Grounded in: 747 meetings, 5,862 email threads, 390 deals, 809 leads, Quan's narrative, social physics framework
Date: February 2026
Version: 2.0 (fully refactored against real data)
ZTAG is not a company. It's a social mass accumulator.
When kids put on those taggers, they experience embodied connection — the thing humans evolved for, now stripped away by screens. The product works. The product sells itself. The data proves this: people WANT to buy. They love it. They engage enthusiastically.
Then they hit internal bureaucracy and stall.
The job is not sales. The job is pathway stewardship — routing interested people through their organizations' approval processes.
This is the core insight that changes everything.
| Signal | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Product-market fit exists | $4.2M lifetime closed revenue, 218 wins | deals.jsonl |
| Playmaker flywheel works | Jorge Monroy → immediate ask for summer training → case study offer | meetings |
| Warmth differentiates | Kristin's "goosebumps" + emoji approach creates loyalty | threads |
| Network Multipliers are gold | Derrick Wesby (BACR): 7+ units, zero selling required | threads |
| Direct model is right | Team consensus Dec-Feb: "We just say no" to distributors | meetings |
| Signal | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 94% meeting stall rate | 1 close out of 185 Kris meetings | deals.jsonl |
| $1.5M lost revenue | 98 closed-lost deals | deals.jsonl |
| $473K stuck 6+ months | 41 deals rotting in pipeline | deals.jsonl |
| VP approval kills deals | 44% of failures = timing/approval, not price | threads |
| School districts = lowest conversion | 28 lost deals ($362K) | deals.jsonl |
People want ZTAG. They don't need convincing. They need help navigating internal approval.
Fix that, and everything else follows.
ZTAG now operates through 7 defined purchasing pathways. See ZTAG_PATHWAYS_GOVERNANCE.md.
| Pathway | Type | Carmee Can Close? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant-Funded School/After-School | Yes |
| 2 | 3rd-Party After-School (Nonprofit) | Yes (if compliant) |
| 3 | City/Municipal Purchase | Yes |
| 4 | Camps | Yes |
| 5 | Operator/Experience-First Partnership | Yes |
| 6 | Pilot Program (District-Only) | No (Kris owns) |
| 7 | Professionals/Operators (Proposed Terms) | No (Kris owns) |
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| 94% stall rate | Don't quote before implicit "yes" |
| Quoting without qualification | Carmee routes/filters BEFORE quote |
| Distributor confusion | No pathway for distributors. STOP. |
| Unclear escalation | Decision table: Carmee closes 1-5, Kris owns 6-7 |
| Champions can't close | VP-ready materials (in development) |
Extracted from 76K emails and 747 meetings — not theory, observation.
Archetype: Victoria Morris (VOA LightHouse)
Behavior: Excited at first touch → goes silent for weeks/months → returns apologetically → needs VP approval → quote expires 2-3 times
What they need:
Actual quote: "Yes, ma'am I did and our VP is working thru to see if we can still put it into the budget."
Pathway: 1 or 3 (grant-funded or municipal)
Archetype: Jorge Monroy (City of Lancaster)
Behavior: Mid-level supervisor who discovered ZTAG → immediately thinks of other departments → coordinates across organization → asks procurement questions proactively
What they need:
Actual quote: "Our department fully backed the purchase of ZTag because of its ability to reach a broad and diverse audience. I oversee both Youth Services and Senior Services..."
Pathway: 3 (City/Municipal)
Archetype: Derrick Wesby (BACR)
Behavior: Already has ZTAG at multiple sites → expands organically → low-friction reorders → doesn't need selling, needs operational support
What they need:
Actual quote: "I will start working on the check request on my end and submit everything in the morning."
Pathway: 1 (repeat purchase, grant-funded)
Archetype: Angel Conde (LEARN LA)
Behavior: Wants large order (11 units!) → has hard cost-per-item limits → needs creative invoice structuring → funding falls through
What they need:
Pathway: 6 (Pilot) or graceful pause
Archetype: Erik Maxwell (GameTruck)
Behavior: Revenue-focused → operational concerns (training, swap logistics) → measures success by event feedback
What they need:
Pathway: 7 (Professional terms)
From Quan's paper "Physics of Celestial Bodies Applied to Social Dynamics" (November 2023):
"Social interactions and individual behaviors can be likened to the motion of celestial bodies governed by forces similar to those in the physical universe."
| Physics | Social Analog | ZTAG Application |
|---|---|---|
| Mass | Accumulated resonance | Brand strength, meeting corpus, institutional memory |
| Gravity | Attraction between aligned entities | Team crystallization, customer loyalty |
| Inertia | Resistance to change | Why bureaucracies stall deals |
| Escape Velocity | Force to break gravitational pull | Building toward founder-independence |
| Geodesic | Natural path through curved space | Let people follow their authentic trajectory |
ZTAG can be the first billion-dollar company with <10 employees, leveraging:
| Traditional | ZTAG AI-Leveraged |
|---|---|
| Customer intake: 3-5 people | AI + Carmee escalation |
| Training: 10-15 people | Steve + Playmaker Developers + AI |
| Finance: 3-5 people | Vania + Justworks + AI |
| Support: 10-20 people | AI first-line + Tin escalation |
| Sales: 5-10 people | Kristin + Carmee + AI qualification |
| Total: 40-70 people | 8-10 people |
If AI slows: Everyone slows. Relatively, same position. Base business works without AI.
If AI accelerates: ZTAG operates at 50-person scale with 10 people. Escape velocity achieved.
From Quan: "I could be skiing!"
| Person | Role | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Quan Gan | Vision / Architecture | Final authority on all pathways |
| Charlie Xu | Design & Brand | Advisory (async, by choice) |
| Vania | Finance | Full ownership (post-Charlie release) |
| Steven Hanna | Playmaker Lead | Training, Playmaker certification |
| Kristin Neal | Partner Relations | Pathways 6-7, district strategy |
| Carmee Sarvida | Pathways Coordinator | Pathways 1-5, routes/filters/closes |
| Tin De Guzman | Partner Support | Technical support, escalation |
| Klansys Palacio | AI Operations | Agent development, automation |
For ambiguous decisions that can't be resolved by first principles:
Evidence: "Thank you again for taking the time to train us today... it was clear how much thought, creativity, and intention went into the design of ZTAG."
Action: Quan does delivery + training for strategic accounts. This IS the Playmaker creation moment.
Evidence: BACR (Derrick Wesby) — 7+ units, no selling needed.
Action: Identify all accounts with 3+ units. Proactive: "Which sites are next?"
Evidence: Ben Delgado (Vaughn Charter) — closed because of June 30 fiscal year + Summer Olympics theme.
Pattern: Deadline + Use Case + Decision Maker = Close
Evidence: "We basically just say no... ZTAG is here to support people directly."
Action: No resellers, no commission, no middlemen. Period.
Evidence: Nobody says "I'm a Playmaker" during procurement. Identity forms AFTER delivery + training.
Action: Focus belief architecture on post-sale journey, not sales messaging.
Evidence: 94% of meetings stall.
Fix: Pathway classification BEFORE quote. No exceptions.
Evidence: HOKALI, Action Distribution stress, commission seekers.
Fix: No pathway exists. Process ends. Redirect to direct.
Evidence: 28 lost deals ($362K), lowest conversion.
Fix: Network Multipliers + warm referrals + clear timeline only.
Evidence: 8+ follow-ups to Victoria Morris, no progress.
Fix: After 3 follow-ups → quarterly check-in. Stop burning cycles.
Evidence: Zero identity language in procurement conversations.
Fix: Playmaker identity is POST-sale. Certification, badge, community.
VP-Ready Arsenal:
Metrics: Close rate 6% → 15%
Post-Sale Journey:
| Touchpoint | Timing |
|---|---|
| Delivery + Setup | Day 0 |
| Training | Week 1 |
| First Success Check-in | Week 2-4 |
| 30-Day Call + Testimonial Ask | Day 30 |
| Playmaker Welcome | Day 45 |
| 90-Day Review | Day 90 |
Metrics: 50+ certified Playmakers, 10 new testimonials
If close rate improved: Increase lead volume, test first non-Steve Playmaker Developer, pilot district deals.
If not improved: Deeper diagnosis, possible market segment shift.
2025 Actual: $2.3M revenue (66% of VTO target)
VTO 1-Year Targets (2025):
VTO 3-Year Targets:
VTO 10-Year Targets:
Starting from $2.3M (2025 actual), targeting growth:
| Outcome | 2025 Actual | 2026 Target | Growth | Path to Get There |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.3M | $3.0M | +30% | Fix close rate + VP materials |
| Close rate | ~6% | 15%+ | +150% | Pathway qualification + VP arsenal |
| Systems sold | ~230 | 300 | +30% | Clear pipeline first |
| New clients | ~150 | 200 | +33% | Network Multipliers + warm referrals |
| Certified Playmakers | N/A | 600+ | — | Post-sale flywheel |
| Network Multiplier accounts | N/A | 10+ | — | Highest ROI segment |
| Support tickets >48hr | N/A | 0 | — | Operational health |
The Growth Path: With $2.3M base and close rate improvement (6% → 15%), $3.0M is achievable. If close rate reaches 20%+, we approach VTO's $3.5M target.
From Quan:
"I don't necessarily care about myself, my person, as a legacy, but I have an expectation that with my hands, my experience, my time on this planet, I am able to create something that has great benefit to humanity, to the point that it's taken as a utility or a very basic thing."
The Dave McCoy test for every decision:
What we're building:
In 30 years, kids who grew up playing ZTAG will still remember the feeling. Not the brand. The feeling.
That's the legacy.
"Pathway stewardship, not sales execution. ZTAG sells itself."
The product creates joy. Bureaucracy creates friction. Our job is to reduce friction, not increase persuasion.
Route them correctly. Help them close internally. Build identity after they buy.
Everything else follows.
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| This document | Strategic vision + validated insights |
| ZTAG_PATHWAYS_GOVERNANCE.md | Operational authority (Carmee's bible) |
| CMO_STRATEGY_2026.md | Execution strategy by quarter |
| ACTION_PLAN_2026-02-15.md | Weekly execution |
| PARTNER_ALIGNMENT_ASSESSMENT.md | Where deals derail |
| quan_strategic_session_2026-02-13.md | Social physics + org design |
Document version: 2.0
Generated: February 2026
Grounded in: 747 meetings, 5,862 threads, 390 deals, 809 leads, Quan's narrative
For internal strategic use
"Let us not forget that we are both observers and participants in its unfolding drama, and that the paths we chart, individually and together, shape the mysteries and the majesties of our social universe."
— Quan Gan, "Physics of Celestial Bodies Applied to Social Dynamics"