STUDIO NOIR · Operations Manual

Raleigh-Durham (RDU), NC. Operator: Taj Hines, Founder + Creative Director Document owner: Trill Walker (CSO) Phase 1, GM Phase 2 Standard: 5-star hospitality, adapted to boutique scale Phase 1 and Aman/Peninsula benchmark Phase 2. Revision cadence: quarterly (or after any critical incident). Version: 2.0 (Phase 1 boutique rewrite) Last updated: 2026-07-29

1. Purpose

This manual is the operational spine of STUDIO NOIR. Every other document in 07_OPERATIONS/ inherits from this one. If a procedure conflicts with this manual, this manual wins until formally revised.

STUDIO NOIR is not a gym with amenities. It’s a members’ club with training embedded inside a hospitality shell. Every operational decision is filtered against that frame.

Phase 1 (2027-2028) runs a boutique studio at hospitality standard with a small team. Phase 2 (2029-2030) opens the full flagship with a hospitality-industry GM and 20+ FTE.

2. Phase 1 standard (boutique)

The sensory baseline Phase 1

• Scent. Signature scent (custom formulation, see 04_SIGNATURE_AMENITIES) diffused at reception via Aera single-unit diffuser. Detectable within 3 seconds of member entry.
• Sound. Reception + studio playlist curated by Trill. Lobby 62-66 dB SPL. No streaming radio, no algorithm playlists.
• Light. 2700K warm dimmable throughout. No fluorescents. No overhead cans.
• Temperature. Studio floor 68-72°F. Reception 70°F.
• Touch. Every surface a member touches is either fresh or has been wiped in the last 30 minutes. Pole grip surfaces wiped between users.

Phase 1 five non-negotiables

If any fail, it’s a Level 2 incident, logged and debriefed:

1. Named greeting within 8 seconds of entry (by Taj, Tia, Studio Manager, or the incoming class instructor).
2. Prosecco (Bisol Jeio) or a non-alcoholic option (chilled cucumber-citrus water, mint tea) offered at door.
3. Instructor greets member by name at class entry.
4. Signature scent present at reception.
5. Departure farewell by name.

3. Phase 1 chain of command

                    Taj Hines
                    Founder + Creative Director
                            |
             +--------------+--------------+
             |                             |
        Trill Walker                  Tia Dunn
        Chief Strategy Officer        Marketing Director
        (day-to-day escalation,       (cross-brand)
         professional relationships,
         Phase 2 hiring)
                    |
              Studio Manager
              (part-time contractor)
                    |
        Contract Instructors (2-3)

External vendors: - Cleaning service (contract) - Bookkeeper (contract) - RDU attorney (retained per-matter) - Insurance broker (annual relationship)

Role summary Phase 1

Taj: brand, creative direction, member events, monthly ops review with Trill. Never operator. Never covers a class. Never does setup.

Trill: operational escalation (Levels 2+), first Monday cash review with Taj, external professional relationships, Phase 2 hiring management.

Tia: marketing execution, cross-brand.

Studio Manager (contractor, ~10 hrs/week): class scheduling, member sign-ups/cancellations, contract instructor coordination, small merch inventory, weekly member email.

Contract Instructors: teach classes per schedule, cover for each other, pay per class.

4. Decision authorities (Phase 1)

Small team, simpler ladder than Phase 2.

5. Escalation (Phase 1)

Severity ladder

• Level 1: Amenity Miss. Ritual step skipped, wrong name used, small mistake. Logged, addressed at next Monday cash review. Member receives message from Studio Manager within 24 hours if noticed.
• Level 2: Service Failure. Class cancelled last-minute, instructor no-show, prosecco stock out, one of the five non-negotiables missed. Trill notified within 30 minutes. Affected members contacted personally by Trill or Studio Manager within 4 hours. Comp per authority table.
• Level 3: Facility Failure. HVAC down, water intrusion, rigging concern, sound system dead. Trill notified immediately. Facilities vendor dispatched. Studio closed for the day if needed. Taj notified.
• Level 4: Safety Incident. Any injury requiring more than a bandage, any pole fall, any allegation of harassment, media inquiry, regulatory visit. Trill and Taj notified immediately. 911 as required. Insurance carrier notified within 24 hours. Written incident report within 24 hours.
• Level 5: Existential. Fire, active threat, structural failure, media crisis. Evacuate per life safety plan. Trill commands scene until relieved. Legal and PR called by Taj.

Notification tree Phase 1

• Level 1: Studio Manager logs.
• Level 2: Studio Manager → Trill.
• Level 3: Studio Manager → Trill → Taj.
• Level 4: Studio Manager → Trill → Taj → insurance carrier → legal counsel.
• Level 5: Studio Manager dials 911, then Trill, then Taj, then legal.

Founder is NEVER pulled on Level 1 or Level 2. Founder is ALWAYS notified on Level 4.

6. KPIs (Phase 1)

Reviewed monthly by Trill + Taj at first Monday cash review.

Experience KPIs

• Class fill rate: target 8+ members average per class
• Member churn: target under 5% monthly
• Amenity miss count: target under 2 per month
• Member NPS quarterly survey: target 70+

Facility KPIs

• Rigging inspection compliance: 100% (see 07_OPERATIONS/02_SAFETY_LIABILITY)
• HVAC service compliance vs schedule: 100%
• Cleaning cadence compliance: 100%

Business KPIs

• Member acquisition vs plan (monthly)
• Reserve balance (must stay at $25K)
• Monthly clean cash flow to Taj
• Instructor cost as % of revenue (target under 20%)

Safety KPIs

• Incident count by level, trailing 30 and 90 days
• Waiver compliance rate: 100%, zero exceptions
• Contract instructor CPR/AED currency: 100%

7. Review cadence (Phase 1)

• Daily class-day briefing. 5-minute huddle before every class (whoever’s on-site). Yesterday’s log, today’s bookings, any first-timers or milestone members.
• Weekly Studio Manager check-in. Trill + Studio Manager, 20 minutes, Wednesday morning. Review week’s classes, member issues, small merch, vendor coordination.
• Monthly Founder Financial Review. First Monday, Trill + Taj, 30 minutes. Cash position, member count, revenue vs plan, reserve status, distribution decision, red flags, green signals. See 05_FINANCE/05_CASHFLOW_FORECAST.
• Quarterly manual review. First Monday of Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct. This document is reviewed and re-signed by Taj + Trill.
• Annual audit. Full walkthrough by insurance carrier + review of all incident logs + rigging load test verification.

8. Phase 1 staffing framework

Roles and minimum coverage

• Class instructor: 1 per class (booked to schedule)
• Concierge / greeter at class: 1 (Taj, Tia, Studio Manager, or the class instructor)
• Studio Manager: part-time, ~10 hrs/week (admin, scheduling, member service)
• Cleaning: external service, 2x per week (contract)

No MOD (Manager on Duty). No dedicated floor staff. No locker attendants. No recovery attendants (no recovery wing). No F&B staff (no café).

9. Phase 1 member tiers and access

Two sellable tiers + one charter designation. See 03_CONCEPT_PROGRAMMING/01_MEMBERSHIP_TIERS.

• Access ($199/month): unlimited classes, prosecco at door, 1 monthly guest pass
• Studio ($349/month): everything in Access + named locker + 2 monthly guest passes + 15% merch discount + priority booking window (72h) + 1 monthly private lesson
• The Founders (charter designation, capped at 30): Studio tier rate locked at $349 for life, founder’s signed folio at intake, in-person intro to Taj

VIP flag (independent of tier): applied by Trill or Taj only. Triggers a pre-visit call from Studio Manager, priority arrival, discreet service.

10. Phase 1 member profile system

Small member base (~60) is memorized. Backed by a simple spreadsheet or Airtable base with: - Name, preferred greeting, photo - Drink preference - Favorite class - One personal detail (spouse, work, hometown) - Membership start date - Any prior incidents or milestones

Profiles reviewed monthly by Trill + Studio Manager.

11. THE NOIR INVITATIONAL (Phase 2 forward)

Not Phase 1. Full spec preserved in 08_NOIR_INVITATIONAL.

12. What Taj NEVER does

Written explicitly so no one asks:

• Turnover between classes
• Cleaning, laundry, restocking
• Setup or strike for events
• Fielding operational escalations below Level 3
• Processing payroll or invoicing
• Vendor scheduling
• Answering member calls

Taj shows up as founder, host, creative director, and face of the club. Everything operational routes to Trill or the Studio Manager.

13. Continuous improvement (Phase 1)

• Studio Manager files improvement notes to Trill weekly
• Any note that becomes a policy change is logged with author credit in the changelog
• Quarterly informal mystery member visit by a trusted friend of Taj/Trill; report shared at next Founder Review

Phase 2 adds formal third-party mystery guest program with monthly visits.

14. Phase 2 operations manual (preserved for reference)

Phase 2 flagship operations manual has:

• Full 5-tier chain of command (GM, Directors of Hospitality, Training, Recovery, Facilities, F&B)
• MOD (Manager on Duty) coverage rule
• Full decision authority ladder ($150 per staff incident, $500 GM, $2,500 per-incident, $10K vendor contract without escalation, etc.)
• Detailed pre-shift huddle SOPs, post-shift logs, weekly ops review, weekly Taj + GM sync, monthly business review, quarterly manual review, annual third-party audit
• Full daily rituals (see 01_DAILY_RITUALS Phase 2 preview)
• Full safety and liability (see 02_SAFETY_LIABILITY Phase 2 preview)
• Full HVAC + cleaning (see 03_HVAC_CLEANING Phase 2 preview)
• Full vendor roster (see 04_VENDOR_ROSTER Phase 2 preview)

Rebuilt in 2028 alongside Phase 2 GM hiring.

15. Signoff

This manual becomes live when signed by Taj and Trill. Version, date, and signatures logged on the first page of the printed binder at the Studio Manager desk.

16. Changelog

• 2026-07-28: v1.0 published (Phase 2 flagship spec, superseded)
• 2026-07-29: v2.0 rewritten for Phase 1 boutique reality (v1.0 preserved as reference)