Yard StudioJamaica-first · scam-skeptical

Idea rules — Jamaica, 20/25 or it does not ship

Two laws sit on every concept.

1. [`JAMAICA_TRUST.md`](JAMAICA_TRUST.md) — never hold a household’s deposit, never take a utility password, never invent a coin. 2. This file — the five commercial rules you set. A concept must score 20/25 or it is dropped.

STATIN may choose *which pain is loud*. It never appears in the phone or the ad.

The five rules

1. Friction filter

Solve a high-frequency daily problem or a high-stress bottleneck. Prefer earn-or-save over lifestyle. Pass the WhatsApp group test: if people already hack this with voice notes and group chats, structure wins.

2. Adoption

See inventory, a price, or a card before any account. Then phone OTP (SMS or WhatsApp) — no email password. PWA, mid-range Android, Digicel/FLOW dropout. Every receipt exports to WhatsApp in one tap.

3. Trust architecture

Transparent price or open quote. Two-way ratings after a completed job. Providers verify with a National ID or driver’s licence photo. Named Jamaican company + 876 WhatsApp Business. Data Protection Act: export/delete, no resale of data.

4. Money flow

Cash, Lynk, or card to the other party — not through us. We do not hold consumer deposits or job escrow.

We *may* take money from providers as:

  • a prepaid lead balance (flat JMD per accepted job), or
  • a monthly Pro badge / subscription, or
  • a disclosed booking surcharge, or
  • a sponsored spotlight.

5. Lean operations

Automated matching. Self-serve provider onboarding. Support on WhatsApp Business. No dispatch office, no warehouse, no in-person sales required to launch.

Scorecard

Each dimension is 1–5. Proceed only at 20+.

#DimensionQuestion
1PainDaily hassle or costly bottleneck people already complain about?
2AdoptionCore action in under 60 seconds, value before account?
3TrustCan it run without users fearing a scam or losing money to us?
4MoneyWho pays, why they pay, how the cut is automatic?
5LeanLaunch without offices, manual dispatch, or a licence we do not have?

Dropped from the previous slate (under 20 or absorbed)

Old ideaTotalWhy it died
PumpPlain16Radio already says the pump price. No WhatsApp group. Nobody pays J$150 to log a litre.
WagePlain15Not an informal workaround. Households will not subscribe to write a slip.
FishPot16A slice of food. LoadYard is the actual group chat.
PipeTruth17Monthly paper. Tidewatt already reads a utility bill.
ExportLeaf14Low frequency, high CAC, no who-pays.
ZincIndex18A photo of a quote is not a market. Folded into YardTrade.
BoxLane17Paperwork without earning. ShopTake is the shop’s actual WhatsApp.
YardBasket (receipt only)17Awareness, not saving. LoadYard is the wholesale group.
Sitevoice (walk only)19A walk without matching is half a product. Absorbed into YardTrade.
LineCut / TermPaper / MedCounterAlready retired on 2026 STATIN. Still dead.

Hearthline (20) and Tidewatt (22) stay. They already have five-file packages under concepts/hearthline and concepts/tidewatt.

A 20/25 score is necessary, not sufficient. If the operator will not do the tap (route-taxi seats), if the liability is a child, if the product only works as escrow, or if demand is a stadium spike — kill it even at 24/25.

Red light (killed after they scored 20+)

IdeaPaper scoreWhy it still died
FareLeaf24Drivers will not update seats at speed. Fare cut < payment friction. inDrive/Uber own private rides.
SchoolLane20Child transport liability. Class WhatsApp is already free.
YardLot as parking20Formal lots will not integrate. Street packers want cash. Spiky events. Kit moved to YardNight.
StayLeaf20Short stay without a deposit ghosts and double-books. Airbnb is escrow. We will not be.

Yellow light (kept only after the pivot)

IdeaFix
WaterRunCategory on LoadYard, not an app.
TyreNowAuto & roadside on YardTrade, not an app.
BayQuoteBulk sand / cement / steel / lumber only. No mixed hardware inbox.
ShopTakeDowntown wholesale, meat marts, bakeries. No parlour catalogue.
ClipYardMobile stylists, locticians, home nail techs. No walk-in barbershop.
LessonBookAnnual J$5,000 directory listing. No seat engine.

The two-flagship rule (after the multi-app slate)

Do not ship a third matching company. YardTrade and LoadYard share one engine. Everything else is a category, a later experiment, or dead.

See `ENGINE.md`. Live under /ideas.