Compensation Philosophy, VAULT
Two rules run everything below.
Rule one, we pay above market for the roles that determine whether VAULT feels like a 5-star club or a nice gym. Those are the GM, Head of Programming, and Director of Member Experience. We do not negotiate on the ceiling for these three.
Rule two, we build tips out of the model entirely. VAULT is a members club. Members pay their dues and never carry cash. Every service touchpoint is included in the price. Staff are compensated through above-market base plus a service pool funded by the club, never by member gratuity.
Cash comp bands, Y1
Founding leadership, above-market by design
| Role | Base range | Bonus target | Charlotte market midpoint reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Manager | $150K to $200K | 20 percent | Charlotte private club GM, $120K to $155K |
| Head of Programming | $110K to $135K | 12 percent | Charlotte studio director, $75K to $95K |
| Director of Member Experience | $95K to $115K | 10 percent | Charlotte hotel front office director, $80K to $95K |
VAULT pays roughly 30 to 45 percent above Charlotte market midpoint for these three seats. This is intentional. We are asking hospitality veterans to leave Manhattan, Miami, or Aspen for Charlotte. The premium is the cost of that ask.
Support leadership, at market
| Role | Base range | Bonus target |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Finance and Ops | $105K to $130K | 10 percent |
| Head of F&B | $95K to $115K | 10 percent |
| Head of Instructor Development | $85K to $105K | 8 percent |
| Marketing Manager | $75K to $95K | 8 percent |
| Community Manager | $65K to $80K | 5 percent |
Instructor pool, 1099 contractor
- Base per class hour. $65 to $95 per hour, depending on discipline and seniority. Pole and dance senior instructors at the top, PT and recovery at the base. Group strength and gym instruction in the middle.
- Attendance kicker. $10 to $20 per hour per member above class threshold. Class threshold is 6 for boutique disciplines (pole, dance, recovery) and 8 for group strength. A pole class of 8 members at $85 base plus a $15 kicker on the 2 members above threshold pays $115 for the hour.
- Guest instructor residencies. $2,500 flat per residency of 3 to 5 classes, plus travel and 3 nights lodging at a partner hotel.
- Master class or takeover. $500 to $1,500 flat per session for named talent.
Instructors do not carry equity Y1. Top performing instructors (defined as top 3 by member NPS and retention) receive a $5,000 bonus at year end and consideration for a Founding Instructor equity grant of 0.1 percent to 0.25 percent from the option pool starting Y2.
Attendants and concierge staff, hourly with service pool
- Concierge FTE. $24 to $28 per hour base
- Concierge Lead. $30 to $34 per hour base, or salaried at $65K to $72K
- Doorman. $22 to $26 per hour base
- Attendants (locker room, spa). $23 to $26 per hour base
- Cafe barista and cook. $20 to $25 per hour base
- Lounge server. $22 to $26 per hour base plus a share of the service pool
- Facilities and turn staff. $22 to $25 per hour base
Tips are forbidden. Members do not tip. Staff cannot accept tips. If a member insists, the amount is redirected to the club’s Staff Care Fund which pays for staff meals, birthday programming, and quarterly team activations.
Service pool. VAULT funds a monthly service pool equal to 3 percent of membership dues. Pool distributes to hourly staff based on hours worked, tenure, and manager rating. Average concierge takes home an additional $350 to $600 per month from the pool. This replaces gratuity and ties compensation to member experience quality, not member generosity.
Equity
Founder pool, 90 percent of common
- Taj Hines, 60 percent
- Trill (Emmett Walker), 30 percent
Founder pool subject to adjustment for capital contribution. If Trill’s cash-in exceeds a $500K threshold at close of a capital event, his split adjusts up 1 percent per $250K contributed, capped at 40 percent, with Taj adjusting down by the same amount but never below a 51 percent controlling stake.
Option pool, 10 percent reserved for employees
Y1 allocation:
| Role | Grant |
|---|---|
| General Manager | 2.0 percent |
| Head of Programming | 1.0 percent |
| Director of Member Experience | 1.0 percent |
| Director of Finance and Ops | 0.5 percent |
| Head of F&B | 0.5 percent |
| Head of Instructor Development | 0.25 percent |
| Reserved for Y1 exceptional performance | 0.75 percent |
| Y1 allocated total | 6.0 percent |
| Remaining reserve | 4.0 percent |
Reserved 4 percent covers Y2 and Y3 key hires (VP Franchise Development, Assistant GM, Retail Manager, Founding Instructors, Head of Membership Growth).
Vest schedule, all grants, four year vest, one year cliff, standard early exercise permitted with 83b election within 30 days of grant.
Acceleration, single trigger on change of control for GM and Head of Programming only. Double trigger for all other employees.
Benefits floor for all FTE
- Medical, dental, vision, life, short and long term disability, fully paid for employee, 50 percent for dependents
- 401k, Safe Harbor, 4 percent match after 6 months, immediate vest
- PTO, 15 days plus 8 paid holidays plus club closure days, escalates to 20 days at year 2 and 25 days at year 4
- Concierge and above, 5th week PTO by default (staffing model calls for it)
- Paid parental leave, 12 weeks primary, 6 weeks secondary, fully paid
- Wellness stipend, $75 per month
- Complimentary VAULT membership for the employee, plus a plus-one at 50 percent off dues
- Cafe and lounge tab, $200 monthly for FTE below Director, $500 monthly for Director and above
Why we do it this way
VAULT is a hospitality product. Hospitality is a people product. If we pay 30 percent above Charlotte market for the three brand-facing seats, we secure hotel-luxury talent who otherwise ignore an unknown Charlotte startup. If we build the service pool into dues and forbid tips, we make member behavior uniform and predictable, we protect staff dignity, and we deliver a signal to members that they have already paid for the level of care they will receive.
Taj is the face. The GM runs the floor. Trill supplies the capital and strategy from outside. Tia holds the brand across VAULT, Nomad Society, SoftPlay Era, and the candle line. The comp philosophy protects that structure.