# Separation planning intro email template | SourceX

Canonical: https://refer.sourcex.si/resources/separation-planning-introduction-email
Last updated: 2026-10-20

Only send it once the answer is yes for at least some record sets, and say which. The email goes to the separated company's authorized owner: a neutral subject, one paragraph stating which record sets the entity sort assigns to the separated company, one paragraph on what SourceX does with your referral interest disclosed, and one paragraph offering an introduction that starts with a description. It must name the right legal entity and claim nothing about shared records. The template and the reasoning for each paragraph follow.

This template belongs to the [separation planning guide](/guides/moment-separation-planning-corporate-carve-out-advisors). Send it after the [separation meeting agenda](/resources/separation-planning-meeting-agenda) closes on "introduce now."

## A draft addressed to the separated company's owner

Use the legal entity name exactly as it will appear after separation. The [legal entity name guide](/guides/how-to-find-a-companys-legal-entity-name) helps confirm it.

> Subject: {separated_entity}'s operating records after separation
>
> Hi {first_name},
>
> Thank you for the conversation on {meeting_day}. We asked whether an owner can identify which records belong to {separated_entity}. Based on the sort {sort_owner} is preparing, {record_sets} covering about {years} years sit with {separated_entity}, and {shared_row} is still to be decided. {service_end_sentence}
>
> SourceX licenses approved business data directly from companies for AI training and evaluation, and handles the agreement, rights review, data preparation, delivery and payout. Nothing is shared unless {separated_entity} agrees terms. For clarity about my position: I am a SourceX referral partner and may receive a reward from SourceX if a qualifying license completes. SourceX pays it separately, it never reduces what {separated_entity} would receive, and it is unrelated to my role on the separation.
>
> If helpful, I can introduce you. SourceX would start with a description only: which record sets, roughly how many years, which systems, and who can approve a discussion. No files, mailboxes or exports. A reply of "yes" or "not now" is enough.
>
> {your_name}

## Why each paragraph is worded this way

| Element | Why it is written this way | What it must never contain |
|---|---|---|
| Subject with the separated entity's name | Points to the entity that will hold the records, not the group | The parent's name alone, a deal code name or any figure |
| "We asked whether an owner can identify..." | Repeats the meeting question, so the owner recognizes their own answer | Your opinion of the sort's quality |
| "Based on the sort {sort_owner} is preparing" | Credits the allocation to the people responsible for it | A claim that you made or verified the sort |
| "{record_sets} covering about {years} years" | Describes the records at metadata level | Customer names, case examples or volumes you counted yourself |
| "{shared_row} is still to be decided" | States openly that some records are unresolved | Any suggestion that shared records can be licensed now |
| "{service_end_sentence}" | Notes a documented date when shared systems stop, if the owner gave one | Invented dates or pressure |
| The SourceX sentence | Says accurately what SourceX does | Buyers, named AI labs or demand claims |
| The disclosure | States your interest in plain words before any introduction | A vague phrase, a footnote or a link in place of the words |
| "Unrelated to my role on the separation" | Separates your advisory fee from the referral | Any trade against advisory scope or fees |
| The description-only ask | Puts the metadata boundary in writing | Requests for files, samples, credentials or mailbox access |

The disclosure stays in the body. The FTC's guidance on its Endorsement Guides says a material connection such as a payment or commission should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously unless already clear from context, and that vague labels and disclosures behind links fall short. Your advisers can say whether that reaches a private email; plain words avoid the question.

## Entity traps: what the email must not imply

Separation emails go wrong in ways that ordinary introductions do not. Each trap below points at the wrong owner.

- **Introducing the group instead of the separated company.** If the records belong to the separated entity, the parent's executives are not the authorized contact, however senior. Headcount is tested on the separated company too: 50+ full-time employees at peak, contractors excluded.
- **Treating a retained copy as a right.** IRS guidance says to keep records until the period of limitations for the return they support runs out, generally three years and longer in listed cases, with employment tax records kept at least four years. The parent may keep copies for that reason. Do not write as if either side's copy settles who may license.
- **Treating cost allocation as record allocation.** SEC staff guidance expects carve-out income statements to reflect all of a subsidiary's costs, including expenses the parent paid, using a reasonable allocation method where specific identification is not practical. That allocation shows how entangled the businesses were; it does not assign records. Mention neither the method nor its figures.
- **Writing before the entity exists.** A NewCo that has not been formed cannot be the contact. Wait, or name the person who will lead it once formed.
- **Quoting the reward.** The default reward is 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per company, payable only after every condition in the terms is met. A number in this email reads as a promise.

## When the entity sort is incomplete

Change the second and third sentences of paragraph one to match where the sort stands.

| Where the sort stands | Replace the allocation sentence with |
|---|---|
| Not started | "The separation team has not yet sorted historical records by entity; {sort_owner} expects to start before {milestone}." |
| Day 1 systems only | "The current sort covers Day 1 systems; historical records in {shared_system} are not yet allocated." |
| Mostly shared | "Most history sits in shared group systems, and allocation will follow the data schedule." |
| Complete and signed off | "The sort is signed off: {record_sets} sit with {separated_entity}." |
| Transition services in place | Add: "{shared_system} runs under transition services until {service_end}." |

If the sort has not started, consider waiting rather than sending. An introduction for records with no clear owner tends to stall at the rights review. The [archive context checklist](/resources/separation-planning-archive-context-checklist) tracks the sort through to the end of transition services, and the [guide to transition services agreements and exit data](/guides/transition-services-agreement-exit-data) explains how service end dates affect access.

## From reply to introduction

**On "yes."** Sign the Channel Partner Agreement if you have not already, then submit the introduction through your partner account with the authorized contact's details and your metadata notes. SourceX works with the separated company directly. Attribution goes to the first valid introduction within the 90-day window, credited when the company submits a verified application, one partner per company.

**On "not now."** Record the date and the reason. Do not chase, and do not raise it again in separation workstream meetings.

**Fit reminder.** Besides headcount, the separated company needs a documented operating history, rights to license the records and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. SourceX's current data needs, the rights review outcome and any offer remain unknown until SourceX reviews an application.

If the owner asks how a reward works, point to the [rewards page](/rewards). A reward becomes payable after SourceX has paid the referred company under its signed agreement and the payout conditions in the program terms are met, including finance approval and your tax and payment details. For background, see [what a carve-out transaction means](/questions/carve-out-transaction-meaning) and [divestiture advisor referrals](/for/divestiture-advisors-referral-program); the [introduction email builder](/tools/introduction-email-builder) helps assemble the placeholders.

## Next step

> **Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000.** Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.

Before you send it to the separated company's owner, [register as a partner](/register), check the entity on [who qualifies](/who-qualifies) and read the [program terms](/terms), so the disclosure in your email matches what you signed.

## Sources

- https://www.sec.gov/interps/account/sabcodet1.htm
- https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/how-long-should-i-keep-records
- https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking
- https://refer.sourcex.si/terms
- https://refer.sourcex.si/rewards