The Collegist × Vessels — The Launch Edition

Chapter two · Phase 2, delivered

Every line you signed on September 13 is live on your domain.

The build-out was scoped at three to four weeks. It shipped in nine days, then kept going: the pieces you sent since (the join page, the editor onboarding with the contractor agreement, the welcome email, the Tuesday Test) are built too. Here is the receipt, item by item, with where each one lives.

✓Accounts & profiles — students, moms, contributors, editorslive · /account

✓Student submissions + your editorial approval queuelive · /submit → /review

✓Campus Editor public profiles — byline, ask-me-about, portfoliolive · /editors

✓Premium Mom Membership — bundle, checklist, gated listlive · /premium

✓Saved schools + Fit Finder answers for signed-in studentslive · /account/saved

✓Questions & answers, anonymous routing, no DMslive · /ask → /questions

✓The new feed + campus profile modules from your mockupslive · /feed

✓.edu verification for contributorslive · at sign-in

8 of 8 signed items · verified end to end on production

✓Join page for editors & contributors, your design verbatimlive · /join

✓Campus Editor onboarding: 20 questions, camera roll, permissions, your Independent Contractor Agreement signed inside itlive · /onboard

✓Welcome Email #1 in your backend, five audience buttons that tag the readerlive · automated

✓The newsletter door, public now, so the list grows before launchlive · /newsletter

✓The Tuesday Test, online: saved to the account, the 7 AM lock, the reminderlive · /tuesday-test

✓Your content library: 63 graphics, captions to copy, accept or request changes, an Ideas Vaultlive · /library

✓Brand kit v2 + living design tokens (accents awaiting your pick)delivered · PDF

✓38-post scheduler calendar, Sept 26 → Nov 1, ready to import the moment your socials connectwaiting on your connect

and then some · everything you sent since signing

thecollegist.com/onboard

Campus Editor onboarding with the Independent Contractor Agreement inside it — Editor onboarding · agreement signed on the page

Your contractor agreement, word for word, filled in as she types, signed on her phone, emailed to you and to her. The W-9 is the only paper left.

app.vssls.co

Your backend login — Your backend · contacts, newsletter, social planner

thecollegist.com

The countdownLive to Saturday, November 1. Flips itself on the day.

thecollegist.com/account

AccountsEmail and a six digit code. No passwords to forget. Student, mom, contributor, editor.

thecollegist.com/editors/…

Campus Editor profilesByline, ask me about, her take, her camera roll. No follower counts, no likes.

thecollegist.com/voices/…

Student VoicesSubmitted from a phone, shaped at your desk, published only after she says yes.

thecollegist.com/questions

Questions & answersRouted by topic and school. The asker stays anonymous. Answers become a library.

thecollegist.com/premium

For Moms · PremiumFree-forever list always visible, premium beside it, the monthly checklist live. Billing waits for your Stripe.

thecollegist.com/feed

The feedBuilt to your Feed mockup. Editorial, not algorithmic. No infinite scroll.

thecollegist.com/colleges/…

Campus profiles, extendedSave this school, ask a student, Student Voices, Campus Editors, the paid university slot with its disclosure line.

thecollegist.com/fit-finder/quiz

Fit FinderYour twenty questions, answers saved to her account. Scoring waits on your unified-scoring call.

thecollegist.com/join

JoinYour approved design. Every raised hand lands in your inbox, Haley's, and your backend.

thecollegist.com/newsletter

The newsletter doorPublic today. First name, email, and Welcome Email #1 arrives with the five audience buttons.

thecollegist.com/library

Your content libraryEvery graphic, story size, caption to copy. Accept, request changes, leave notes, drop ideas in the vault.

thecollegist.com/tuesday-test

The Tuesday TestYour two-day decision tool, online, saved to the account, with the 7 AM lock and the reminder.

thecollegist.com/onboard

Make it official: the plain-English terms, mailing address and payment method

Make it officialThe plain-English terms, her mailing address and how she wants to be paid, then the full contract and her signature. Your desk at /review shows every executed agreement.

thecollegist.com/review

Your deskSubmissions, assignments, questions, answers, editor applications and join interest. One action per row, for you and Haley.

thecollegist.com/account · as an editor

The editor's accountHer accepted count toward the stipend, the questions you sent her, the questions routed to her, one button to submit.

thecollegist.com/preview

Team previewWalk the site as a demo student, mom, contributor or Campus Editor before a real one does. Demo rows never reach the public site.

The Collegist Brand Kit v2

Brand kit v2Ten pages: wordmark, the nine core colors, accents, type, photo treatment, voice, do and don't.

Your doors · every login is in your email, never on this page

Where you and Haley go.

Your backend

app.vssls.co

Contacts, conversations, the newsletter, the social planner, invoices. Sign in with your email; a code comes by text. Haley has her own seat.

Open →

The desk

thecollegist.com/review

Where submissions, questions, answers and editor applications wait for you. Sign in with your email like everyone else; the code arrives in seconds.

Open →

The library

thecollegist.com/library

Every graphic and caption, ready to post or schedule. Accept or request changes, leave notes, drop ideas in the vault. Your key link is in your email.

Open →

For your editors

thecollegist.com/onboard

Send this to your founding girls. Profile, twenty questions, camera roll, the contractor agreement signed on the page. It lands on your desk.

Open →

For recruiting

thecollegist.com/join

The raised-hand page for editors and contributors. Public now. Put it in bios and in the welcome email.

Open →

For everyone

thecollegist.com/newsletter

The public newsletter door. Share it today; the rest of the site stays private until November 1.

Open →

What is left · the honest list

Six things, and who holds each one.

→Connect Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in your backendBri · 10 minutes · then the 38-post calendar imports

→Review the graphics in your library and pick a collage style (A, B or C)Bri · notes on the page are enough

→Send your founding editors the onboarding linkBri · this week

→Say yes or swap on the three social accentsBri · then the month regenerates on the final palette

→Emails from hello@thecollegist.com (domain records) and your own Stripe for PremiumGavin + Bri · before Nov 1

→Fit Finder scoring, launch photoshoot, podcast outreachtogether · October

Chapter three · your vision, read closely built

We studied every page you sent. It's not a redesign — it's the next floor of the same house.

The feed, the contributor program, the mom membership — none of it requires rebuilding what exists. And the calls you made in these mockups (no follower counts, editorial approval on everything, anonymous question routing) are exactly the calls that keep this buildable, safe, and true to the brand.

The Feed

Editorial, not algorithmic.

Student voices, campus intelligence, "asked this week" — curated like a publication, never an open social feed.

Built · thecollegist.com/feed

Campus Editors

"Be your campus's voice."

Your comp model — $250 for three accepted assignments this founding term, $500 for six in spring, student approves before anything publishes — wired in exactly as you designed it, contractor agreement included.

Built · /onboard · /editors · /review

For Moms · Premium

"Her account and yours, one price."

The mom+daughter bundle: monthly senior-year checklist, gated guides and worksheets, premium membership. Billing switches on the day your Stripe account exists.

Built · thecollegist.com/premium

"Usefulness is status. No follower counts, no likes." — your line, and it's the right one. It's also what makes this platform a focused build instead of a two-year social network project.

Chapter four · the plan ahead of schedule

Launch first. Compound after.

This was the calendar on September 10. The build finished three weeks early, so the middle of it moved up. Here it is with today's marks:

Sept 13–14done

Kickoff. Content engine turns on — social calendar seeded, first graphics in production, newsletter cadence begins. Haley gets her logins. Build sprint one starts immediately.

Sept 14–22done · 3 weeks early

The platform build-out. Accounts & profiles, submissions + editorial approval, Campus Editor profiles, mom membership, saved schools, Q&A routing, the new feed. Weekly show-and-tell so you steer as it takes shape — social posting runs the whole time.

Now → Oct 10you are here

Everything is live. You and Haley onboard the founding Campus Editors through /onboard, the newsletter door collects readers, and we polish against what real editors send in.

Mid → late OctoberThe drumbeat

Countdown mode. Daily social rhythm, waitlist push, first Campus Editors announced, early-subscriber perks — the six weeks of buzz you wanted before doors open, just starting now instead of November.

November 1Launch day

The Collegist launches — with accounts, contributors, and membership live on day one and a warm audience already waiting. Everything January would have given you, two months sooner.

November onPhase two

Build with real readers. Mom communities, editor dashboards, the comparison board, live sessions, paid university placements — prioritized by what your audience actually uses.

Chapter five · the additions signed Sept 13 · paid

Two additions to the plan you're already on.

Kept here as the record of what you signed on September 13, 2026, and what has been paid. Your Foundation plan ($497/mo) did not change. The Platform Build-Out is delivered; the Content Engine is running and renews October 14.

Add-on one · one-time

The Platform Build-Out

$1,497 one time $3,550 itemized Partner rate · save $2,053

Accounts & profiles — students, moms, contributors, editors
Student submissions + your editorial approval queue
Campus Editor public profiles — portfolio, stats, byline
Premium Mom Membership — bundle, checklist, gated library, billing
Saved schools + Fit Finder results for signed-in students
Questions & answers with anonymous routing, no DMs
The new feed + campus profile layout from your mockups
.edu verification for contributors

Itemized: accounts & profiles foundation $1,250 · contributor & editorial system $1,350 · mom membership $950. New ideas mid-build are welcome — they get scoped separately so this number stays this number.

Add-on two · monthly

The Content Engine

$997 /month · month-to-month $1,497/mo standard

Setup & connection: $2,997 $497 one time Marked down $2,500

Your full brand kit, packaged — wordmark, palette, type system, usage rules — delivered at setup and kept current as the platform grows
~20 on-brand graphics monthly — designed to that kit
Full social calendar managed in your backend — you & Haley steer every post
Cross-platform posting set up once, running on rhythm
Newsletter cadence — weekly letter support, subscriber growth
Launch countdown campaign — six weeks of buzz before doors open
Monthly strategy check-in — what's working, what's next

This is the Publication tier from the original proposal, as a partner add-on: keep your grandfathered $497 Foundation rate, add the engine for $997/mo, and the $2,997 setup — connecting your socials, calendar, templates and posting rhythm inside your backend — comes down to $497.

The numbers, plainly.

Foundation plan — unchanged, renews as normal	$497 / mo
The Content Engine — starts at kickoff	+ $997 / mo
Your monthly, all-in	$1,494 / mo
The Platform Build-Out — once, at kickoff	$1,497
Content Engine setup — once, marked down from $2,997	$497
One-time, at kickoff	$1,994

What $1,494 a month runs for you

Full platform — hosting, security, maintenance 3–4 design updates every month CRM, automations & newsletter infrastructure ~20 on-brand graphics designed monthly Social calendar managed in your backend Cross-platform posting on rhythm Weekly newsletter cadence support Launch countdown campaign Monthly strategy check-in Support — you text, we fix

On the standard sheet this is the $1,497/mo Publication tier. You keep your grandfathered Foundation rate and get there for $1,494 — month-to-month, either add-on cancellable with 30 days' notice, Foundation never touched.

Chapter six · where this goes

We're building a platform. Then we're building a network.

None of this is due now — it's the road we've already mapped, so every dollar you spend today is a step toward it.

Phase two · after launch

The platform deepens.

Built against real reader behavior, not guesses — the private mom communities, Campus Editor dashboards, the comparison board, monthly live sessions, and the paid university placements your mockups already designed the disclosure line for.

Mom communitiesEditor dashboardsComparison boardLive sessionsUniversity placements

Phase three · the network

Coast-to-coast, for real.

When you're ready to pour fuel: we identify schools and student creators nationwide, run the outreach, and scale the ambassador program into the campus creator network brands pay to reach. Repriced for you on September 23: $2,499/month at launch-partner terms (was $2,997 founding; standard $5,000).

Creator sourcingAmbassador scale-upBrand collabsInfluencer campaignsAdvertiser-ready reporting

The full Phase Three breakdown, priced →

Phase four · the shop & the subscriber engine

Something to sell. Someone to sell it to.

The two pieces from our call: a Collegist shop with merch and products we design and keep fresh, and Meta ads run for the newsletter so the list grows every day, to exactly the mom and the senior you want. Each one optional, each one priced under the sheet, nothing billed until you say go.

The shop · $999 + $297/moMeta ads · $797/moYour ad account, yours90-day honest runway

The full Phase Four breakdown, priced →

The agreement · additions to your existing plan signed Sept 13, 2026

Signed, paid, and in motion.

Signed by Bri Crum on September 13, 2026. $2,991 charged at kickoff on September 14 (Platform Build-Out $1,497 + Content Engine setup $497 + first Content Engine month $997). The Content Engine renews at $997 on October 14. Your Foundation plan ($497) is unchanged. The full terms below are kept for your records.

What this adds. The Platform Build-Out ($1,497 one-time) and the Content Engine ($997/month, plus a $497 one-time setup marked down from $2,997) are added to your existing Foundation plan ($497/month — unchanged), between The Collegist (Bri Crum) and Vessels · The Lees Media LLC. Scope for each is exactly as listed above. The original Foundation agreement remains in effect, unmodified.

Billing authorization. By signing, you authorize Vessels · The Lees Media LLC to charge the payment method already on file: $1,994 one-time at kickoff ($1,497 build-out + $497 setup), and $997/month beginning at kickoff and each month after until cancelled. Everything stays month-to-month — either add-on can be cancelled with 30 days' written notice, and your Foundation plan is unaffected either way.

Timeline & scope. Build-out delivery target is 3–4 weeks from kickoff, with weekly reviews. Ideas beyond the listed scope are always welcome and get scoped and approved separately in writing before any additional charge — this number stays this number.

It's official

Welcome to the launch, Bri.

Your signed agreement is saved and Gavin has it. Nothing else is needed from you today — here's what happens next:

24 hrsKickoff note from Gavin — build plan, weekly review time, and what we need from you (spoiler: PDFs, phone number, first editor picks).

This weekThe content engine turns on — your social calendar seeds into your backend, first graphics go into production, Haley gets her seat.

Weeks 1–4Platform build sprints with weekly show-and-tell. Social posting runs the whole way.

Nov 1Launch day — The Collegist opens its doors with accounts, contributors, and membership live, and six weeks of audience behind it.

Questions? Text or call Gavin any time. The next two floors are optional and open whenever you want them.

Phase 3 · the creator network → Phase 4 · the shop & the subscriber engine →

Phase 2 is built.
Now we fill it.

What's already built — every line of the original agreement, and then some.

Every line you signed on September 13 is live on your domain.