Who's who.

Four roles run the whole model. Once you can name them, every diagram in the deck reads clean. One rule makes it trackable.

The rule

Colour = the silo (HR, IT, Supply Chain…)

Shape = the role ● ▲ ◆ ▆

Follow the shape to track who's who; the colour just tells you which category they're working in.

The four roles

The circle

Customer

The company with the problem and the spend — the operator we build for. They contract directly with the Provider; the platform never touches their paper.

Pays the platform nothing — vendor-funded

The triangle

Agent / Affiliate

The person who brings the business in. An Affiliate makes the warm intro; an Agent builds and manages a book of accounts. They own what they bring.

Earns commission on what they bring

The diamond

Advisor

The operator who runs a whole silo — vets the providers, owns the recommendation, and manages the relationship over time. Stays neutral because they earn across the bench.

Earns the advisory / manager slice

The square

Provider

The vetted, best-in-class vendor who actually delivers the service. They get a warm, pre-qualified channel — and they only pay when they win.

Pays the commission — the model is vendor-funded

How the money moves

Who pays whom — and why the customer pays us nothing.

Customer ↔ Provider contract & pay each other directly — platform never touches the paper

Provider → pays a commission to The platform → splits it to Agent / Affiliate Advisor

Customer → pays the platform $0

The Provider funds the channel because a warm intro from a trusted Advisor is cheaper than a sales team. That's why the Customer's advice stays free — and honest.

Meet the Advisor → ← Back to contents

Internal only. Who's who · the cast · Ad Astra for Band of Hands