# Performance West — Distribution Channels

**Last updated:** 2026-03-27

Based on 2025-2026 research into where business owners, accountants, bookkeepers,
and HR professionals actually discuss compliance topics online.

---

## TIER 1 — Automated + Highest ROI

### Reddit (Automated LLM Monitor)
| Subreddit | Members | Compliance Topics | Why It Works |
|-----------|---------|-------------------|-------------|
| r/tax | 841K | 1099 vs W-2, misclassification, IRS compliance | Highest-relevance sub. Nearly every post is on-topic. |
| r/smallbusiness | 470K | Contractor classification, LLC, privacy policy, TCPA | Business owners asking for help directly. |
| r/Entrepreneur | 470K | Formation, contractor, privacy questions | Founders making compliance decisions. |
| r/legaladvice | 1.6M | Misclassification, wage theft, FLSA | Employee-side posts show employers the risk. |
| r/Bookkeeping | 75K | 1099 processing, payroll compliance, QBO/Xero | Bookkeepers who refer clients. Strict rules. |
| r/accounting | 1.23M | Contractor classification, payroll tax | Accountants who encounter compliance daily. |
| r/humanresources | 107K | FLSA, handbooks, discrimination, HR policies | HR professionals. Direct compliance Q&A. |
| r/QuickBooks | 37K | Payroll/1099 compliance in QuickBooks context | QB users hit compliance issues in software. |
| r/IRS | 442K | Enforcement notices, compliance questions | Tax compliance and notices. |
| r/antiwork | 1.6M | Misclassification, wage theft (massive engagement) | Shows employer risk. Educational replies. |
| r/EmploymentLaw | 7.1K | 100% compliance questions. Every post is relevant. | Small but highest signal-to-noise ratio. |
| r/ecommerce | 91K | CCPA, privacy, SMS marketing | E-commerce compliance pain points. |
| r/marketing | 141K | TCPA, SMS consent, DNC | Marketers hitting TCPA issues. |
| r/construction | — | Contractor misclassification (#1 industry) | Construction is ground zero for 1099 issues. |
| r/restaurateur | — | Wage-hour violations (tip credit, overtime) | Restaurants are the highest-risk industry. |
| r/realestateinvesting | — | Contractor classification, entity formation | RE investors use 1099 workers extensively. |
| r/freelance | — | Other side of contractor misclassification | Freelancers asking "am I misclassified?" |
| r/startups | 1.2M | Formation, early compliance | Startups making first compliance decisions. |
| r/payroll | ~10K | Payroll tax compliance, classification | Focused payroll compliance community. |

**Automation:** reddit-monitor.py (Ollama qwen2.5:3b, 3 replies/run, 10/day max)

### Google Search (SEO)
| Approach | Target Keywords | Expected ROI |
|----------|----------------|-------------|
| Service pages | "contractor classification review", "CCPA compliance audit" | Very High |
| Free tool pages | "1099 vs W-2 quiz", "TCPA compliance checker" | Very High (compounds) |
| Blog content | Long-tail compliance questions | High (compounds over 6+ months) |

### AI Agent Discovery — MCP Server
| Approach | Integration | Expected ROI |
|----------|-------------|-------------|
| MCP Server | Install: `npx @performancewest/mcp-server` | Very High — zero-friction AI-assisted sales |
| AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor) can walk users through formation questionnaire and place orders | Submit to Smithery, mcp.so, Glama directories | Compounds as AI adoption grows |

The MCP server exposes tools for service lookup, formation questionnaire, order creation,
and order status. AI agents discover our services when users ask about business formation,
telecom compliance, or CRTC registration.

### Free Tools (Owned Traffic Flywheel)
| Tool | SEO Keywords | Conversion Path |
|------|-------------|----------------|
| Contractor Classification Quiz | "1099 vs W-2 test", "am I misclassifying" | High risk result → $499 review CTA |
| Privacy Policy Check | "CCPA compliance checker" | Gaps found → $799 policy review CTA |
| TCPA SMS Check | "SMS compliance audit" | High risk → $1,299 consent audit CTA |
| Formation Guide | "LLC formation questionnaire", "which state to form LLC" | Completed guide → formation order CTA |

---

## TIER 2 — Manual Engagement, High ROI

### Facebook Groups (Manual — Create Your Own + Participate in Others)
| Group Strategy | Size/Reach | Compliance Topics | Notes |
|---------------|-----------|-------------------|-------|
| **Create own group** ("Small Business HR Compliance") | Build to 5K+ | All categories | Full control. Schedule posts. Capture emails via join questions. |
| QuickBooks Users & Proadvisors | ~50K | 1099, payroll, compliance | Answer questions. Build reputation. |
| Bookkeepers' Corner | ~30K | 1099 processing, contractor classification | Bookkeepers who refer clients. |
| Restaurant Owners groups | 30-50K | Tip credit, wage-hour, FLSA | Highest-risk industry for wage violations. |
| Cleaning Business Owners | ~50K | 1099 misclassification | Many misclassify cleaners as contractors. |
| Construction Business Owners | 20-40K | Subcontractor vs employee classification | Ground zero for misclassification. |
| HR for Small Business | 15-30K | FLSA, handbooks, policies | Direct target audience. |
| Women Entrepreneurs groups | 100-300K+ | Broad compliance | Active engagement on hiring/compliance. |

**No automation possible.** Budget 30-60 min/day for manual engagement.

### QuickBooks Community (1.6M members, 1.3M posts)
- Answer 1099/payroll/contractor compliance questions
- Cannot promote externally — Intuit removes links
- Build reputation as helpful expert
- High volume of compliance questions daily

### Intuit Accountants Community (ProConnect/Lacerte)
- Tax professionals who refer clients
- Active daily discussions on compliance
- Ideal referral partner channel
- Top contributors have 200-450+ posts

### LinkedIn (Personal Brand + Groups)
| Approach | Effort | ROI |
|----------|--------|-----|
| Personal posts from Justin (2-3x/week) | Medium | High — organic reach among decision-makers |
| Comment on compliance discussions | Medium | Medium — builds authority |
| Connect with CPAs, HR consultants, attorneys | Medium | Very High — referral partnerships |
| LinkedIn Groups (HR, SMB, Compliance) | Low | Medium |

### Alignable (9M small business owners)
- Local business social network
- "Legal & Insurance" and "Hiring" topic forums
- Low competition from compliance consultants
- Good for building local authority

### BiggerPockets (3M members)
- Real estate investors
- Active contractor classification, 1099, entity formation discussions
- "Legal & Legislation" and "Tax" forum categories
- Manual answers build authority

---

## TIER 3 — Niche, Lower Volume

### ContractorTalk (170K members, 3.6M posts)
- Construction industry professionals
- "Business" section: 155K threads, 50M views
- Worker classification, insurance, licensing
- Has sponsor programs for paid visibility

### Industry-Specific Forums
| Forum | Industry | Key Compliance Topics |
|-------|----------|---------------------|
| RestaurantOwner.com | Restaurant | Tip credit, overtime, youth employment, FLSA |
| LawnSite.com | Landscaping | H-2B visa, seasonal workers, classification |
| TruckersReport.com | Trucking | IC rules, ABC test, ELD compliance |
| DentalTown | Medical/Dental | Employment law for small practices |

### Canada CRTC / International Telecom Channels
| Channel | Audience | Approach |
|---------|----------|----------|
| r/telecom | Telecom professionals | Educational posts about CRTC vs FCC carrier licensing |
| r/VoIP | VoIP operators and enthusiasts | Answer questions about carrier licensing, mention Canada alternative |
| DSLReports Telecom Forum | ISPs, CLECs, telecom operators | Long-form educational posts about CRTC registration |
| Telecom trade forums | Industry professionals | Participate in FCC 214 and carrier licensing discussions |
| LinkedIn telecom groups | Decision-makers at telcos | Share thought leadership on international carrier strategies |
| WhatsApp carrier groups | Wholesale voice/SMS traders | Direct outreach when relevant |

**Key message:** "Canadian CRTC registration is notification-based at a fraction of FCC 214
cost ($3,899 vs $58K–$525K+). No background checks, no CALEA, no Team Telecom delays."

### Quora (400M monthly visitors)
- Answer compliance questions
- Answers rank in Google (long-tail SEO)
- Lower volume than Reddit but longer shelf life

### Referral Partnerships (Relationship-Based)
| Partner Type | Where to Find | What They Refer |
|-------------|---------------|----------------|
| CPA / Accounting firms | LinkedIn, Intuit communities | Contractor classification, corporate filings |
| HR Consultants | LinkedIn, r/humanresources | FLSA audits, handbook reviews |
| Business Attorneys | LinkedIn | Compliance filings they don't want to do |
| Bookkeepers | Alignable, Facebook groups | State registrations, annual reports |
| Payroll Companies | Direct outreach | Contractor classification, employment compliance |

### Email Marketing (Owned Channel)
| Approach | Source | Expected ROI |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| Free tool → email capture → nurture sequence | Website tools | Very High |
| Monthly compliance newsletter | Mailing list subscribers | High |
| Triggered sequences by compliance category | Segmented leads | High |

---

## SKIP / NOT RECOMMENDED

| Channel | Reason |
|---------|--------|
| **Stack Exchange** | Wrong audience (developers/academics, not business owners). Dropped. |
| **dev.to** | Developer audience. Business owners don't read dev.to. Dropped. |
| **Hacker News** | No write API. Tech audience. Cannot automate. |
| **Discord** | No scalable monitoring. Manual participation not worth effort. |
| **Twitter/X** | API pricing prohibitive. Organic reach collapsed. |
| **TikTok / Instagram** | Wrong format for compliance consulting. |
| **Cold Email / Cold Calling** | Legal risk, reputation risk, low conversion. Never. |
| **Print / Trade Publications** | Cost-prohibitive for our price points. |

---

## Channel Priority Timeline

| Priority | Channels | When | Monthly Cost |
|----------|----------|------|-------------|
| **P0 — Month 1** | Reddit monitor (automated), Free tools (built), SEO (service pages) | Immediately | $0 |
| **P1 — Month 1-2** | Own Facebook Group, LinkedIn personal posts, Email nurture | Week 2+ | $0 |
| **P2 — Month 2-3** | QB Community, Intuit Accountants, Alignable, Facebook group participation | Month 2 | $0 |
| **P3 — Month 3+** | BiggerPockets, ContractorTalk, Quora, Referral partner outreach | Month 3+ | $0 |
| **P4 — Month 4+** | Google Ads (test budget), Industry forums, Podcast guesting | Month 4+ | $500-1K |

---

## Key Metrics

| Channel | Primary Metric | Target |
|---------|---------------|--------|
| Reddit | Clicks to site (UTM) | 50/week by month 3 |
| Free Tools | Assessment completions | 100/month, 40% email capture |
| Google Organic | Sessions to service/tool pages | 500/month by month 6 |
| Facebook Group | Members + engagement | 1K members by month 6 |
| QB Community | Answers posted + profile views | 10 answers/week |
| LinkedIn | Post impressions + connections | 10 new partner connections/quarter |
| Email | Open rate, click rate | 35% open, 5% click |
| Referrals | Referred leads | 5/month by month 6 |
