6.1 Phased Roadmap — Month 0 to 12

6.2 Critical Path & Dependencies

6.3 Go/No-Go Criteria — Day 30, 60, 90

6.1

12-Month Plan

Phased Roadmap — Month 0 to 12

What gets built, shipped, and measured each month — milestones clearly marked

Phase 0 — M0–M2

Foundation

Phase 1 — M3–M4

Build

Phase 2 — M5–M6

Pre-Launch

Phase 3 — M7

Launch

Phase 4 — M8–M10

Scale

Phase 5 — M11–M12

Consolidate

Factory + proto

Fit sample + brand

PP approved + site live

Production order placed

Pre-launch content

Influencer seeding

🚀 DROP 001

Myntra live

Batch 2 ships

M10

RPR target hit

M11–12

SKU 2 brief + Y2 plan

Phase 0 · Month 0–2

Foundation — Build Everything Before Anyone Sees It

Legal, factory, brand, BIS. The unsexy work that everything else depends on.

Build

GST registration + current account opened

Trademark TM-A filed (Class 25 + 35)

BIS IS 17043 application submitted to empanelled lab

Business entity registered (Sole Prop or OPC)

Domain roucn.in secured + Shopify account opened

Measure

All registrations have confirmation receipts

Month progress

Build

Factory shortlist + physical visits to top 3 Agra factories

Tech pack sent to 2 factories — proto samples commissioned

Brand identity finalised: logo, raccoon emblem, color palette

SKU naming convention locked (RCN–001–NR/BB/SF)

Packaging design brief sent to printer

Measure

2 factories confirmed for proto commissioning

Brand identity signed off — no more changes after this

Month progress

Build

Proto samples received from both factories — side-by-side review

Factory 1 selected — NDA + manufacturing agreement signed

Fit sample commissioned with corrections from proto

Shopify waitlist landing page live (email capture only)

Instagram page launched — raccoon emblem reveal post

Measure

Instagram: 500 followers by Month 2 close

Email waitlist: 50+ signups

Proto quality: passes basic spec check (no disqualifiers)

Month progress

Phase 1 · Month 3–4

Build — Product Approved, Brand Established, Site Ready

PP sample approved. Production order placed. Photography begins. Waitlist grows.

🏁 MILESTONE

Build

Fit sample wear-tested on 5 real people across sizes

PP sample corrections briefed — PP sample commissioned

BIS test samples submitted to lab (parallel with sampling)

Packaging print order placed with confirmed spec

D2C Shopify site fully built — product page, size guide, policy pages

Ship

Shopify site soft-live (accessible via link, not promoted)

Measure

PP sample quality: ≥85% spec accuracy

Instagram: 1,500 followers | Email: 300 signups

BIS lab test: in progress, no failures reported

Gate: PP approved = proceed to production order

🏁 MILESTONE

Build

PP sample approved — production order placed (100 pairs, 50% deposit)

Product photography scheduled for Week 3 (shoes arrive as pre-prod samples)

Influencer outreach begins — DMs sent to 30 target creators

Mid-production QC checkpoint scheduled for Week 6 of production

Ship

Production order placed — factory clock starts

First 3 BTS Reels published (factory visit, sampling journey)

Measure

10+ influencer yeses confirmed for seeding

Instagram: 2,000 followers | Email: 500 signups

Gate: Production order placed = launch clock starts

Phase 2 · Month 5–6

Pre-Launch — The Buildup Is the Brand

Photography, content machine, influencer seeds, waitlist surge. Shoes in transit.

Build

Product photography shoot — all 3 colorways, lifestyle + product

Hero Reel: Noir Chrome full reveal

Influencer seed boxes prepared — 20 boxes packed + shipped

Myntra seller application submitted

PR kit sent to 5 lifestyle/fashion journalists

Ship

Noir Chrome Reel published — first product reveal

Bandit Bone teaser Story published

Price revealed: ₹3,499. Launch date: "Nov 2026."

Measure

Instagram: 3,000 followers | Email: 700 signups

Noir Chrome Reel: target 15K+ views

Mid-production QC: pass (no batch issues)

Content library built: 30+ pieces ready for launch month

Build

Shoes arrive from factory — final 100% QC inspection

Pack + box all 85 listed pairs — ready to ship

Klaviyo email flows tested end-to-end (waitlist → launch → post-purchase)

Shopify checkout stress tested — dummy orders placed + refunded

Launch date locked: first week of Dec 2026

Ship

Survivor Forest colorway reveal + launch date announcement

Influencer unboxings begin (Wave 1 — 5 creators go live)

Waitlist: 48-hour early access email sent with PACK10

Measure

Instagram: 4,000+ followers | Email: 900+ signups

3 influencer Reels with 10K+ views before launch day

QC pass rate: 97%+ (≤3 defective pairs from 100)

Gate: QC pass + 3 viral Reels = green light for launch

Phase 3 · Month 7

🚀 Launch — Drop 001 Goes Live

Dec 2026. 85 pairs. The raccoon is out.

Week 1 — Launch

D2C live — 8 AM. Waitlist email blast.

Instagram launch post + hour-by-hour Stories

Influencer Wave 1 (5 creators) — 10 AM

Influencer Wave 2 (10 creators) — Day 3

Macro influencer Reel — Day 3 afternoon

Week 2–3 — Momentum

Daily sell-through Story updates

Customer review request emails go out

SF colorway sold out Story (if achieved)

First 5 customer photos reshared

Reorder trigger check at 20 pairs remaining

Month 7 Targets

50+ orders in first 30 days

SF sold out within 72 hrs of launch

Product rating ≥ 4.2★ on first 20 reviews

Instagram: 5,000 followers

CAC ≤ ₹800 blended

Return rate < 12%

Phase 4 · Month 8–10

Scale — Second Channel, Second Batch, First Repeat Purchases

Myntra live. Batch 2 ships. NSM target in sight. Community activates.

🏁 MILESTONE

Build

Myntra listing live — BIS cert received (gate cleared)

Batch 2 production order placed (200 pairs)

Post-purchase email flows fully active (NPS Day 7, review Day 14)

Ship

Myntra product listing live with approved catalogue

Batch 2 order confirmed: colorway split adjusted from B1 data

Measure

Cumulative 80+ pairs sold (D2C + Myntra)

First 10 Myntra orders fulfilled

NPS score from first cohort: target ≥ 35

Build

Batch 2 arrives — QC + pack — listed on D2C + Myntra

WhatsApp inner circle launched (invite repeat buyers)

Referral program activated via ReferralCandy

Ship

Batch 2 live — "Drop 001.2 — more pairs, same energy"

WhatsApp: first exclusive preview sent to inner circle

Measure

Cumulative 140+ pairs sold

Email list: 1,000+ subscribers

First referral orders tracking

🏁 NSM TARGET

Build

90-day RPR measurement window closes (Dec buyers → Mar reorders)

Silhouette 002 brief written based on B1+B2 data

Amazon India seller account initiated

Ship

Silhouette 002 concept teaser (BTS of brief writing)

OG 100 anniversary email to first buyers ("3 months in")

Measure

NSM: RPR @ 90 days ≥ 15% ← THE MOMENT

Total revenue: ₹4.9L+ (base case)

Instagram: 8,000+ followers

Phase 5 · Month 11–12

Consolidate — Learn, Document, Plan Year 2

Full year debrief. SKU 2 brief finalised. Year 2 roadmap begins.

Build

Full sell-through analysis: colorway, size, city, channel

NPS survey run across 100+ customers

5 customer interviews — what's working, what's missing

Amazon India listing live (Year 2 volume channel)

Measure

NPS ≥ 40 target

Return reason codes: top 3 identified + resolved

Budget vs actuals: every line item reviewed

Build

Silhouette 002 tech pack initiated (Mid-Top canvas)

Pop-up event feasibility decision made (Tier 1 city)

Year 2 OKRs written: ₹1–2 Cr ARR target

First investor/accelerator outreach if RPR + revenue targets met

Measure

Year 1 total revenue vs scenario forecast (bear/base/bull)

Community size: 10K+ IG | 1,000+ email | 200+ WhatsApp

Unit economics: GM% per pair improving with scale?

6.2

Hard Dependencies

Critical Path & Dependencies

What blocks what — every chain that can cause a cascade delay if one link breaks

⛓️

Critical path logic: The longest chain of dependent tasks determines the earliest possible launch date. There are three independent chains running in parallel — product (factory → sampling → production → QC → launch), compliance (BIS application → testing → mark), and brand (identity → site → content → influencer). All three must converge before Drop 001 goes live. A delay in any single critical chain delays everything downstream.

🔴 Chain 1 — Product (Critical — Longest Path)

Factory Selection

Physical visits + proto commission

Weeks 1–4

Blocks: everything below

→

Proto Sample

Receive + review + corrections

Weeks 3–6

Blocks: fit sample

→

Fit Sample

Wear test on real feet

Weeks 6–9

Blocks: PP sample + photography

→

PP Sample Approval

Final sign-off before production

Weeks 9–12

Blocks: production order

→

Production (100 pairs)

45–60 day factory cycle

Weeks 12–20

Blocks: QC → pack → launch

🟠 Chain 2 — Compliance (Important — Must Complete Before Myntra)

BIS Application

Submit IS 17043 application to empanelled lab

Week 1 — Start immediately

Blocks: ISI mark on product

→

Lab Testing

Submit 6–10 samples from fit/PP stage

Weeks 8–16 (parallel)

Blocks: BIS licence

→

BIS Licence Granted

ISI mark authorised

~Week 20–24

Blocks: Myntra listing (mandatory)

→

Myntra Onboarding

Submit brand + BIS docs to Myntra seller portal

Month 7–8

Blocks: Myntra sales

→

Myntra Live

First listing approved + live

Month 8

Blocks: marketplace revenue

🟡 Chain 3 — Brand & Marketing (Important — Must Complete Before Launch)

Brand Identity Locked

Logo, mascot, palette, SKU naming

Month 1

Blocks: all downstream brand work

→

Shopify Site Live

Waitlist page → full product site

Month 2 (waitlist) → Month 3 (full)

Blocks: influencer CTA + email capture

→

Photography

Requires PP sample or production sample

Month 4–5 (needs PP sample)

Blocks: product reveal content

→

Influencer Seeding

Requires production pairs in hand

Month 6 (needs production shoes)

Blocks: pre-launch Reels

→

Launch Countdown

8-week content machine live

Month 5–6

Blocks: Day 1 demand

Complete Dependency Register — Every Hard Block

Task	Depends On	Blocks	Risk if Delayed	Buffer
Production order placed	PP sample approved	Factory timeline, launch date, photography, influencer seeding	Every week of delay = 1 week later launch date. No workaround.	Build 3-week buffer in PP sample round
BIS licence received	Test samples submitted + lab testing complete	Myntra listing, any regulated marketplace, ISI mark on product label	Myntra launch delayed by weeks-months. D2C unaffected.	Submit in Week 1. Accept BIS delays in Myntra planning (Month 8 not Month 7).
Product photography	PP or production sample in hand — not proto	Product reveal content, Myntra catalogue, D2C product page images	Cannot publish product reveal or populate D2C site without real product photos.	Schedule shoot for Week 1 after PP approved. Don't wait for production pairs.
Influencer seed boxes shipped	Production pairs received + QC passed	Influencer Reels, pre-launch content wave, social proof before launch	Fewer pre-launch Reels = lower Day 1 awareness. CAC spikes.	Reserve 20 pairs from production for seeding before listing any for sale.
Shopify site (product page) live	Photography complete + brand identity locked	Influencer CTA destination, paid ads landing page, Myntra redirect target	Influencer Reels have no destination to drive traffic to. Wasted reach.	Build site in Month 3 on placeholder images — swap photography in Month 5.
Trademark TM-A filed	Brand name + emblem finalised	Legal right to use ™ symbol. Without filing, name is unprotected.	Someone else files "RouCN" first. Expensive legal dispute.	File Week 1 — before any public brand launch. Takes 1 day online.
Myntra catalogue submission	BIS licence + product photography + GST registration	Myntra listing approval (4–6 week review process)	Myntra launch delayed beyond Month 8. Small impact — D2C is primary.	Submit to Myntra in Month 7. Accept Month 8 live date.
Klaviyo email flows active	Email list exists + Shopify integration set up	Waitlist conversion, post-purchase NPS, Day 14 review request, referral prompt	Missed touchpoints in critical post-purchase window = lower RPR.	Set up flows in Month 3 on dummy data. Test thoroughly in Month 6.
Packaging print order delivered	Packaging design finalised + printer briefed	Packing production pairs + influencer seed boxes	Shoes arrive but cannot be boxed. Launch delayed by packaging lead time.	Order packaging in Month 3, 6-week lead. Arrives before production shoes.

🔬 PM Hypothesis H16 — The BIS Timeline is the Most Mis-Estimated Dependency

First-time founders consistently underestimate BIS certification timeline, assuming 4–6 weeks when the actual average is 3–5 months. This single miscalculation delays Myntra onboarding by months — which is why RouCN's roadmap starts BIS in Month 0 (not Month 3) and treats Myntra as a Month 8 activation, not a launch-day channel. D2C is designed to be fully functional without BIS, allowing a legal launch while the certification completes.

Evidence: BIS QCO 2024 compliance reports from multiple D2C founders consistently cite certification timelines of 90–150 days including testing rounds. DPIIT BIS portal processing adds 4–8 weeks after lab test submission. (DPIIT footwear compliance guidance 2024)

6.3

Decision Gates

Go/No-Go Criteria

Thresholds at Day 30, 60, 90 post-launch — defined in advance so the founder can act without panic or bias

🎯

Why define these now: In the moment of slow sales, every founder rationalises. "It's just slow because of the season." "People will order after payday." Pre-defined thresholds remove the emotional variable. If the number says pivot, you pivot — not because you're panicking, but because you agreed in advance that this is what the data means. The gates are a pre-commitment device.

D+30

First Signal Gate

30 days post-launch. Is the demand real?

✅ GO — Double Down

≥25 orders | Rating ≥4.2★ | Return rate <10%

Proceed with Batch 2 planning. Activate Myntra onboarding. Increase influencer seeding budget. Business model is working.

⚠️ PIVOT — Diagnose & Adjust

10–24 orders | Rating 3.8–4.2★ | Return rate 10–15%

Do NOT place Batch 2 yet. Run 10 customer interviews this week. Activate ₹40K paid ads test. Identify whether issue is awareness (low site traffic) or conversion (high traffic, low purchase). Fix the weaker link.

🛑 STOP — Root Cause First

<10 orders | Rating <3.8★ | Return rate >15%

Halt all marketing spend. Do not place Batch 2. Pull 5 returned pairs, inspect defects. Interview every customer who ordered. Either quality is broken or price is wrong or trust is absent. Find which one before spending another rupee.

D+60

Scale Gate

60 days post-launch. Is it repeatable?

✅ GO — Scale

≥55 cumulative orders | Batch 2 in transit | CAC ≤₹800

Myntra listing live or in final review. Email list ≥700. Referral program active. Plan Batch 3 brief. First paid ads test (₹20K) with conversion data to optimise against.

⚠️ PIVOT — Channel Mix

30–54 cumulative orders | CAC ₹800–1,200

Review channel split: is D2C underperforming vs Myntra? If Myntra is converting better, shift stock allocation toward marketplace. If D2C is dead (low traffic), organic strategy is not working — activate paid at ₹20K/month test. Don't change the product, change the acquisition channel.

🛑 STOP — Reframe

<30 cumulative orders | CAC >₹1,500 | Rating declining

Product-channel fit has not been established. Pause Batch 2. Consider: Is the price wrong? Is the silhouette wrong for this customer? Is the positioning unclear? Run 20 customer interviews. If quality is the issue, go back to factory. If positioning is the issue, pivot the story — not the shoe.

D+90

NSM Gate

90 days post-launch. Is the brand sticky?

✅ GO — Year 2 Mode

RPR ≥15% | ≥80 cumulative orders | NPS ≥35

NSM target hit. Product-market fit confirmed. Begin Year 2 planning: SKU 002 brief finalised, pop-up feasibility, first investor/accelerator outreach, Amazon India. RouCN is a real brand.

⚠️ PIVOT — Retention Fix

RPR 8–14% | 50–79 cumulative orders | NPS 25–35

Demand exists, retention is below target. Audit post-purchase experience: are emails landing? Are customers being invited into community? Is the WhatsApp inner circle active? RPR is a lagging indicator of experience quality — fix the experience to fix the metric. Push community harder: IGCF, referral, WhatsApp invite.

🛑 STOP — Strategic Review

RPR <8% | <50 cumulative orders | NPS <25

3 months post-launch with RPR below 8% and NPS below 25 means the product or the brand is not resonating deeply enough for a D2C brand to sustain. Strategic review: Is this a product problem (wrong silhouette, wrong price)? A story problem (narrative not landing)? A market timing problem? Make a decision within 30 days: pivot the product, pivot the positioning, or pause and rebuild before spending more.

Go/No-Go Summary — All Metrics at a Glance

RouCN · Decision Gate Dashboard

Metric

✅ GO (Double Down)

⚠️ PIVOT (Diagnose)

🛑 STOP (Root Cause)

Orders D+30

≥25 orders

10–24 orders

<10 orders

Orders D+60

≥55 cumulative

30–54 cumulative

<30 cumulative

Orders D+90

≥80 cumulative

50–79 cumulative

<50 cumulative

Product Rating

≥4.2★

3.8–4.2★

<3.8★

Return Rate

<10%

10–15%

>15%

CAC (blended)

≤₹800

₹800–1,200

>₹1,500

RPR @ D+90

≥15%

8–14%

<8%

NPS @ D+90

≥35

25–35

<25

Gross Margin

≥55% D2C

45–55%

<45% (guardrail breach)

🔬 PM Hypothesis H17 — The D+60 Gate is the Most Important Decision Point

Day 30 is too early — too much noise, not enough signal. Day 90 is too late — if the model is broken, you've burned through budget waiting to confirm it. Day 60 is the moment when the founder has enough data (sell-through trend, CAC reality, channel mix performance, first reviews) to make a truly informed decision about whether to scale, adjust, or stop. RouCN's founder must treat the D+60 gate as a Board Meeting — with data, not gut feel, driving the outcome.

Evidence: Standard D2C brand assessment frameworks (YC, a16z consumer playbook) recommend a 60-day post-launch cohort review as the minimum viable data window for a first drop. 30 days has too much launch-week noise; 90 days has too much sunk cost to pivot cleanly.

RouCN · PM Path · 06 of 07

🦝

Next → 07 Measurement Iteration