The three questions every reservation hinges on, answered in plain language. Everything else is below.
Can I get a refund?
Yes — any time before your public app goes live, the $49 reservation comes back in full
(minus any hard costs you explicitly approved, like a registered domain). After the app is
live, the launch pass itself is non-refundable, but support credits may be granted for
service failures. Full refund policy →
What does $49 actually cover?
The reservation removes your chosen brand pack from public inventory, kicks off the
AppFactory build, and unlocks Mission Control immediately along with 500 monthly credits and
your first 30 active operating days. No auto-renew.
When does the 30-day clock start?
At checkout. You pay $49 and Mission Control opens in the same step; the AppFactory
builds your app in the background. A May 1 reservation runs May 1 → May 31.
Why pay $49 before my app is built?
Reservation is the strongest signal that this brand pack should leave the public inventory
and that we should fund the AppFactory build for it. Mission Control opens immediately so you
can start operating — review the ICP, secure a domain, and prep first-customer outreach — while
the app is built in the background. You'll get a Mission Control banner and an email the moment
the public app is running.
What if I change my mind before the app goes live?
Refundable, except for any hard costs you've explicitly approved (e.g. a registered
domain). The launch pass itself comes back. Once the public app is live the launch pass is
non-refundable, but support credits may be granted for service failures. Full
refund policy →
Can monthly credits pay for the $49 monthly renewal?
No, by design. If monthly credits could pay the renewal that grants those monthly credits,
the loop becomes circular and a dormant account could keep renewing itself forever. Renewal
is paid from earned credits or your saved card. New monthly credits are granted after the
renewal succeeds.
Why a credit system instead of dollar prices?
Because the same platform ships several different kinds of work — features, domains,
infrastructure, branding — and a single unit of account makes the whole loop legible.
Quotes, reserves, settlements, and revenue all live on one ledger.
What is "1 credit ≈ $0.10"?
It's the implied platform value of a credit, calibrated against the $49 subscription
that includes 500 credits. It is not a redemption guarantee — only earned credits are
withdrawable as cash, at face value.
Why is the platform fee taken from net receipts?
It's fairer to take our 30% after payment processing fees and tax pass-throughs, not
on top of them. Your earned-credit balance reflects what you actually keep before
reserves.
What is the credit-purchase bonus?
If you top up credits beyond your monthly inclusion, the Business Operator tier adds
10% to every purchase, and the Portfolio Operator tier adds 15%.
So a $100 top-up that gives 1,000 credits at Starter gives 1,100 at Business and 1,150 at
Portfolio. The bonus only applies to purchased credits — monthly inclusions and earned
credits aren't affected.
Do unused monthly credits roll over?
Yes — capped at 1,000 monthly credits at the Starter tier, with higher caps at Business
and Portfolio. They don't accumulate forever, because that creates a liability on our side
and lets dormant accounts crush margins later.
Can I withdraw the credits I bought or my monthly credits?
No. Only earned credits — those generated from your app's revenue, after fees and
reserves — can be withdrawn as cash. This keeps the credit system from becoming a
money-transmission product.
What if my business doesn't earn yet?
The Starter tier is the right place to be: $49/mo gets you 500 credits, the catalogue,
and the advisors. There's no platform fee to pay until there's revenue to share.
When should I commission a Custom Business Build?
When the catalogue doesn't already cover your niche and your audience needs a product
that isn't there yet. Custom builds start at $5,000 and run on a 1-week discovery + 1–4 week
build cycle, then you're in the seat. You own all the IP outright from day one — code, brand,
domain, customers — and can keep operating from your CEO Arcade dashboard if you want.
Can I eventually own a business outright?
Two paths. Custom Business Builds ship with full IP ownership from day one
— no separate buyout step. Catalogue cabinets can be converted via the buyout
pathway into a direct PermaShip engagement with code, asset, and customer handoff;
default terms are 12× MRR.
Are catalogue businesses the same underneath?
Same engine, different brand, niche, customer, and feature trajectory. Operator
decisions diverge from week one — two operators on the same starter end up with two
different products inside a year.