Decision
Rye Valley will continue working with Emil Barr (Flashpass) under a revised structure: the Megaphone retainer ($10K/month or revised $5K/month) stays in place, with a commission element added on top for brokering introductions and participating in calls related to Emil’s new gov data venture. Equity stake remains on the table pending Emil’s involvement decision.
Personal branding work is paused by Emil’s choice (not a Rye Valley service termination).
Context
Emil is stepping back from personal branding spend ($20K/month) because his current gov-tech work can’t be publicly discussed, leaving no compelling story to build on. He is launching a new business - using FOIA requests and lawsuit threats to extract government data and sell it to frontier AI labs - and wants Michael involved in some capacity beyond the existing retainer. The question is what level: retainer-only, agent-building help, or a deeper equity partnership.
Options considered
- Retainer only ($10K/month) - Keeps existing Megaphone relationship, no new deal
- Retainer + commission - Add commission on intros and call participation for the gov data deals
- Equity partnership - Deeper involvement in building the gov data business itself
The decision landed on option 2 as the starting point, with option 3 still on the table after Emil decides by Friday.
Consequences
- Emil will respond by Friday with his involvement preference (retainer-only, agent-building, or equity)
- Michael will prepare a revised retainer/commission structure proposal covering the $5K or $10K base plus commission terms
- Michael will introduce Emil to Ali (thread + possible three-way call)
- Personal branding deliverables are on hold until Emil re-engages that work
Linked meeting: Emil Sync
scope: rye-valley - This is Rye Valley’s commercial engagement with a consulting client; the consequences fall on Rye Valley’s revenue and delivery scope.