Go to market · updated 2026-09-19

WTF is AI - Product Types & Access Model

A living map of what we sell (product types), how each is priced and delivered, and the access/infrastructure each one implies. Companion to wtf-products.md (the specific product lineup) and the monetization/delivery notes.

Last updated: 2026-09-19

The three product types (today)

1. Playbooks (+ prompts)

• What: short, on-brand PDF guides for SMB owners. Each bundles copy-paste AI prompts.
• Examples: Context (free), Which AI Tool ($29), AI Audit ($29). Price reset 2026-09-19: paid playbooks are $29 each (was $9), so the list price leaves room for discounts (launch, waitlist, affiliate codes). Bundle: $79 for three (vs $87 separately). Next two playbooks: Cut Your Website Costs (third, completes the bundle), then Subscription AI Products Are the Future. The Design System File is never sold as a playbook (we built software for it).
• Model: one-time purchase (à la carte or bundle). The first is a free lead magnet.
• Delivery: email the PDF, no login. PDFs hosted privately; only cover thumbnails are public.
• IP risk: low. A PDF is forwardable once bought - accept it, keep the price low. The funnel value (buyer list -> tools/courses) matters more than protecting a $29 PDF.

2. Tools / Prompts library (the dashboard)

• What: a dashboard of prompts + prompt-builder tools (interactive Q&A wizards that emit a tailored prompt - see "tools = prompt-builders" below) plus computed-result tools (Audit Scorecard, Tool Picker). Client-side only, no backend.
• Model: subscription - $10/mo or $99/yr. Starts at ~5 prompts/tools in the dashboard, grows over time (new ones = the reason to stay subscribed).
• Premium add-ons (à la carte, NOT in the $10/mo) - heavier prompt-builders, a deliberate "markup" tier above the dashboard, sold in two access tiers (refined 2026-06-28, supersedes the earlier "$300 for one year" single-user framing):
• Single-user: 30-day access to the builder - long enough to build your model once; the prompt + the spreadsheet you create are yours to keep forever. One-time purchase (~$300 for Projections; per tool). Short window because a single owner needs it once, and it nudges anyone with ongoing/client needs into the agency tier.
• Agency / Pro: $1,500/year, recurring (30% off → $1,050 for the first 10 agencies - founding cohort) - a commercial-use license: ongoing access to use across unlimited clients. Recurring is fair because it's a continuously-used, revenue-generating tool. (Team seats can come later; white-label is NOT needed - see Licensing tiers.)
• Enterprise / franchise: custom (a brand across locations/teams).
• Tools: Financial Projections (built; landing spec landing-financial-projections.md) · AI Audit (strong version) (planned). Reconcile AI Audit with the existing $29 playbook - see open decisions.
• Delivery: hosted (static, Cloudflare-friendly) behind subscriber access.
• IP risk: medium. Value is the curation + updates + the library, not any single prompt. Don't over-protect.

3. Courses

• What: recorded, evergreen, constantly-updated curriculum (101, then 201).
• Model: subscription, annual upfront. Rationale: we keep updating the material, annual smooths revenue + cuts churn, and it gates access to protect the IP.
• Delivery: gated login via a rented course platform (Podia / Teachable / Kajabi) - NOT custom auth.
• IP risk: high. Video is expensive to make and easy to re-share -> this is the one place we gate hard, and the price justifies a real platform.

Adjacent (from the existing funnel - see wtf-products.md)

Community (membership), Build Office Hours (1:1 consulting), Training (group). The three types above are the digital products; these are the community/service rungs around them.

Purchase paths (how someone buys)

• Buy playbooks + prompts - one-time, à la carte or bundle.
• Subscribe to the Tools/Prompts dashboard - $10/mo or $99/yr (~5 prompts/tools to start). Premium prompt-builders à la carte on top (e.g., Financial Projections $300/yr upfront).
• Subscribe to Courses - annual upfront.

These stack: one person could own a few playbooks, hold a tools subscription, and hold a course subscription - which is exactly why a single member account eventually makes sense (see below).

Access & infrastructure - the three open questions, answered

Q: Can we host the tools on Cloudflare?

Yes. The tools are static, client-side HTML/CSS/JS, so Cloudflare Pages (where the site already lives) serves them perfectly - fast, free, no server.

But hosting != gating. A static file on Cloudflare = a public URL = anyone with the link gets in.

• Free/public tools: Cloudflare static, done.
• Paid (subscription) tools: you need an access layer on top. Options:
• Cloudflare Access (email one-time-PIN gate) - lightweight, but you'd have to keep its allow-list in sync with your paying subscribers (via Stripe + automation). Workable, but it's billing and access living in two places.
• A membership/course platform's gated area - recommended once you have a platform, because billing and access are the same system.
• Cloudflare Workers + an entitlement check - the custom route; only if you outgrow the platforms.

Q: Do we need to keep any data from the tools?

No - keep the tools stateless / client-side. Inputs (their tasks, scores, answers) stay in the user's browser; nothing is sent or stored. That is:

• Simpler (no database, no storage),
• Safer (no privacy liability - especially for a tool where they type in their business's weak spots),
• A trust selling point: "your business data never leaves your browser."

Optional, later:

• Anonymous usage analytics (tool opened / completed, no personal data) via the existing GA4 - fine.
• "Save my work" only if the membership library wants it - and even then, store the user's outputs with consent, keep sensitive business data minimal or client-side. Don't store their data unless it clearly earns its keep.

Q: Does each user need a unique dashboard of what they can access?

• One-off playbooks: No. Email delivery, no account, no dashboard.
• Subscriptions (tools, courses): Yes - but do NOT build it. The moment you sell recurring access, users need a login + a "what you have access to" view. Get that from a membership/course platform (Podia / Teachable / Kajabi / Memberstack / Outseta), which provides login + entitlements + recurring billing + a member dashboard out of the box. One member account can then show: playbooks owned, tools subscription, course subscription - all in one place.

The trigger to graduate off "Stripe + email-the-link": as soon as there are two subscription products (tools + courses), a unified member account with entitlements becomes the backbone. That's when you adopt a platform. Until then, stay no-auth.

Phasing

• Phase 1 (now): playbooks + tools as one-off paid downloads, no login (Stripe Payment Link -> Apps Script emails the asset). Validate demand, build the buyer list.
• Phase 2: tools subscription + courses on a membership/course platform with login + a member dashboard (entitlements). The tools library becomes the retention engine; playbooks can either stay email-delivered or also live inside the member library.

The repeatable product unit: Playbook + Prompt + Tool

Each topic ships as a trio, which is the productization pattern going forward:

• Playbook - the why + how (PDF).
• Prompt - the operator prompt that turns any AI into the helper ("let AI do it").
• Tool - the interactive web app that does part of the work for them.

Pipeline / backlog (each = a Playbook+Prompt+Tool unit):

• Which AI Tool → Tool Picker
• AI Audit → Audit Scorecard
• Warm Intros → Prompt + Skill (no tool yet). First unit to ship a SKILL.md; the skill is the rung-3 teaching artifact for 101 Module 5 and 201 Module 2. $29, playbooks shelf. (2026-09-23)
• [~] Build financial projections with Claude → ships as a prompt-builder add-on tool: a short on-brand Q&A wizard (venture-backable? historicals? goals? horizon?) that outputs the tailored long prompt, which then builds the model one tab at a time (Assumptions → Revenue → Costs → P&L → Cash/Runway → Scenarios). Pricing: single-user ~$300 for a 30-day build pass (keep the prompt + model forever); agency $1,500/yr recurring ($1,050 founding rate, first 10) for unlimited client use (see Licensing tiers). The long prompt itself is written (WW-EDU/playbooks/prompts/financial-projections-prompt.md); the wizard wrapper is pending.
• (future topics - pricing, content calendars, customer-reply systems, etc.)

> Product sub-type added 2026-09-23 - Prompt + Skill. Some units ship the same procedure at two rungs: a paste-in prompt and a SKILL.md the buyer installs in Claude Code / Cowork. Same price as a playbook ($29); the skill is the differentiator and the teaching moment, not a markup. Warm Intros is the first.

> Note - not every unit needs a tool. A sufficiently deep, well-guard­railed guided prompt can be the premium product by itself (e.g., financial projections ~$300). The trio (Playbook + Prompt + Tool) is the default pattern, not a rule - some units are Playbook + Prompt only, and the prompt can be the high-ticket piece.

Hypothesis: tools may be worth more than the courses

Floated 2026-06-28 - worth tracking and likely true:

• Courses teach you to do the work; tools DO the work. People pay more for outcomes than for education. "Done-for-you" beats "learn-to-do." A tool that builds your financial projections is worth more than a course teaching you how.
• Tools are sticky (recurring use), updatable, zero marginal cost, and are literally mini service-as-software - the brand's whole endgame. Courses get consumed once and then churn.
• This can invert the usual funnel: instead of "course = the high-ticket item," the tools library becomes the flagship recurring product, and courses become the on-ramp that teaches you to use (and eventually build) the tools.

Caveat - value scales with how much the tool actually does. A scorecard is a handy utility; a tool that drafts your financial model is service-as-software. So:

• Price the tools tier to the work it does, not to "it's a web app."
• The tools subscription probably wants tiers (light utilities vs. heavy "does-the-work" tools), and a heavy tool could out-price the course or be sold/added à la carte.

Implication: revisit pricing - $10/mo may undersell a library that includes real "does-the-work" tools; consider tiers or premium per-tool add-ons.

Architecture insight: most tools = prompt-builders

Floated 2026-06-28. A unifying pattern for the whole tools library:

A tool is a short, friendly Q&A wizard that collects the user's specifics, then assembles a personalized, copy-ready prompt they paste into their own AI (Claude/ChatGPT). The tool does the "prompt engineering"; the user's AI does the heavy lifting.

Why this is the right architecture for us:

• Cheap + infinitely scalable: it's a deterministic form → template. No AI API calls, no per-use cost, no backend.
• Stateless / client-side: nothing stored (matches the privacy stance) and it's static → hostable on Cloudflare Pages (matches the hosting answer).
• On-brand: the brand teaches "context is the lever." These tools literally collect context and emit a context-rich prompt.
• No platform lock-in: works with whatever AI the user already has.
• It kills the "scary blank template" problem. Instead of handing someone a giant prompt full of [brackets] to fill in, the wizard fills the blanks via friendly Q&A and outputs a clean, personalized prompt.

Two output modes (a tool can do one or both):

1. Computed result - e.g., the Audit Scorecard's live ranking/buckets. Deterministic value shown on screen.
2. Personalized prompt - e.g., the Tool Picker's starter prompt, or a Projections wizard that asks the diagnostic Q&A (venture-backable? historicals? goals? horizon?) and outputs the tailored long prompt, pre-filled with their situation.

Default going forward: every tool ends by handing the user a prompt tailored to their answers (plus a quick on-screen result where it adds value). Consistent library promise: "answer a few questions → get the exact prompt for your situation."

Note: this is distinct from a "does-the-work" tool (one that calls an AI API and returns the finished output). Those cost money per use, may store data, and need a backend - reserve them for later/premium. Prompt-builders are the cheap, scalable default.

Licensing tiers: personal vs. commercial (the "they use it for their clients" question)

Raised 2026-06-28. The insight: a solo owner using a tool for their own business extracts one unit of value; a consultant / bookkeeper / fractional CFO / agency using it for their clients extracts 10x+ (they charge clients $1,500+ per model). That commercial use should cost more - this is normal license tiering, not greed.

Recommendation: match the access window to how each buyer uses it.

• Personal / single-business - 30-day access (~$300, one-time). You build your model once and keep the prompt + spreadsheet forever; tool access expires at 30 days. Matches the real need (build-and-keep) and prevents reuse as a stealth client tool.
• Agency / Pro - $1,500/year, recurring (founding rate: 30% off → $1,050 for the first 10 agencies). Ongoing access, unlimited clients - fundamentally a commercial-use license (the right to use it for paid client work, which the single-user pass doesn't grant). Recurring fits a continuously-used, revenue-generating tool. Team seats can come later.
• Enterprise / Franchise - custom (a brand across locations/teams). The literal "franchisee" case.

> Why the asymmetry works: a single owner needs the builder once (then keeps the output), so a one-time 30-day pass fits. An agency uses it continuously to make money, so an annual recurring license fits - and naturally, anyone trying to serve clients on the cheap single-user pass is pushed to the $999 tier.

Enforcement is a LICENSE, not a lock. You can't technically stop a prompt-builder from being reused, so it's terms-of-use + honor system - which actually works for this buyer, because pros who resell value are reputation-driven and want clean licensing. Make the Pro tier attractive, not just permitted - but note white-label is NOT needed: the agency's deliverable is their own spreadsheet model (no WTF branding on it to hide), and only the agency sees the tool. So the value is the commercial-use right itself + ongoing unlimited-client access + priority/early access to new premium tools + (later) team seats. Keeping the WTF brand visible on the tool is intentional - it's the positioning ("SMB prompts for your business, or your clients' businesses") and a free distribution channel through the agencies.

Strategic upside: selling to the people who sell often beats selling to end owners - pros buy readily (it makes them money), have budget, and become a distribution channel (their clients meet your brand). It also feeds Build Office Hours. Consider an affiliate/referral angle for pros too.

Start simple: launch Personal now; name the Pro tier on the page ("Using this with clients? You need a Pro license - [contact / $X]") even before it's fully built. That signals commercial use isn't free, captures the high-value buyers, and lets you learn real demand before pricing it precisely.

Open decisions

• AI Audit → premium add-on? Build a stronger AI-Audit prompt + clear user directions and position the strong version as a premium add-on (markup), NOT in the $10/mo dashboard (like Financial Projections). Decide how it relates to the existing $29 AI-Audit playbook: keep the $9 basic version as the on-ramp + sell the strong version as an upsell, or replace it. (Raised 2026-06-28.)
• Must-have for the stronger version (2026-06-29): capture the full software/SaaS stack they use to run ops - for their own business AND for client services - so the audit can show how to automate across it and cut cost (consolidate overlapping tools, kill redundant subscriptions, replace manual glue). Payoff = time saved and money saved on tooling. (Detail in WW-EDU/playbooks/tools/audit-scorecard.spec.md.)

• Course pricing: reconcile the earlier $1,350 one-time figure (in the monetization notes / wtf-products.md) with the new annual-subscription direction.
• Which platform for Phase 2 (Podia/Teachable/Kajabi for courses; can it also host the tools library + member dashboard?).
• Do playbooks also live inside the member library, or stay one-off email delivery only?
• Tools-library cadence: how often a new tool ships (the thing that justifies $10/mo).

See wtf-products.md (detailed product lineup) and the monetization/delivery notes (Stripe Payment Link -> Apps Script verify-on-redirect -> email-the-link; rent the course platform, don't build auth).