Business Case: Memory Maker
Prepared for: Sheri Dudley Prepared by: Bert Carroll, Ask the Human Date: December 19, 2025 Source: Napkin Session, December 17, 2025
Project Status
Phase 0: COMPLETE (No charge - friend project)
- Landing page with warm gold/rose theme
- "Try It Now" AI demo using Gemini API
- Interactive 5-question tribute generator
- Signal project tracking dashboard
Live Site: memory-maker-tribute.netlify.app Repository: github.com/ubiquitouszero/sheri-tribute-book Tech Stack: Astro + React + Tailwind CSS 4 + Netlify
Executive Summary
Memory Maker is a platform that enables people to collect heartfelt tributes from friends and family for someone while they're still alive - delivering the words that would be spoken at a memorial before the person is gone. The platform addresses a universal human need with a simple, emotionally resonant product that has low technical complexity and high margin potential.
Phase 0 Investment: $0 (8 SP completed as friend project) Minimum Viable Business (Phase 1): $2,625 - $3,000 Full Platform (Phases 1-3): $5,250 - $6,375 Break-even: 45-68 books (Phase 1 only) or 89 books (full build)
Problem Statement
Current State
People regularly express profound appreciation for others only at funerals and memorials - when the recipient can no longer hear those words. Existing solutions are fragmented:
- DIY approaches: Email chains, Google Docs, physical guest books - disorganized, hard to compile
- Greeting card services: Limited to single messages, no compilation
- Photo book services: Focus on images, not written tributes
- Memorial sites: Post-mortem only, not celebratory
Pain Points
| Stakeholder | Pain |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Coordinating contributions is tedious, manual compilation takes hours |
| Contributors | Intimidating blank page, don't know what to write |
| Recipient | Never receives the compilation, or it's poorly formatted |
Opportunity
The emotional weight of this use case creates willingness to pay premium prices. A mother creating a retirement book for her husband, adult children celebrating a parent's 70th birthday, colleagues honoring a departing mentor - these are high-intent buyers who value quality over cost.
Proposed Solution
Product Overview
A Progressive Web App (PWA) that enables:
- Organizers to create a tribute collection, invite contributors, and produce a finished deliverable
- Contributors to easily respond via mobile-friendly forms with optional AI assistance
- Recipients to receive a beautiful digital or physical book of tributes
Product Tiers
| Tier | Deliverable | Estimated Price | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Digital compilation (shareable link) | $29-49 | ~95% |
| Standard | Formatted digital booklet (PDF, editable) | $79-99 | ~90% |
| Premium | Physical printed book (pass-through to publisher) | $149-249 | ~40-60% |
Technical Approach
| Component | Solution | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Variable/on-demand (Cloudflare, Vercel, or Azure) | ~$0-20/mo at low volume |
| Authentication | Magic links via SMS/email (no passwords) | ~$0.01/auth |
| AI Assistance | Claude Flash for writing prompts | ~$0.01-0.08/call |
| Payments | Stripe (pass-through) | 2.9% + $0.30/txn |
| Book Printing | Third-party POD (Lulu, Blurb, etc.) | Cost + 20-40% markup |
Key Technical Decisions:
- PWA over native app (event-driven use, no app store friction)
- No user passwords (magic links reduce support burden)
- AI optional (helps hesitant contributors, not required)
Financial Analysis
Development Investment (Friend Rate @ $75/SP)
| Phase | Features | Story Points | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 0 | Landing page, AI demo, project dashboard | 8 SP | $0 (gift) |
| Phase 1 (MVP) | Auth, create book, QR codes, email invites, contributor form, AI prompts, Stripe, basic PDF export | 35-40 SP | $2,625 - $3,000 |
| Phase 2 | SMS invitations (Twilio), auto-reminders, print-on-demand integration, templates, preview | 20-25 SP | $1,500 - $1,875 |
| Phase 3 | Audio/video tributes, co-organizers, gift cards, analytics | 15-20 SP | $1,125 - $1,500 |
| Total | 78-93 SP | $5,250 - $6,375 |
Minimum Viable Business (Phase 1 Only)
To have a functional business, Phase 1 is sufficient:
| What You Get | What It Costs |
|---|---|
| Users can create tribute books | $2,625 - $3,000 |
| QR codes for live events | |
| AI-assisted writing prompts | |
| Email invitations | |
| Stripe payments ($19 / $39 / $69 tiers) | |
| Basic PDF download |
What You Don't Get (Until Phase 2+):
- SMS invitations (email + QR only)
- Auto-reminders (manual follow-up)
- Print-on-demand integration (download PDF, upload to Lulu/Blurb manually)
Revenue Projections
Conservative Scenario (Year 1, Phase 1 only):
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Books sold | 100 |
| Average order value | $39 (Digital Booklet tier) |
| Gross revenue | $3,900 |
| COGS (hosting, AI, Stripe fees) | ~$400 |
| Gross margin | $3,500 |
| Development cost recovery | Covered in Year 1 |
Realistic Scenario (Year 1, Full build):
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Books sold | 200 |
| Average order value | $59 (mix of tiers) |
| Gross revenue | $11,800 |
| COGS | ~$1,200 |
| Gross margin | $10,600 |
| Development cost recovery | Covered in Year 1 |
Break-even Analysis
| Scenario | AOV | Development Cost | Books to Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 Only | $39 | $2,625 | 68 books |
| Phase 1 Only | $59 | $2,625 | 45 books |
| Full Build | $59 | $5,250 | 89 books |
Unit Economics by Tier
Digital Basic ($19):
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price | $19 |
| AI costs (~10 contributors) | $0.50 |
| Stripe (2.9% + $0.30) | $0.85 |
| Hosting (allocated) | $0.10 |
| Gross profit | $17.55 (92%) |
Digital Booklet ($39):
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price | $39 |
| AI costs (~15 contributors) | $0.75 |
| Stripe | $1.43 |
| Hosting | $0.15 |
| Gross profit | $36.67 (94%) |
Printed Book ($69-99):
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price | $89 (avg) |
| Print cost (Lulu/Blurb) | $25 |
| Shipping | $8 |
| AI costs (~20 contributors) | $1 |
| Stripe | $2.88 |
| Gross profit | $52.12 (59%) |
Monthly Operating Costs (Post-Launch)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hosting (Netlify/Cloudflare) | $0-20 |
| Supabase (free tier) | $0 |
| Domain | $1 (annualized) |
| Total fixed costs | ~$20/month |
Variable costs (AI, Stripe, SMS) scale with sales.
Market Analysis
Total Addressable Market (TAM)
Annual U.S. Events That Could Trigger Purchase:
| Event Type | Annual Volume | Conversion Rate | Potential Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retirements | ~4 million | 2% | 80,000 |
| Milestone birthdays (50+) | ~30 million | 0.5% | 150,000 |
| Weddings | ~2.5 million | 1% | 25,000 |
| Teacher appreciation | ~3.5 million teachers | 1% | 35,000 |
| Memorial/end-of-life | ~3 million deaths | 5% | 150,000 |
| Total TAM | 440,000/year |
At $100 AOV, TAM = $44 million annually in the U.S. alone.
Competitive Landscape
| Competitor | Offering | Price | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kudoboard | Digital group cards | $8-299 | No physical book, less intimate |
| Tribute (tributeapp.com) | Video tributes | $50-200 | Video-only, complex |
| Blurb/Shutterfly | DIY photo books | $30-100 | Manual compilation, no invite system |
| GroupGreeting | Group eCards | $5-50 | Basic, no compilation |
Opportunity: No dominant player owns "tribute book with AI-assisted writing + physical delivery."
Positioning
Tagline ideas:
- "The words you'd say at their memorial - delivered while they can still hear them."
- "Collect tributes. Create memories. Deliver love."
Target customer:
- Primary: Women 35-65 organizing milestone events for parents, spouses, colleagues
- Secondary: HR/Admin staff organizing retirements, departures
- Tertiary: Churches, schools, nonprofits
Risk Assessment
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low response rate from invitees | Medium | Medium | AI writing assistance, reminder sequences, "how to contribute" guide |
| Print quality issues | Low | High | Vet POD partners, preview system, quality guarantee |
| Competitor copies model | Medium | Low | Speed to market, brand building, customer relationships |
| Technical complexity creep | Medium | Medium | Strict MVP scope, phased development |
| Pricing too high/low | Medium | Medium | A/B test pricing, tiered options |
Go-to-Market Strategy
Phase 1: Seed (Months 1-3)
- Launch MVP with digital-only tier
- Personal network sales (friends, family, church connections)
- Collect testimonials and refine product
- Target: 25-50 books sold
Phase 2: Organic Growth (Months 4-6)
- Add physical book tier
- Instagram/Facebook marketing targeting women 35-65
- Content marketing: "The words I wish I'd said" stories
- Funeral home and retirement community partnerships
- Target: 100-200 books sold
Phase 3: Scale (Months 7-12)
- Influencer partnerships (family/lifestyle creators)
- B2B channel: HR departments, churches, schools
- Affiliate program for event planners
- Target: 500+ books sold
Recommendation
Proceed with Phase 1 (MVP) development.
The business case is compelling:
- Low barrier to functional business: $2,625 - $3,000 for Phase 1
- High gross margins: 92-94% on digital tiers, 59% on printed books
- Low break-even: 45-68 books to recover Phase 1 investment
- Near-zero operating costs: ~$20/month fixed, rest scales with sales
- Clear emotional value proposition: No competitor owns "AI-assisted living tribute book"
Phase 1 delivers a complete business:
- Sheri can sell books immediately after launch
- Manual print fulfillment (download PDF → upload to Lulu) until volume justifies Phase 2
- QR codes at events capture contributions competitors miss
Phases 2-3 are optional scaling investments - only needed if traction warrants SMS, auto-reminders, and integrated POD.
Immediate Next Steps:
- Sheri: Finalize product name, secure domain, research POD pricing (Lulu/Blurb)
- Bert: Begin Phase 1 development, estimate 4-6 weeks to launch
- Joint: Identify 3-5 beta customers (friends with upcoming milestone events)
Appendix
Key Quote from Napkin Session
"We want you to know all the things people love and would say about you when you're still here to receive it—versus when you are dead and cannot hear it anymore."
Source Document
This business case was generated from the Napkin Session conducted December 17, 2025 at Waffle House, Franklin, TN. Full transcript available in project documentation.