Price the monthly promise
A founder is pricing a monthly scheduling service using partners’ shared availability data. Free access suggests an attractive assumption: reusable data must be the cheapest input. A missed permission limit could put an unauthorised record into a customer’s schedule.
This hypothetical example uses assumed figures, not test results. Five contracted customers pay £100 each monthly: 5 × £100 = £500 revenue. A reviewer bills £40 an hour, with eight hours available monthly.
One record narrows the permission
Before review, a candidate record says “source: Partner A” and “permitted_use: internal_only”. The customer service falls outside that permission. The reviewer marks it “held”; the next schedule excludes it until this use is authorised.
Here, permission belongs to each contribution; a general reuse label cannot expand the partner’s grant. Like a door key, permission does not open every door. Checking terms and changes remains recurring delivery work.
The paid feed costs less to deliver
Both inputs provide enough authorised records. Shared inputs require eight review hours monthly: 8 × £40 = £320, leaving £180 after delivery costs. A feed licensed for this customer use costs £180 monthly plus two review hours: £180 + 2 × £40 = £260, leaving £240. Both fit the review limit. Choose the licensed feed under these assumptions. These balances are contribution before overhead, not net profit.
When shared inputs become cheaper
Compare each proposed schedule’s records, sources and permitted_use fields with partners’ current terms. An internal-only record included for delivery fails the check: hold it and resolve permission before releasing the schedule. Log billed review time across a complete monthly update, including permission queries.
Now change this hypothetical example: stable, authorised inputs need three review hours monthly. Shared delivery costs 3 × £40 = £120, leaving £380. The break-even point is £260 ÷ £40 = 6.5 review hours monthly. Below that, choose shared inputs; above it, the licensed option costs less.