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Our framework

Small moves compound into big margin.

The 5·5·5 Combo is how we think about every engagement: three modest moves on three different levers at the same time. 5% more revenue. 5% less COGS. 5% leaner OpEx. Each one alone is a nice quarter. Stacked together, they can nearly double the profit of a mid-market business without adding headcount.

The three levers

One framework. Three numbers. Measured every month.

We build against each lever deliberately, then instrument the baseline so we can see what moved and by how much.

+5%
In sales
The right automations in your pipeline. Quotes out faster. Follow-ups that actually happen. Proposals that convert because they're timely, not because they're slick.
−5%
In COGS
The right automations in your delivery. Production that adapts to reality. Documents that file themselves. Work that would have taken a rehire, done by a system instead.
−5%
In OpEx
The right automations in your back office. Invoicing same-day. Reminders before things go late. Reporting drafted before anyone asks. Less drag on the team running the business.
The math, applied to your numbers

Run the 5·5·5 on your business.

Enter your current gross revenue, COGS, and operating expenses. Then use the sliders to model a 5% lift in sales, a 5% reduction in COGS, and a 5% reduction in OpEx (or any mix you want). Profit recalculates live.

YOUR STARTING NUMBERS
THE THREE LEVERS
Sales up
+5%
0%15%
COGS down
−5%
0%15%
OpEx down
−5%
0%15%
Not at 5·5·5? Drag any slider to try your own scenario.
THE IMPACT
Before and after comparison of Gross Revenue, COGS, Operating Expenses, and Net Profit$0$5.0M$10.0M$15.0M$20.0MGross RevenueCOGSOperating ExpensesNet Profit
Before AI
After 5·5·5
NET PROFIT · ZOOMED IN
Before
$1,000,000
After
$1,950,000
PROFIT CHANGE
+$950,000
New profit is 195% of original (95% increase)
A note on the math: This calculator shows the mechanical effect of three percentage changes on your P&L. It does not guarantee you'll hit those numbers. The 5·5·5 Combo is a framework for scoping automations against measurable levers, not a promise of specific results on day one. Every engagement starts with a paid AI Readiness Scorecard to pressure-test which levers are actually movable in your business.
Why this framework

Four principles behind the combo.

These are the reasons we organize every engagement around these three numbers.

01

Three levers, not one

Most automation pitches go after a single metric: cycle time, conversion, headcount. That's fine, but it leaves margin on the table. The combo pushes revenue, COGS, and OpEx at the same time because the same discovery phase surfaces candidates in all three.

02

Modest targets on purpose

5% is deliberately unglamorous. We'd rather be right about three 5% moves than wishful about one 30% moonshot. A 5% move on a real workflow, instrumented with a before-and-after read, is a number the CFO can trust.

03

Compounding is the point

Any one lever alone is a rounding error in a quarterly review. All three together, on a business with typical margins, can nearly double net profit — without a hire, an acquisition, or a pricing change. That's what the calculator above is showing.

04

Measured, not promised

We don't claim the combo on day one. We scope against it. Every engagement gets a baseline in the Scorecard and a monthly read during the build and run phases. If a lever isn't moving, we tell you, and we fix the project scope, not the spreadsheet.

Ready to run the math on your business?

A Scorecard is how we find out where your combo actually lives.

The calculator above shows the math. The paid AI Readiness Scorecard shows whether the math is available in your operation, which automations would move each lever, and what Phase 1 looks like.