The $500B shift nobody sees coming

Two years ago, I picked my business partner with one objective: franchise the sale of global talent.

I picked someone who had built and sold one of the largest service providers in franchising, grown many brands, and had a strong inorganic growth resume from Goldman and Lazard.

The distribution model we just launched blows franchising out of the water.

And it's going to change how the global talent industry runs over the next few years.

Here's what's happening:

Two Different Markets

Sagan Passport serves high-information buyers beautifully. People like you. You've done the research. You understand global talent. You get it.

That's who Passport is built for, and we'll continue serving that market aggressively. High information buyers, product innovation, incredible pricing.

But then there's everyone else.

Millions of businesses that should hire globally but don't even know it's possible. Or think it's too complicated. Or too risky. Or only need to make a few hires a year.

They're not on Twitter. They've never heard of us. They're still paying agencies $3,000/month for workers who make $800/month (if they are hiring globally at all).

We don't have time to educate them all through content and marketing.

We need distribution - NOW.

The Market Nobody Understands

The global outsourcing industry is worth $500 billion.

Almost all of it—probably 95%—flows through agencies and middlemen.

Here's the typical model:

• Company needs help

• They hire an agency

• Agency charges the company $3,000/month

• Agency pays the worker $800/month

• Agency pockets $2,200/month. Forever.

Over three years, that agency makes $79,200 for finding someone once.

Here's the direct hire model:

• Company pays $6,000 ONCE

• Then they pay the worker directly at $800/month

• Over three years: $34,800 total instead of $108,000

• They save over $73,000

• The worker makes the same

• The only loser is the agency

Most companies don't know this is an option yet. But they will.

The Opportunity

Sagan has done 1,600+ hires in 16 months serving the high-information market with almost zero traditional distribution (mostly word of mouth, and this newsletter).

Now we're opening distribution for the other 99% of the market.

The businesses who want to pay a flat fee, one time, on success only, to hire globally.

We're looking for people to connect these companies with global talent and earn 50-85% of every hiring fee when a company hires.

Typical fees: $5,000-$10,000 per hire.

(here are our last several fees from this network concept):

What you actually do:

1. Talk to someone who needs to hire (these are NOT Passport customers—different market entirely)

2. Show them vetted candidates from our portal

3. Let them pick and interview

4. We handle everything else (contracts, payments, onboarding, compliance)

5. You collect your money automatically

That's it.

You're not sourcing candidates. Not doing interviews. Not processing payroll.

You're connecting two sides that want each other but don't know the other exists.

The Math

Direct fees:

• One hire per month at 50-85% = $30K-$102K/year

• Two hires per month = $60K-$204K/year

• One hire per week = $130K-$442K/year

But here's where it gets interesting:

You can build a network.

Bring on 5 people who each make 1 hire per month. You earn overrides on every hire they make.

That's $15K-$25K/month without talking to a single client.

Now those 5 people each bring on 5 more people. That's 25 people making hires underneath you.

Even at one hire every OTHER month, you're looking at $18K-$30K/month in overrides.

This is how every legitimate brokerage works—real estate, insurance, freight. Top producers don't do the work anymore. They build teams who do the work.

I’m not going to stop until the global talent industry looks a lot like insurance …. brokers in every geography, industry, and role.

"Is This MLM?"

No.

MLM: You get paid to recruit. You buy inventory. Monthly fees and quotas. The product doesn't matter—recruitment is the game.

This: You get paid when real companies hire real people. That's it.

• No payment for recruiting

• No inventory to buy

• No monthly fees

• No quotas

You get paid when actual work gets done—when a company hires someone and pays a fee.

Why We're Doing This Now

Here's the strategy :

We built Sagan Passport to be operationally excellent. No bloat. No sales reps. We pass the savings directly to customers. It's the Costco model—efficiency translates to affordability.

That works beautifully for high-information buyers.

But in a growing market, price leadership doesn't guarantee dominance.

Distribution does.

The best product at the best price still loses if nobody knows it exists.

So we're taking our operational efficiency—all those saved dollars from not having bloated infrastructure—and redirecting it.

We're making it worthwhile for motivated people with networks to bring us customers in the one-time fee market.

Give them real incentives. Up to 85% of the hiring fee going to distribution.

Let them use our fulfillment system. Our processes. Our operational excellence.

They get the upside. We get the distribution.

What We've Already Built

This isn't a beta test. The infrastructure exists:

✓ The talent pool (1,600+ hires, vetted candidates with video profiles)

✓ The portal (show clients actual people, not hypotheticals)

✓ The process (first conversation to signed contract)

✓ The payment systems (you get paid automatically)

✓ The support (you're not doing this blind)

The machine works. We're just adding distribution.

Why Now Matters

Markets mature.

Google AdWords in 2003. Facebook ads in 2010. Amazon FBA in 2015. TikTok ads in 2020.

Same pattern every time.

The people who won weren't smarter. They just moved when they saw something instead of waiting for proof.

Right now, most companies outside the high-information buyer segment don't know direct-hire global talent is possible.

In three years, everyone will know. There will be ten competitors. Prices will compress. The easy money will be gone.

The window is open now. Not eventually. Now.

What Happens Next

We're starting with 10 brokers in this wave.

If this resonates, reply with:

• Who you are

• Why this makes sense for you

• What your situation is

• When you could start

I'll read it. If it seems like a fit, we'll talk.

Not a sales call. A conversation.

I'll answer your questions. You'll decide if this is real for you.

The Last Thing I'll Say

At 50% commissions, one hire per month for a year is $30K-$60K.

At higher splits (which you earn), that's $60K-$102K.

That's if you do it yourself.

Five people underneath you, each making one hire per month?

That's $180K-$300K/year in overrides.

And you're not doing any of the work.

The math works. The infrastructure works. The model works.

The only variable is you.

— Jon

P.S. Some of you will agonize over this for weeks. You'll wonder if it's real. You'll look for reasons it won't work. You'll wait for more proof.

That's fine. That's your call.

But understand: While you're deciding, someone else is doing. And in three months, they'll have made 5 hires and $18,000.

And you'll still be deciding, and searching for a sub-scale HVAC business to acquire with a bunch of full recourse personally guaranteed debt.