Feedback wanted - Contract for a position as "master extractor" director of operations

I am looking for some feedback on a recent contract that was proposed to me. This industry can be cut throat and I’ve been screwed out of a gig in the past and its something that seems to be all too common. In my opinion the contract presented just seems to be a way to get what the company wants and to do so at a very cheap rate while dangling big numbers as a future salary to make it appear like its legit. I have come to learn you HAVE to watch your back in this industry and even though something can seem good its not always going to be the case. I know what looks wrong here but I want to get my gang member feed back, how would you guys address this contract if you were the one receiving it? Share your thoughts, give your honest opinion, and feel free to ask me questions about it and I can answer them to the best of my ability. Keep in mind that this is a legit proposal that was given to me after I have already consulted this company for a previous lab design and equipment layout for a flat rate. With the facility coming close to being finished there has now been the talk of giving me this opportunity to be in charge of the processing area, however as I mentioned above there are things to this contract that just don’t make sense and it really seems like its something that’s a too good to be true situation.

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Looks like a good deal to me. Mind highlighting your concerns? I skimmed it and it seems pretty standard.

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What part are you concerned about?

As far as contracts go this one is fairly standard and kind of simpler than the ones Im used to seeing. I wouldn’t be too concerned if you are comfortable with the work environment and your bosses.

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$20/hour for all work done until the facility has passed inspection and also the 90 days required before termination. basically meaning I have no way of getting new employment because I would be tied to them for that 90 days.

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How much more work needs to be done until you think you’ll pass an inspection?

its hard to say because I don’t feel very involved in any decision making nor do I believe that it makes sense to build this project out at 20/hour prior to getting the full salary rate. it just seems very low ball compared to what’s being offered as a salary and kind of like they would be using me to get them to the point of operation and then not following through… I could be over analyzing it but its a lot of work to build and facilitate this type of project from the ground up.

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Everything… A to Z

Your skills setting up the place are more valuable than running a well set up facility.

Get the salary the whole time. Immediate benefits.

Ask for profit sharing as well. Worst they can do is say no.

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exactly…if your that valuable for them in the future… Have them show it now. they already made a 100K+ offer now time to pay up…LOL

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profit sharing is there, they have offered 2.5% but the salary wouldn’t start until its operational and there are no benefits like medical, dental, vision

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Are you selecting equipment and everything? It’s a totally blank slate? What scale? Are you doing crude extraction, distillation etc or just one process?

I agree, when I had addressed this however I was given the response that 20/hour is all that can be offered prior to the completion and he seems very unwilling to budge which makes me concerned that this is a contract where its somewhat worded to make me feel like im getting what I want but really not the case… its hard to know the best way to go about it because I don’t know that he’s going to budge from what’s offered

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For that compensation package you’d be able to pay for all of those easily. I pay for my own insurances and they’re great. I guess that is a bit sketch but I guess its some sort of incentive to get the ball rolling. If you have money saved up I’d suggest talking to a business lawyer who specializes in these types of contracts. Those types of lawyers are more common in C level contract negotiations but I’m sure you could use them to figure out what legal fallback you have.

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I am selecting equipment, doing all SOPs, hiring, training, etc… complete blank slate. I have planned to develop the proceeding in phases, starting with hydrocarbon extraction first.

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Listen to @Killa12345, this is just like how my recent SOP bidding war got started I got hired on at 20 an hour while I developed the method and SOP while the Lab was completed with the promise I would be moved to 150k after I completed the SOP and scaled it to size lab was finished and well they decided they didnt want to pay me anymore…so long story short I kept the SOP and started bidding it to our competitors and sold it for 230k…

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Interesting, what type of a SOP was it developed for?

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Sounds a bit sketchy then but hard to tell without looking into the guy’s eyes.

larry-david1

I’d probably fight for a hard and fair start date for however long you are comfortable making 20/hr without being bumped up. They should see your commitment and competence within a certain amount of time enough to warrant bumping up to those numbers they think you will be worth down the line.

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I developed an 18 hour giant thca diamond SOP

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tbh this seems like a standard situation we see in MA often. Company owners that hire someone to establish their facility, create the SOPs, manage the team effectively, and then cut you out after your contract. I’m not saying that they’re going to do that but if they are locking you in at a contract rate per year, the only concern i would have would be over revenue share or equity stake. Overall it seems they want to incentivize you to do your job well. The comments you brought up over the non-compete and the 90 day period, I can tell you never holds in court. If they are preventing you from making an honest living then that impedes your rights and are unenforceable. HOWEVER your SOPs and IP, anything you create for them in this agreement is known as a “work to hire” aka you work for us and the projects and products you make are ours. So if you wanted to open a brand in 5 years they can contest that you stole their IP even though you made it…

So as someone who makes content and SOPs for a living i’d ask yourself what you value most out of a work relationship and decide if this works for you. Overall it seems standard and a bit generous from the share percentage. I would have a lawyer add an extra layer in there for compensation review at designated times if you really want but that might be a stretch.

Best of luck!

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Sounds awesome man! Also congrats to you on getting more than you were initially were going to. Sounds like you had been in a situation where you were pretty well connected with people who would/will pay for such a Tek/SOP. Im not sure that here in Michigan I have contacts or even know of many contacts in my network who would see value like that and offer compensation like such. All too often I think that the majority of these companies try to get something for next to nothing…

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