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section · 04 — methodology

A protocol,
repeated quarterly.

No "growth hacks." No quick wins that decay in six weeks. We run the same diagnostic loop every quarter, every client. The protocol below is the one we ran in 2021, and the one we'll run in 2031.

step.01 · diagnose
x-axis · week 1—2

01. Audit the funnel before suggesting anything.

Seventy-two-hour technical pass: pixels, server-side CAPI, attribution windows, channel feeds, post-purchase tagging. We document everything that leaks before suggesting anything that ships. Most engagements find $40k–$120k of wasted monthly spend in week one.

day 1—3Read-only access to ad accounts & analytics. Pixel + CAPI verification.
day 4—7Tracking-leak audit. Server-side reconciliation w/ shop data.
day 8—14Findings document. 30–50 pages. Delivered to founder + finance.
duration 14 daysbillable diagnostic flat-fee
step.02 · model
x-axis · week 3—5

02. Model the unit economics from first principles.

A spreadsheet your team owns and your CFO can defend. Marginal CAC by channel, contribution margin by SKU mix, twelve-month payback under three demand scenarios. Lives in Google Sheets or your warehouse — wherever your finance team actually opens it.

output 1Channel-marginal-CAC model · 4 channels minimum.
output 2SKU-level contribution analysis. AOV, COGS, fulfillment, payment.
output 312-mo payback w/ confidence bands. Three demand scenarios.
duration 21 dayshandoff founder + cfo workshop
step.03 · execute
x-axis · week 6—∞

03. Execute in-house, every Thursday.

Senior media-buying handled in our office, every Thursday. Creative briefs reviewed weekly with your creative lead. Lifecycle deployments shipped on a Tuesday-Thursday cadence. No agency lag, no "we'll have it next sprint." If we said we'd ship it, it ships in the same calendar week.

cadenceThursday buy-review · weekly. Tuesday lifecycle ship · weekly.
creative4–12 concepts per month, depending on tier.
reportingFriday end-of-week PDF. Saturday-morning founder readable.
cadence weeklyrenewable per-quarter
step.04 · compound
x-axis · qbr · q+0

04. Iterate, sunset, double-down. Quarterly.

Every ninety days we sit with the founder and the finance lead. We renegotiate priorities, sunset what didn't hit, and double-down on what compounded. Boring on purpose: the protocol's strength is its repeatability. The same loop, four times a year, is what produces compounding returns.

reviewWhat hit, what missed, where the model was wrong.
renegotiateRe-prioritize next-quarter scope w/ founder + cfo.
renew6-month or 12-month renewal decision.
cadence every 90 daysformat in-person preferred
06 · principles

six rules we don't break.

If we ever break one of these, fire us.

// 01 · honesty

Numbers must be reproducible.

Every figure in every report must be reproducible from your raw data exports. If a number can't be traced to its source within ninety seconds, it doesn't leave the office.

// 02 · scope

One protocol, every quarter.

The same four-step protocol runs for every client. We do not invent bespoke frameworks for prospects to feel special. Repeatability is the moat.

// 03 · staffing

The senior shows up. Always.

The strategist on the kickoff is the strategist on every weekly call. We do not bait-and-switch with juniors. Senior turnover is communicated to founders within twenty-four hours.

// 04 · pricing

Cash retainers, no equity.

We've declined six equity-only engagements since 2021. Cash forces discipline on both sides — when fees are real, scope is real.

// 05 · capacity

Twenty-two retainers, no more.

We cap the firm at twenty-two active retainers. When we're full we keep a waitlist. Growth-of-firm by adding "junior pods" is the consultancy death spiral. Not us.

// 06 · exit

If r < 1, we leave.

If a quarter's data shows our work is not compounding for a client, we say so at the QBR and recommend an exit — even if a renewal was on the table. Our reputation outlasts a single retainer.

07 · next step

read the case studies next.

Eleven detailed case studies showing the protocol applied to brands from $1.4M to $84M ARR.

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