# Incubating the ⌐◨-◨  Clubhouse in EUROPA

Important note, because this is part of a longer term roadmap with a potential second proposal to come:

1. Every proposal which is part of this roadmap will be judged individually by voters 
2. Passing this proposal does not create a liability to the DAO to pass the following proposal. 
3. Each proposal is vetted based on the the current circumstances. 
4. Lastly, It is well understood that even though a future proposal might present a success as a result from this proposal, the expectations or direction of the DAO might have changed by the time of proposal submission. 

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[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQkIF88knMk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQkIF88knMk)

TLDR;
This is stage 1 of working towards opening a clubhouse as shared in [this candidate proposal](https://www.nouns.game/candidates/0xf84a5fd946a7714c6d48508fa8292c8c5037b5a8--clubhouse-chapter-1). 

**The vision is to open a Clubhouse ⌐◨-◨ in the beautiful Westalgarve of Portugal to create a state of the art hub for the creative and crypto industry in Portugal.**

In this proposal I'm asking for funds to initiate the seeding and incubation phase.

**Timeframe:** 6-9 months  **Start:** Work starts after proposal passes **Deliverables:**  

1. on average 2 events per month (12-18 events) 
2. media documentation from each event 
3. Publishing on socials, multiple times a week 
4. website with membership pledge functionality  
5. bi-monthly reports to the DAO 

**Objectives:**  

1. The objective is to attract paying club members who put forward a membership deposit. 
2. Build a community in the spirit of Nouns that attracts like-minded people who are interested and active in the creative or crypto industry. 

**What does success look like?** This proposal is considered a success if we capture enough committed membership deposits to cover the first year of the Clubhouse's fixed operating costs, including a (portuguese) social association.
Projected annual operating costs: 25k EUR / 28.75k USD.

Full terms are in the "How deposits work" section below.

**The ask for this phase is: 37.6k EUR / 43.2k USD**

*fwiw, I returned +40k USDC to the treasury from previous proposals from budget that wasn't spent. More about that in the appendix below*

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# About the ⌐◨-◨ Clubhouse

![Outdoor view](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/SJ-O1D-Gfx.jpg)

here's a walkthrough

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js48gPf-BPo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js48gPf-BPo)

Find a lot more details in the candidate [here.](https://www.nouns.game/candidates/0xf84a5fd946a7714c6d48508fa8292c8c5037b5a8--clubhouse-chapter-1)

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# Incubating the ⌐◨-◨ Clubhouse

**Objective: drive Clubhouse membership sign-ups with committed membership deposits.**

Before committing to a lease, a fit-out or a legal structure, this stage proves the demand. 

Instead of asking the DAO to fund a venue on the strength of a thesis, Stage 1 runs the Clubhouse as a travelling and iterative club program across the western Algarve.

The proof is money down: committed membership deposits from people who want a place in the Clubhouse before it exists.

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# How deposits work

A deposit is the commitment gate for Clubhouse membership. It is designed to be real proof of demand while protecting the people who put money down before the venue exists.

The terms are simple:

1. **Committed, not refundable on a whim.** A deposit signals a genuine intent to join. It is not a soft pledge or an expression of interest. 
2. **Returned in full if the Clubhouse does not open or the membership does not prove to be viable.** 
3. **Converts on opening.** Once the Clubhouse is confirmed and opens, each deposit converts to membership credit, earmarked against the member's year-one fees and the venue's first-year fixed costs. 

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# Who is this for?

## Primary Target Audience:

**1) Nouners.** Why do I start with "Nouners"? mainly because the Clubhouse ⌐◨-◨ is made for you in mind at all times. It will feel familiar, safe, interesting, nounish but with a Portuguese twist to it. A place where you can also send friends and family to, when they are in the region to experience Nouns offchain.
2) Residents and tourists of the Algarve who work in the creative, crypto/web3 and ai industries.
3) People who are interested in recreational social activities and sensory experiences.
4) Millenials and GenZers.
5) People like us.

![NounsWorldOfApps_Final-138](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/Bk9utI-Gfx.jpg)

# Two Signature Events, running as a funnel

![event pop ups](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/S1vn1vmzMe.jpg)

Top of funnel: Sip & Swing
Mid of funnel + first point of conversion: Creative and art workshops

Both formats exist for one reason: to build attention and demand for Club membership, and to turn that demand into committed deposits.

I will also experiment with other formats, to capture relevant demand.

For the signature event formats, I'm leaning into the experience from hosting Haus of Nouns in NYC and Nouns Town LA as well as the insights I gained through my [client work](https://benjaminlatsko.com/) in consulting and strategy for brands like adidas, Hugo Boss, keen, Starbucks and others.

Event formats which people like us are gravitating towards are:

1. Recreational, social sports activities 
2. Sensory experiences 

This is especially true for Millenials and GenZers.

Apart from that, as we host the events and produce media, our socials will be used for more ToV and MoF traffic drivers.

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## Sip & Swing

A roadshow across different golf courses in the area, built as a recurring event pop up. 

Each edition pairs the social golf format with a Nouns Maker Space pop-up, where guests can customise garments such as t-shirts on the spot. 

The pop-up does double duty: 

1. It draws people in 
2. it converts curiosity into a next step: 
    a) booking a creative workshop, 
    b) placing a membership deposit there and then, or in follow-up. 

Here's a sketch of the maker space station I want to build for these events.

![Maker Space Station](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/Hy27ENYGzg.jpg)

A few more examples from Sip & Swing events: [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ61zMBNwqZ/](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ61zMBNwqZ/)  [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ7YlMloGkU/](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ7YlMloGkU/)

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## Creative and art workshops

Smaller, deeper sessions for the people the roadshow brings in. 

These move a casual first contact toward genuine engagement with the Clubhouse idea, and toward membership.

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# When are we ready for Stage 2, the Clubhouse?

We are ready for the Clubhouse if and when committed membership deposits cover the first-year fixed costs of the proposed Clubhouse:

- annual rent of the proposed venue 
- annual licences for commercial use of the property 
- annual insurances 
- annual operating costs of the non-profit association 

**Target: 25,000 EUR (approx. 28,750 USD) in committed membership deposits.**

**Timeline: 6-9 months.**

Hitting that figure proves two things at once: 

1. that the membership is real, with money behind it 
2. it can carry the venue's standing costs before a single operational euro is spent. 

If the target hasn't been met after 6 months, I'll extend the efforts within a reasonable timeframe, depending on the results by then, but no longer than an additional 3 months. 

Missing it is also a result.
It tells us, that the model needs rethinking or is not viable before anyone signs a lease. In that case, deposits are returned in full as set out above.

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# Additional Partners

The upside of this phased approach is that I can establish partnerships to local businesses, beverage companies, small/mid-sized golf brands and others that are also going to be relevant to the Clubhouse.

In fact, the event based partnership is an easier entry point to start the relationships and grow from there.

Plausible and possible examples:

- Beverage brand sponsors event with product -> sponsors monthly beverages and fridge in the clubhouse 
- Coffee brand sponsors event -> sponsors coffee machine & equipment in the clubhouse 
- ... 

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# Other experiments

A few things that I'm planning on experimenting with:

1. [Gnosis Circle Groups](https://world.gnosis.io/) I find this to be extremely interesting to BD with other local businesses, lean into additional partners to bring the club to life by creating an additional value layer for the club. 
2. Experiment with other recreational sports activity events, such as coastal hikes, field trips, etc.
   The goal is to carve out and shape a Club membership that can grow beyond the region. Think SoHo membership but cypherpunk, connected, real. Nouns. 

I'm also committing to involving the Nouners community through calls to bring forward ideas, iterate, etc. on a regular basis.

Please get in touch if you're interested.

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# Media + Publishing

We'll produce and publish event documentaries from all events.

Expect content to be published on a rolling basis, multiple times a week.

In clips, we'll ensure ⌐◨-◨ visiblity.

**Any media produced at workshops that are tailored towards kids will not be published and only shared with parents to protect the children's safety and privacy.**

# What benjamin.latsko.eth deliver?

I run Stage 1 end to end. The compensation line funds one senior operator covering five workstreams across the six months:

- membership program development 
- branding 
- marketing 
- website and infrastructure for membership operations 
- event coordination and production 

These are also all areas that I offer as services to my clients through my studio. I added a short "about" section below in the appendix.

The stage is deliberately labour-led. The kit is light, the venues are borrowed, and the cost is the work that turns a thesis into a paying membership.

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# Budget

| Item                                               | EUR       | USD       |
| -------------------------------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Mobile Maker Space                                 | 3,450.00  | 3,967.50  |
| Heat Press                                         | 500.00    | 575.00    |
| Plotter                                            | 450.00    | 517.50    |
| Tools & Accessories                                | 500.00    | 575.00    |
| Garments for Makerspace                            | 500.00    | 575.00    |
| Setup for Pop Up                                   | 1,500.00  | 1,725.00  |
|                                                    |           |           |
| Marketing Working Budget                           | 2,000.00  | 2,300.00  |
| Signage + Branding + Marketing Materials           | 1,500.00  | 1,725.00  |
| Website + Infrastructure for Membership Operations | 500.00    | 575.00    |
|                                                    |           |           |
| Other Items                                        | 32,100.00 | 36,915.00 |
| Compensation                                       | 30,000.00 | 34,500.00 |
| Liability Insurance                                | 600.00    | 690.00    |
| Misc for experiments                               | 1,500.00  | 1,725.00  |
|                                                    |           |           |
| Total                                              | 37,550.00 | 43,180.00 |

*Conversions at 1.15 EUR to USD.*

# What about future funding?

With this incubation stage proven, I'll return to the DAO with evidence rather than a forecast and a refined proposal: real conversion data, a paying membership, and a grounded, evidence-based estimate of the Clubhouse's potential and how the venue can best be used for greatest impact. 

Stage 2 then funds the step from a validated membership to a permanent home, including the fit-out and setup capital, and the founding of the association to govern it. 

In Stage 1, I'm also exploring the feasibility of bringing the governing part of the association onchain. I will report on my findings accordingly.

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# Treasury governance

For some, this might make a difference in how they view this proposal and my ask.

From previous proposals, I have returned over 40k USDC of unspent budget to the DAO. Without anyone having to chase.

Funds were returned not because of bad budget planning, but because things like "live music" were replaced with a spotify playlist or budgeted speaker fees were not needed, because no fees were needed for Nouns Town.

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# Hi, I'm Benjamin Latsko

I run a creative studio with which I've been providing client services in marketing, brand strategy and coaching since 2013.

[Client portfolio](https://benjaminlatsko.com/) spans across adidas, Hugo Boss, amazon, keen footwear, nivea, starbucks and many more. 

My story with Nouns starts way back in early 2022 with SharkDAO.

A few select personal highlights from contributing to Nouns:

- SharkDAO member and contributor since the early days 
- Nouns Town LA 
- founded and curated butter.wtf, probably the most loved merch shop in Nouns 
- Haus of Nouns 
- Nouns GG + adidas collaboration 
- World of Apps 
- Ethereum App Town Hall ⌐◨-◨ 
- Octant x Nouns partnership (which unfortunately has been cancelled) 
- bought Pins from Klim and gifted them to Tom Sachs and his team back in the day when he became a Nouner 

I'm now here to build something to last for Nouns, the ⌐◨-◨ Clubhouse.

Outcome: DEFEATED