Frequently Asked Questions

No. A franchise locks you into their brand, their vendors, their pricing, and their operating manual. You pay ongoing royalties for using their name.

SafeStax is a partnership. You keep your brand. You choose your vendors. You set your prices. You own the capability we build together.

The difference: Franchises extract value from you. SafeStax shares success with you.

Minimum equipment:

• Plasma cutter: $3K-$15K
• Brake (4'-10' depending on cap sizes): $2K-$8K
• Basic hand tools: $500-$1K
• Total startup: $8K-$25K

ROI timeline: At 50 caps/year, you'll pay back equipment costs in 6-12 months from margin improvement alone. Plus, R&D tax credits apply to equipment purchases (recover 6-8%).

Absolutely. Chris Terronez had zero fabrication experience when he started. He was making caps in 4 days using the SafeStax system.

Why it works:

• The parametric files do the math (no sheet metal engineering required)
• The ERP tells employees what to do at each station (step-by-step)
• The training manual shows them how (video + written)
• Jeffrey teaches YOUR people with YOUR tools in YOUR shop

Before Jeffrey leaves, your team will make REAL products. That's the guarantee.

Small shops are ideal partners. If you're doing 30+ caps/year outsourced, the economics work.

At 50 caps/year:

• Vendor cost: $25,000
• In-house cost: $11,500
• Savings: $13,500
• Partnership fee (5%): $1,250
• Net benefit: $12,250 annually

Plus you gain speed, quality control, and differentiation from competitors still outsourcing.

If you're doing less than 20-30 caps/year, you're probably better off outsourcing. The ROI doesn't work yet.

But here's the thing: Once you CAN make caps in-house, your volume often GROWS because:

• You can offer faster turnaround than competitors
• You can do custom options vendors can't match
• You control quality and delivery promises
• You can be more competitive on pricing

Your volume will likely increase BECAUSE you have the capability.

Most general-practice CPAs don't specialize in R&D credits. It's a niche area, but it's legitimate and valuable.

What qualifies:

• Process development
• Tool optimization and jig design
• Quality improvement experiments
• Training hours (learning new processes)
• Custom design work

What SafeStax provides:

• Activity logs
• Technical descriptions
• R&D narrative for your CPA
• Everything needed to file the claim

Example recovery: $50K Year 1 development costs → ~$3,250 federal credit + potential state credits.

Retroactive claims: You can claim 2022-2024 expenses if you haven't already (deadlines vary by filing date—consult your tax professional).

The agreement has a termination clause with 90 days notice.

If you exit:

• You keep the files you've already paid for (via revenue share)
• You lose access to future updates and new products
• You lose territory exclusivity
• You lose partner community and support

Reality check: No one has left yet. Because the system keeps getting better, and the partnership keeps paying off.

Because I don't want to charge you $500/month whether you're using it or not.

The SafeStax model scales with YOUR revenue:

• Slow quarter → your payment is lower
• Great quarter → I benefit too
• You grow → my percentage goes DOWN (3% vs 5%)

I succeed when you succeed. Not when you pay a subscription regardless of results.

Look at the track record:

• Daniel Gainey — Advanced Chimneys (Aiken, SC). Started September 2025. Producing quality caps. Still in regular contact.
• Chris Terronez — Chimney Restorations of KC (Kansas City). Zero fabrication experience → operational in 4 days. Will be at NCSG convention—you can ask him directly.

Why I'm not going anywhere:

• I'm building a network (your success is my success)
• If you fail, I lose recurring revenue
• I use these systems daily at The Chimney Guys
• I'll be at NCSG Feb 24-28 (come meet me in person)

This isn't a fly-by-night consultant. This is a practitioner building a long-term platform.

Territory protection means:

• 50-75 mile radius (suburban/rural) or county-based (urban)
• First-come gets their market locked
• I won't bring another SafeStax partner into your zone

Why it matters: You invest time, money, and energy building in-house capability. The last thing you want is me flooding your market with 10 competitors using the same system.

Performance requirement: Minimum $50K annual wholesale sales to maintain exclusivity (prevents "squatting").

If someone in your city signs up at NCSG before you do, your territory is gone. First-come wins.

Timeline:

• Week 1: Partnership agreement, account setup, initial file access
• Week 2-3: On-site training at your shop (duration depends on team size and pace)
• Week 4: Team making real products with support
• Week 6-8: Independent production, quarterly check-ins begin

Within 30-60 days, you're operational. Within 90 days, you're profitable.

NCSG Convention (Feb 24-28, 2026): Find Jeffrey there. Talk to Chris Terronez in person. See if this is real.

Shop tours: Not standard (partners are busy running their businesses), but references available. Daniel Gainey and Chris Terronez can vouch for the system.

Discovery call: 30-minute conversation to assess fit before any commitment.