How We Are Paid | Buckeye Telecom Compensation Disclosure

One Revenue Stream

After 23 years, here’s the whole picture.

We only get paid one way: the carriers and suppliers pay me.

When you buy internet, SIP trunks, hosted VoIP, or any other service through Buckeye, the underlying provider (Spectrum Business, AT&T, Lumen, Frontier, Altafiber, Verizon, Comcast Business, and the regional fixed-wireless carriers) pays a residual commission on your monthly bill. That’s industry-standard and typically runs in the 3–12% range of monthly recurring revenue, depending on the carrier and product.

You pay me nothing directly. No retainer, no consulting fee, no markup on top of your bill.

Two things you should know:

You don’t pay more because of this. The carrier’s quote is the same whether you go direct or through me. The residual comes out of the carrier’s margin, not added on top of yours.
This residual exists whether or not we recommend a carrier. We negotiate harder when we represent you at the table. That’s where your savings come from. The average client saves 27% in year one.

My incentive is simple: We only make money when you stay a happy customer. If a carrier underdelivers, we move you. If a better option exists, we tell you. There is no separate fee structure pulling me in a different direction.

What This Means For You

Why the residual doesn’t skew my advice.

Because we work with every major carrier in Ohio, the residual on any specific recommendation isn’t large enough to bias my advice. Whether we recommend Spectrum, AT&T, Altafiber, or one of the regional providers, our take doesn’t change materially.

What DOES change is whether the carrier can deliver what you need at your building, on your timeline, at a price you can afford. That’s what we optimize for. A carrier with a higher residual that can’t serve your address is worth zero to me.

If anything, when we steer a client away from a carrier we earn residual on, it’s because that carrier isn’t going to deliver. We’d rather keep the long-term relationship than the short-term commission.

What We don’t do.

×We don’t take spiffs. One-time bonuses paid for selling specific products in a window.
×We don’t have exclusive deals or master-agent quotas with any one carrier.
×We don’t recommend products based on commission rate. Period.
×We don’t hide the residual structure. It’s literally on this page.

Why Bother Publishing This?

Because you can’t trust what you can’t see.

If you can’t see how someone is paid, you can’t trust what they tell you. The MSP and telecom industry has trained customers to be cynical about “neutral” claims, for a reason. We’d rather earn your trust by showing the math than by repeating a slogan.

If you want to ask about a specific carrier, product, or recommendation, including whether we earn more on it, call us at 614-224-2003. We’ll tell you straight. My personal cell is on the About page.

Ask me a question →

Where Our Revenue Comes From

The mix. Not the mystery.

100% of Buckeye Telecom’s revenue is carrier and supplier residuals. Here’s the rough breakdown by service category, based on our actual book of business.

All three categories are carrier-paid residuals. You pay me nothing directly. Not for managed services, not for project work, not for advisory.

Compensation FAQ

The questions you should be asking.

Do you ever earn more on one carrier vs another?

Yes. Residual rates vary slightly by carrier and product, typically inside the 3–12% range of monthly recurring revenue. But because we work with every major carrier in Ohio, the spread on any single recommendation is small enough that it doesn’t drive my advice. We pick the carrier that can deliver at your address, on your timeline, at a price you can afford.

What happens to your compensation if I leave for another provider?

The carrier residual stops the day your account moves. That’s the design of this model. We only earn while you stay a happy customer. If we underdeliver, my income drops. It keeps my incentives aligned with yours over the long term.

Do you take vendor trips, spiffs, or bonuses for selling certain products?

No. No spiffs (one-time bonuses for selling a specific product in a window). No vendor-paid trips, no quota bonuses, no exclusive master-agent deals. The only thing we earn is the residual commission on the service you use, paid out of the carrier’s margin, not added on top of yours.

Can we see your carrier compensation rates before I sign anything?

Yes. Ask me about a specific carrier or product and we’ll tell you the range we earn on it. We don’t publish exact rates because they’re carrier-confidential and they change. But on any specific recommendation, ask. We’ll tell you straight.

Where does your revenue come from?

All of Buckeye’s revenue is carrier and supplier residual commissions. Roughly 60% from internet and WAN services, 30% from voice, 10% from specialty services (fixed wireless, regional carriers, equipment resale). You pay me nothing directly. See the breakdown diagram above.

We get paid by the carriers. Not by you.