sns-network-solutions/businesses/01-networking/sns-infrastructure-hiring.md

SNS Infrastructure — Operator Hiring Plan (Business #1)

Goal: Stand up SNS Infrastructure LLC as the first operating business and hire one trusted person to truly run it day-to-day — kept deliberately right-sized, not scaled aggressively. Success = the business runs profitably and stands on its own with minimal owner involvement, freeing the owner to launch Business #2. Parent: SnS Network Solutions Holdings LLC · Division brand: sns-infrastructure.md

Business/HR playbook, not legal or tax advice. Have an Indiana employment attorney review the offer letter, profit-share terms, and restrictive-covenant language, and a CPA/payroll provider set up withholding and workers' comp before hiring.

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0. What "Right-Sized" Means Here

This is a stay-small-on-purpose business — a stable, high-quality local operation, not a growth-at-all-costs company. Target shape:

• Team: the Operator + project-based contractors via Field Nation / Work Market for labor. Convert to W-2 techs only once steady work justifies more than ~2 people. Owner is part-time and hands-off after ramp.
• Territory: South Bend / Michiana + roughly a 1-hour radius. Don't chase work across the state.
• Clients: a curated base of the brand's target customers (small/medium businesses, churches, medical/law offices, etc.) with repeat and referral work — not one-off low-margin jobs.
• Posture: protect margin and reputation over volume. Say no to bad-fit jobs. Add a tech only when utilization genuinely demands it.

Why this is a good strategy, not a limitation: higher margins, lower stress, less capital at risk, easier to run without the owner, and a quality reputation that feeds referrals — exactly the "trusted long-term partner" the parent brand wants.

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1. The Real Decision

You are hiring the person who will be the business day-to-day and be trusted to run it. Three archetypes:

Archetype	What they do	Cost	Fit for a right-sized shop
A. Cheap installer	Pulls cable, follows orders	Low ($18–24/hr)	✗ Can't run anything; you'd still be the boss
B. Operator-Lead (working manager) ✅	Runs day-to-day and does billable field work	Mid–High ($75–95k + profit-share)	✓ The right hire — one person runs a small, tight operation
C. Pure General Manager	Manages/sells only, no hands-on	High ($90k+)	✗ Overkill; a small shop can't carry a non-billing manager

Recommendation: hire Archetype B — an "Operator-Lead." For a deliberately small business you need one dependable person who runs the operation and still turns a wrench: schedules and delivers work, quotes jobs, keeps clients happy, manages 1–2 techs, and owns the outcome — without needing you day-to-day.

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2. The Ideal Candidate Profile

Title: Operations Lead / Working Manager (Founding Operator)

A dependable senior network/low-voltage professional (7–12 years) who wants to run their own shop without the risk of owning it. They're organized, honest, client-friendly, and take pride in a job done right — the type who wants stability and responsibility, not to build an empire or spin off their own competing company.

Temperament matters as much as skill here: you're handing over the keys. Look for someone motivated by ownership of outcomes and steady, fair upside, who embodies the brand's principles — open standards, security by design, documentation matters, automate repetitive work, build for tomorrow.

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3. Responsibilities

Do the work (Day 1):

• Structured cabling (Cat6/6A, fiber), termination, and certification testing
• Network install/config: routers, switches, VLANs, firewalls, VPNs
• Wireless: site surveys, AP placement, controller config (UniFi/Meraki/Aruba)
• Rack build-outs, labeling, and as-built documentation

Run the business (once ramped — this is the "truly run it" part):

• Scheduling, dispatch, and project delivery
• Site walks, scoping, estimating, and proposals
• Owning client relationships and repeat/referral pipeline
• Vendor/distributor accounts (Graybar, ADI, Wesco/Anixter)
• Maintaining SNS install standards, documentation, and pricing
• Managing 1–2 technicians and their quality/safety

Steady-state (NOT aggressive growth):

• Keep utilization healthy and margins protected
• Add a technician only when demand clearly requires it
• Maintain the reputation and client base — protect quality over volume

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4. Skills & Certifications

Must-have

• 7+ years hands-on networking + structured cabling
• Cisco CCNA or CompTIA Network+ (routing/switching competence)
• Structured cabling + fiber termination; comfortable with a cable certifier (Fluke)
• Operational maturity — can schedule, quote, manage a small crew, and be relied on to run the shop
• Proven client-facing communication and clean documentation habits
• Valid driver's license + clean driving record (company vehicle)
• Able to lift ~50 lbs, work on ladders/lifts, pass a background check

Strongly preferred

• BICSI (Installer 2 / Technician) or RCDD for design
• Wireless vendor certs (Ubiquiti UEWA, Cisco Meraki, Aruba)
• CompTIA Security+ (bridges into the future SNS Secure division)
• Estimating/quoting experience; has run jobs end-to-end

Bonus

• Has run a small crew, branch, or their own service operation reliably
• Local relationships with GCs, electricians, property managers, businesses
• Linux/automation familiarity (aligns with SNS Systems)

Screen out on: all theory / no hands-on, no documentation discipline, can't explain tech simply, unexplained job-hopping, or signals they really want to start their own company (that's a future competitor, not your operator).

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5. Compensation — South Bend Market (verify at hire)

See operator-compensation-proposal.md for the current, detailed pay proposal (loan-funded 6-month runway, base + commission + build bonus, and the contractor labor model). The summary below is the general framing.

Local 2026 reference points: low-voltage/cabling techs average ~$25/hr (~$43k/yr); experienced network engineers in South Bend run $80k–110k; lead comms/data techs $100k+. An Operator-Lead who runs the shop sits at the top of the technician band into the engineer band.

Recommended structure — solid base + profit-share (fits a stable, right-sized business better than growth commissions):

Component	Range	Notes
Base salary	$75,000–$95,000	Pay fairly — you're trusting them to run it
Profit-share	10–15% of the division's net profit, paid quarterly/annually	The key lever: rewards profitability and stability, not chasing volume
Retention/quality bonus	modest annual	Tied to client retention + clean delivery, reinforcing "right-sized"
Company vehicle	~$400–700/mo (lease) or mileage reimbursement
Tools + certifier	$5,000–15,000 one-time	Fluke certifier is the big line item
Cert reimbursement	~$1,500/yr	Keeps skills current, builds loyalty
Phone/laptop	~$100/mo

Why profit-share, not equity: you want to keep full ownership under the Holdings company and move on to Business #2. Profit-share (cash) makes the Operator treat the business like their own without giving up any ownership — and because you're keeping it small, a healthy net-profit share is genuinely motivating. (Equity/vesting is optional and only worth considering later if this person becomes irreplaceable — get attorney/CPA advice first.)

Fully-loaded first-year cost: base + ~25–30% employer burden (payroll taxes, workers' comp — higher for field/low-voltage class codes, benefits) + vehicle + tools. Budget roughly $115,000–$145,000 all-in for year one, front-loaded by the one-time tools/certifier purchase.

Cash-flow reality: this person costs money before the division earns it. Hold 6–12 months of their loaded cost in reserve, or start them part-time / contract-to-hire until the pipeline supports full-time.

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6. Keeping It Running Without You (this is the whole point)

Because you intend to step back and move to Business #2, key-person risk is your #1 threat: one person will hold the clients and the know-how, and could leave — or leave and compete. The goal is a business that runs without you and can't walk out the door. Non-negotiables:

1. Stay involved until it's genuinely self-sufficient (see §11), then step back deliberately — don't disappear on day one.
2. Own the assets, not just the labor. Client contracts, the phone number, domain, website, documentation, pricing, and vendor accounts belong to SNS Infrastructure LLC — never to the individual.
3. Document everything (a core brand principle). Standards, processes, client as-builts, and pricing live in the company so it survives any one person and a new tech can be onboarded from the binder. This is your real insurance policy.
4. Profit-share retention. A fair net-profit share is the strongest reason a dependable operator stays and runs it well instead of leaving to start their own.
5. Restrictive covenants — narrow non-solicitation, see §9.
6. Don't let one person be a single point of failure forever. Even at "right-sized," a second cross-trained tech means the business isn't hostage to one person's calendar or mood.

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7. Where to Find This Person (South Bend / Michiana)

• Ivy Tech Community College (South Bend/Elkhart) — networking/IT programs; junior-tech pipeline plus further-along grads/instructors. Build the relationship early.
• Poach from local/regional integrators, AV/security firms, and ISPs — a seasoned tech tired of big-company bureaucracy who wants to run a shop is the ideal fit.
• Electrical/low-voltage contractors — cross-trained field techs.
• Referrals — ask your network first; the best trade operators rarely apply cold.
• BICSI directory / LinkedIn / Indeed — filter CCNA/Network+/BICSI within ~50 mi.
• South Bend Regional Chamber & trade groups — candidates and future clients.

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8. Screening & Interview Process

1. Phone screen (20 min): experience, why leaving, comp expectations, license, and what they actually want — running a stable shop vs. starting their own.
2. Technical interview (60 min): walk through a past project end-to-end; have them design a small office network + cabling plan out loud.
3. Operations interview: how they'd schedule a week, quote a job, handle an unhappy client, and keep a crew organized. You're testing whether they can run it, not just wire it.
4. Hands-on assessment: terminate a Cat6 cable + explain a cert test, or review a real quote — confirm the hands match the résumé.
5. Client-communication test: explain a technical concept to a "coffee-shop owner." Make-or-break for someone who owns client relationships.
6. References (2–3): former manager + a client. Probe reliability, documentation, honesty, and how they leave employers.
7. Background + driving-record check (client premises + company vehicle).
8. Contract-to-hire / trial project — strongly recommended to de-risk handing someone the keys.

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9. Legal & Employment Setup (Indiana)

• Employer of record: a W-2 employee of SNS Infrastructure LLC, not the Holdings parent — keeps employment liability walled off in the subsidiary.
• Payroll & taxes: register Indiana withholding (INBiz BT-1) + a payroll provider (Gusto/QuickBooks/ADP). Get the subsidiary's EIN.
• Workers' comp — required in Indiana, essential for ladder/field work; rates for low-voltage/construction class codes are meaningful — budget for it.
• Employment agreement: Indiana is at-will; still put duties, base, the profit-share formula and how net profit is calculated, confidentiality, and IP assignment in writing to avoid disputes.
• Restrictive covenants (Indiana-specific): Indiana enforces non-competes / non-solicitation only if reasonable in scope, duration, and geography and tied to a protectable interest (client lists, training, trade secrets). Courts "blue-pencil" (strike overbroad terms, won't rewrite), so draft narrow: a non-solicitation of SNS clients/employees for 1–2 years is far more enforceable — and more useful — than a broad "can't work in networking" clause. Attorney-drafted.
• General liability insurance for on-site work.

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10. First 90 Days (onboarding)

• Week 1: entity/payroll/insurance live; company email, vehicle, tools issued; review SNS standards, documentation templates, and safety expectations.
• Weeks 2–4: shadow/lead first jobs with you present; set up vendor accounts and the standard estimate/quote and as-built templates.
• Month 2: they own scoping and quoting; you review before it goes out. Confirm the profit-share formula and reporting.
• Month 3: they run delivery end-to-end; you shift to reviewing numbers, not doing the work. Agree the written self-sufficiency milestones (§11).

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11. "Standing On Its Own" — the trigger to start Business #2

Move to Business #2 only when SNS Infrastructure clears these, ideally sustained 3–6 months:

• ✅ Positive net profit for 3–6 consecutive months without the owner doing billable work.
• ✅ The Operator independently handles sales, quoting, delivery, and client relationships.
• ✅ Processes and pricing are documented — a new tech could be onboarded from the binder.
• ✅ A cash reserve (several months of operating cost) is maintained.
• ✅ Owner's weekly involvement is down to a few hours of review (numbers, approvals, exceptions).

Until then, keep at least one foot in the business.

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12. First-Hire Cost Summary

Item	One-time	Recurring (yr 1)
Base salary	—	$75,000–95,000
Employer burden (~25–30%)	—	~$19,000–29,000
Profit-share	—	10–15% of net profit (variable)
Vehicle	—	~$5,000–8,500 (lease)
Tools + Fluke certifier	$5,000–15,000	—
Cert reimbursement	—	~$1,500
Workers' comp + GL insurance	—	varies (get quotes)
Payroll software	—	~$600–1,200
Rough all-in year one		~$115,000–145,000

Bottom line: hire a dependable Operator-Lead who wants to run a shop without owning the risk. Pay a fair base plus a net-profit share so they treat it like their own, keep all clients/assets/documentation in the LLC, protect margin and reputation over volume, and stay involved until the business stands on its own (§11) — then step back and start Business #2.