DVUM	Declared Value Under Management
Retrieval Frequency	p50/p90 pickups/returns per customer/month
Storage Utilization	% of leased capacity in use
Customer Retention	Monthly/annual churn rate

Go-to-Market Operations

Primary Wedge: Luxury Rentals

Amenity framing — Storage Valet as building amenity
Leasing office alignment — Partnership with property management
Move-in kits — Onboarding new residents
Seasonal campaigns — Holiday, back-to-school promotions
Building service days — Batch efficiency per building
Referral loops — Word-of-mouth in dense communities

Secondary: Homeowners

Condo/HOA partnerships — Building-level deals
Parent networks — School and activity group outreach
Neighborhood associations — Community positioning
Seasonal rotation positioning — Strollers, skis, holiday décor, baby gear

Partnership Model

Zero-Footprint Amenity

Lightweight in-building activations, always-on asset placement (flyers, digital signage). Storage lockers are utilities; SV reclaims space while improving resident experience.

Operational Risks & Mitigations

Risk	Mitigation
Flat plan overuse	Policy guardrails + batching + additional subscription for high-volume
Loss/damage trust	Documentation, chain-of-custody, clear protection policy, proper coverage
Operational scaling	Building density first, SOPs, inventory system, scheduling discipline
Last-minute changes	48-hour policy, clear cancellation rules
Route inefficiency	Building-specific service days, batching

Current Ops Tooling

What Exists:

Customer Portal — Item and booking management
Calendly — Appointment scheduling
Stripe — Payment processing
Supabase — Database and auth

What Does NOT Exist (Pre-Scale):

Admin booking dashboard
Ops item manifests
Automated reconciliation
Route optimization

Note

Ops tooling is future work. Current operations are manual with database queries as needed.

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