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RMA & Repair Outsourcing - February 2026

Date: Feb 15, 2026
Status: URGENT - Jerry in town this month (window of opportunity)
Priority: HIGH (Founder sovereignty - Quan's time being consumed)

Current State (UNSUSTAINABLE)

What's happening:

Hundreds of ZTAGGERs reworked recently (battery swap + safety upgrade)
Work happening out of Quan's house
Quan handling disassembly, parts swap, soldering himself
Jerry in town temporarily (learning QC/manufacturing, will return to China)

Why this is a problem:

Not scalable - can't rework hundreds of units from home
Founder time drain - Quan has done this enough to understand it, but shouldn't be executing
Loss function violation - Sovereignty (#3 priority) compromised by operational work
Escape velocity blocker - Operations can't run without Quan if he's doing repairs

Battery recall context:

Chafing connector issue → safety upgrades required
Silver lining: Re-engagement opportunity with customers
But: Logistics can't depend on founder's garage

Goal: Outsource to Valencia Fulfillment

Why Valencia:

Already our shipping/fulfillment partner
Have our inventory, know our products
Logical extension: RMA/repair alongside fulfillment

What they need to provide:

Facility space - Clean workspace for disassembly/repair
Skilled technician - Someone who can:
- Disassemble ZTAGGERs
- Swap components (batteries, connectors, etc.)
- Light soldering (board-level repairs)
- Quality control (test after repair)
- Document work (what was done, parts used)
Process documentation - Quan specs it, they execute it
Inventory management - Parts, replacement units, defective returns
Turnaround time commitment - How fast can they repair and return?

Quan's role going forward:

✅ Spec the repair procedures (SOPs)
✅ Train the tech initially (or delegate to Jerry)
✅ Quality spot-checks (periodic audits)
❌ NO MORE hands-on repairs

Timeline & Action Items

THIS MONTH (Feb 2026) - Jerry Window

Week 1-2 (Now):

Contact Valencia Fulfillment - Gauge interest in RMA/repair expansion
- Who: Quan or Kristin (relationship owner?)
- Ask: "Can you handle RMA/repair with a skilled tech? What would pricing look like?"
- Timeline: Need answer ASAP (Jerry leaves soon)
Document current repair process (while Jerry is here)
- Battery swap procedure
- Safety upgrade steps
- Soldering requirements (what level of skill?)
- Testing/QC checklist
- Common failure modes
- Jerry can help document (he's learning this now)
Create repair tech job spec
- Skills required (soldering experience, electronics assembly)
- Training materials (SOPs, video demos)
- Expected volume (how many units/month?)
- Tools needed (soldering station, multimeter, etc.)

Week 3-4:

Valencia decision point
- If YES: Negotiate terms (per-unit repair cost, turnaround SLA)
- If NO: Identify backup fulfillment partners
Train Valencia tech (if Jerry still here)
- Jerry can train the first tech on QC + repair procedures
- Quan validates training
- Tech does supervised repairs (Jerry observes)

March 2026 (Post-Jerry)

Transition full RMA flow to Valencia
- Customers ship defective units → Valencia
- Valencia repairs or replaces
- Valencia ships back to customer
- Quan only involved in edge cases
Monitor quality (first 30 days)
- Spot-check repairs (pull random sample)
- Customer feedback (are repaired units working?)
- Defect rate tracking

Key Risks & Mitigations

Risk 1: Valencia says no

Mitigation: Have backup fulfillment partners researched (who else could do this?)
Fallback: Short-term contract with local electronics repair shop while we find long-term partner

Risk 2: Tech quality insufficient

Mitigation: Jerry trains + Quan validates before Jerry leaves
Ongoing: Monthly quality audits, customer satisfaction tracking

Risk 3: Cost too high

Mitigation: Calculate break-even (Quan's time value vs outsource cost)
- Quan's time: $150-300/hr (founder rate)
- If repair takes 30 min/unit → $75-150/unit founder cost
- Valencia charging <$50/unit = profitable outsource

Risk 4: Jerry leaves before tech is trained

Mitigation: Document procedures NOW (videos, written SOPs)
- Jerry can train remotely if needed
- Quan can validate final training

Success Metrics

Immediate (30 days):

Valencia committed OR backup partner identified
Repair procedures documented (SOPs + videos)
Tech hired and trained (if Valencia yes)
First 10 units repaired by Valencia (quality validated)

90 days:

Zero repairs happening at Quan's house
95%+ customer satisfaction on repaired units
<5% defect rate on repairs (need to re-repair)
Turnaround time <7 days (customer ships → receives repaired unit)

Escape Velocity Test:

Can RMA/repair run for 30 days without Quan's involvement? (Only check metrics, not hands-on)

Connection to Master Plan

Loss Function Priority:

#3 Founder Sovereignty - Quan's time freed from operational work
Escape Velocity Indicator - Operations run without Quan

Tier 2 Operational Manager:

This is the kind of operational automation that justifies Tier 2 graduation
Minnie role: Monitor RMA metrics, surface issues early, coordinate with Valencia

ROI Calculation:

Quan time saved: ~20 hours/month (estimate)
Value: $3,000-6,000/month (at $150-300/hr)
Outsource cost: ~$2,000-3,000/month (estimated)
Net ROI: $1,000-3,000/month saved + founder attention freed

Next Steps (THIS WEEK)

Action 1: Contact Valencia (Owner: Kristin or Quan?)

Email or call today
"We want to expand our relationship - can you handle RMA/repair?"

Action 2: Document procedures (Owner: Quan + Jerry)

While Jerry is here, capture:
- Video of battery swap
- Video of safety upgrade
- Written checklist for each
- Common failure modes
- Testing procedure

Action 3: Create tech job spec (Owner: Minnie)

I can draft based on Quan's input
What skills matter most?
What volume to expect?

Status: Ready to execute. Waiting for Quan's go-ahead to contact Valencia.

Captured: Feb 15, 2026 - Jerry window is NOW, don't let it close.

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