for SMB brands.
XYZ wins the brands
that fit the model.
The rest get a polite no, a cold ghost, or a referral that goes nowhere. That's a leaking funnel of qualified demand.
Estimated under-fit rate of XYZ inbound
The bet:
capture what we're declining today.
Brands too small for custom strategy. Local businesses without the revenue for fractional CMO retainers. Service providers needing predictable execution. They have budget. They don't have a fit.
Modular SKUs. Predictable monthly billing. AI-leveraged fulfillment. Performance comp tied to channel revenue where it's measurable. A college-aged GM running operations under Ken's oversight.
XYZ stays premium.
ABC takes the rest.
Bigger than DTC.
Smaller than enterprise.
Common thread: budget for $1,500 to $7,500/mo plus ad spend, but no fit for custom strategy.
Online
E-commerce and DTC brands using Shopify, selling in 1 to 3 channels.
- Revenue$250K — $5M
- Channels1 — 3
- NeedAcquisition + retention
- ExamplesApparel, food, supplements
Local
Brick-and-mortar retail, restaurants, fitness, salons, contractors, real estate.
- Revenue$300K — $3M
- ChannelsLocal + social
- NeedGBP, reviews, calls
- ExamplesGyms, dentists, restaurants
Service
B2B and B2C services. Law firms, agencies, accountants, coaches, home services.
- Revenue$500K — $5M
- ChannelsSearch + email
- NeedLead gen + nurture
- ExamplesLaw, home services, coaches
Pick what you need.
We ship the rest.
Paid Ads
Management
One platform (Meta, Google, or TikTok). Up to $25K spend. Weekly optimization. 5% perf comp on channel rev.
Email & SMS
Klaviyo or Postscript. 4 campaigns + 1 flow. 8% perf.
Organic Social
Two platforms. 12-20 posts. KPI tier bonuses.
ManyChat
2 active funnels. Lead capture and routing. 10% perf.
Creative
8 statics, 4 UGC, or 6 short-form. AI-augmented.
Local SEO
GBP, weekly posts, citations, review automation.
Web + CRO
1 LP/month. CRO recs. A/B tests. Heatmap.
Predictable base.
Optional add-ons.
Earned upside.
Three principles.
One. Modular base. Bundle 3+ services and unlock 10% off.
Two. Add-ons priced on a published menu. Scope creep gets named and quoted, never absorbed.
Three. Performance comp invoiced separately, billed in arrears. Capped at 100% of base per service.
Three real shapes
of a steady-state client.
Single-location fitness studio
$1.5M Shopify DTC brand
Service provider, single channel
We win when
the channel wins.
The formula, by channel
Channel revenue
Klaviyo / Postscript
UTM-attributed rev
Tier bonuses
Baseline locked in onboarding contract. Calculated monthly with one-month lag. Capped at 100% of base retainer per service per month. No clawbacks. Baseline reset every 12 months.
From referral
to renewal in 9 stages.
The first 30 days
make or break retention.
One human.
A swarm of agents.
A bench of contractors.
Single AM, clean reports, fast approvals.
Owns relationship, QA gate, strategy. AI-native, hungry.
OpenClaw orchestration. AdCanvas, Real Numbers, Higgsfield. Drafts everything.
Specialists pulled in for production AI can't do alone.
Margin math, illustrative
Per client at $4,000 base, single service.
Performance comp stacks on top. Marginal cost ≈ zero.
Real numbers,
built from the ground up.
Monthly revenue trajectory
Base + perf comp. Setup fees not included.
ABC's value to XYZ
extends past its P&L.
Referral fees
5% of first 12 months base retainer. Typical: $3,500/mo × 12 × 5% = $2,100 per signed referral.
Feeder for XYZ
SMB clients that grow past $5M get warm-handed up to XYZ at full retainer.
AI tooling validation
OpenClaw, AdCanvas, Real Numbers tested at scale on lower-stakes clients first.
Network density
20+ SMB clients give XYZ a real-time read on what's working in mid-market.
Billable hours
When ABC needs firepower, partners can be pulled in on billable basis under ABC.
Brand without dilution
ABC has its own identity. XYZ stays premium. Connection is opt-in, never default.
Foundation, first clients,
then refinement.
- Form ABC LLC, open Mercury account
- Stripe configured: 7 SKUs + add-ons
- Domain, landing page, brand kit live
- Notion / ClickUp client portal
- 7 service SOPs drafted
- GM hired and trained
- Partner referral playbook activated
- 3 to 5 discovery calls per week
- First 1 to 2 paying clients
- GM running sprint with Ken shadowing
- 3 to 5 active clients by week 8
- First monthly reports delivered
- SOPs iterated on real friction
- 5 to 10 active clients
- First perf comp invoices billed
- Pricing review on close rate + margin
- Quarterly review with Ken
- Decide: paid ads, 2nd AM, expand catalog
Partner participation,
clearly defined.
Send referrals.
Anyone in your network too small for XYZ but ready for real marketing. Intro template provided. We handle the rest. 5% of first 12 months base retainer back to you.
Vouch when needed.
If a prospect asks who's behind ABC, the answer is honest: same partners, sister brand, productized for SMB. Your name in the room when it helps close.
Decide on equity.
Open question on LLC structure. Standalone Ken-owned, partner-owned with same proportions as XYZ, or hybrid. Decide together before LLC files.
License the tooling.
AdCanvas, Real Numbers, OpenClaw access from XYZ to ABC. Flat license, % of revenue, or transfer pricing. Whatever works for the partners.
Let's build.
A productized agency for the brands XYZ can't profitably serve. Lean, AI-leveraged, partner-aligned.