4 weeks. Two tracks. One honest answer.
If you're a new brand, we test whether your product can actually acquire customers profitably. If you've got an existing brand with proven sales, we audit exactly where it's leaking. Four weeks. Flat fee. Five deliverables. One honest answer at the end.
Which Validation Sprint are you running?
Same four weeks. Same flat fee. Same five deliverables. Two methodologies, built for two very different starting points.
Not sure which one is you? Book a 30-minute call and we'll confirm the right track for your stage.
You've been told to just keep testing. Nobody stopped to define what "validated" actually looks like.
Most agencies will happily burn months of spend on a brand that doesn't have product-market fit yet, then blame the offer at the end. The Validation Sprint flips the order. Four weeks. Capped spend. A clear answer in writing, before anyone asks you for a retainer.
You can't tell if real customers actually want this yet.
You've built the offer. Maybe you've run a few ads. But you can't separate signal from noise, and no one's running a structured test to find out.
You're about to scale something you haven't validated.
Agencies will happily spend your money on whatever you put in front of them. Nobody's stopping to ask whether the offer, the audience, or the price is actually viable.
You've burned months on "let's just keep testing".
No real budget cap. No defined stop point. No honest call at the end. Just a slow drip of spend with no idea whether you're close to validation or miles off.
You've been told to spend more, test more, scale more. Nobody stopped to check if the foundation can hold it.
Most agencies sign the contract first, then figure out what's broken. That's how founders end up three months in, six figures down, with a slightly better ROAS and the same structural problems they walked in with. The Validation Sprint flips the order. We diagnose the business before we touch the marketing.
You don't know which lever actually moves the needle.
Ads, email, site, offer, retention. They're all screaming for attention. None of them are telling you which one is the bottleneck right now.
Your reporting tells you what happened. Not why.
Shopify, Meta, GA4, Klaviyo. Four dashboards, four truths, zero consensus. You're making six-figure decisions on vibes.
You've burned cash on agencies that couldn't see the whole picture.
The last one ran ads. The one before that rebuilt the site. Nobody audited the business. Nobody told you the offer was the problem.
A 4-week structured Sprint. Data first. Opinions last. A clear answer in writing, before anyone asks for a retainer.
Five deliverables. One honest answer.
Every Validation Sprint, regardless of track, ends with the same five outputs. The methodology differs by track. The deliverables don't.
Growth Diagnostic Report
A written breakdown of what we learned from the live test. Offer signal, audience response, creative performance, conversion friction, and the real-world numbers behind every call we make.
A full written breakdown of what's working, what's broken, and what's actually costing you money. Read it once and you'll know your business better than any report you've ever paid for.
SSO Growth Scorecard™
Your business scored against the 5 pillars of The SSO Growth Method. CEO Core and Acquisition Engine scored from the validation test. The remaining pillars marked TBD post-validation, because we score on evidence, not guesses.
Your business scored against the 5 pillars of The SSO Growth Method. A single-page score sheet that shows exactly where you're strong, where you're weak, and where the biggest leverage lives.
90-Day Roadmap
The first 90 days of action, mapped to your validation outcome. Green = the scaling sequence. Amber = what to fix and retest. Red = the pivot or pause path with reasoning.
The first 90 days of action, sequenced and prioritised. What to fix first, what to build next, what to ignore for now. A plan you could hand to any team and have them execute tomorrow.
Raw Data Pack
Every receipt from the live test. Full campaign performance data, audience and creative breakdowns, conversion paths, hypothesis results, and the site friction analysis. Numbers behind every recommendation.
The full audit pack. Ad account audits, site friction reports, funnel math, LTV curves, retention analysis, channel-by-channel profitability. Every number behind every recommendation.
Green / Amber / Red Recommendation
The honest viability call, in writing. Green = product validated, ready to scale. Amber = the signal is there, here's what to fix and retest. Red = the data says not yet, here's why and what to do about it.
The honest readiness call, in writing. Green = ready to scale, here's how. Amber = fix specific things first, here's the order. Red = not ready, here's the honest path forward. No upsell theatre. No fence-sitting.
Everything is yours to keep. Whether you continue with SSO or not, the report, the roadmap, and the raw data leave with you.
How the Sprint runs, week by week.
Four weeks. Four focus areas. No wasted calls, no stretched timelines, no surprise invoices.
Week 1. Foundations & Hypothesis Design.
Before we spend a dollar, we make sure we're testing the right thing. We audit the offer, the margins, the positioning, and the tracking. Then we design the validation hypotheses that the next three weeks will live or die by.
- Offer architecture, margin and pricing review
- Audience, creative and offer testing framework locked
- Tracking setup: Pixel, CAPI, GA4, conversion events
Week 2. Launch & Initial Signal.
Campaigns go live across Meta and Google. We start spending against the hypotheses, watch the early signal, and let the data tell us what's working and what's flat. By end of week, the picture is forming.
- Meta and Google campaigns launched (built for learning, not volume)
- Multi-angle creative live across audience segments
- Daily CPA, CTR and conversion rate monitoring
Week 3. Optimisation & Pivot Testing.
We scale what's working, kill what isn't, and run pivot tests on the weak hypotheses. Site friction gets mapped against real traffic. The validation call starts to crystallise.
- Scale winning angles, pause cold ones
- Pivot tests on offer, audience or creative
- Site friction and conversion gap analysis against live traffic
Week 4. Report, Roadmap & Honest Call.
Everything gets packaged. The diagnostic, the scorecard, the 90-day plan, the raw data, and the straight answer. We run a 90-minute Growth Strategy Review with you and your team to walk through it live. Ad spend stops the moment we have a confident call.
- Full deliverable pack handed over
- 90-minute Growth Strategy Review call
- Clear recommendation in writing
Week 1. Audit the Foundation.
We plug into everything. Shopify or WooCommerce, Meta Ads, Google Ads, GA4, Klaviyo, your P&L. One source of truth. Then we stress-test the numbers against every assumption you're running the business on.
- Revenue, margin, LTV and CAC reconciliation
- Channel-by-channel profitability breakdown
- Discount and promotional dependency check
Week 2. Strategy & Website Diagnostic.
We pressure-test the positioning, the offer, the pricing, and the conversion path. Is the strategy coherent? Does the site actually sell it? Every click, every scroll, every hesitation, mapped and measured.
- Positioning and offer architecture audit
- Site heuristic review and friction mapping
- Checkout, PDP and UX conversion gap analysis
Week 3. Marketing Diagnostic & Live Testing.
We go deep into the marketing engine. Paid social, paid search, SEO, email, retention, content. What's scaling, what's stalling, and what's quietly burning cash. One targeted hypothesis gets live-tested so the call is based on real numbers, not projections.
- Full Meta, Google and channel-mix audit
- Email and retention flow teardown
- One targeted live test on the highest-leverage hypothesis
Week 4. Report, Roadmap & Honest Call.
Everything gets packaged. The diagnostic, the scorecard, the 90-day plan, the raw data, and the straight answer. We run a 90-minute Growth Strategy Review with you and your team to walk through it live.
- Full deliverable pack handed over
- 90-minute Growth Strategy Review call
- Clear recommendation in writing
Green light. Amber. Or a straight no.
We don't sell a Growth Program to everyone. Roughly 1 in 3 Sprints ends with us telling a founder it isn't the right moment. That honesty is the product.
You're ready to scale.
The foundations are strong, the unit economics work, and the market is giving you signal. Your issue is execution velocity, not strategy. We'll recommend the Growth Program tier that fits and map the first 90 days line by line.
Fix the foundation first.
There's a real business here, but specific things need to be fixed before scaling is responsible. Margin, retention, positioning, stock, site, offer. We'll show you exactly what, in what order, and whether you need us to lead it or you can handle it in-house.
Not yet. And here's why.
The timing, the product, the market, or the economics aren't there. Paying us, or anyone, to scale this right now would be a waste of your money. We'll tell you honestly, show you the numbers, and point you toward the work that actually needs doing.
"We thought we had a traffic problem. We had a margin problem."
"The SSO Sprint paid for itself in week one. They found a 14% pricing error I'd been bleeding on for 18 months and a hidden CAC blowout in one of our top-performing campaigns. I haven't made a major decision without checking the scorecard since."
Found inside a 4-Week Sprint
A rounding convention inside their 3PL billing was silently eating 14% margin on their top SKU. Missed by two agencies and an in-house analyst.
Their highest-ROAS Meta campaign was, once post-purchase cost was included, the single worst-performing channel in the account.
A single missing Klaviyo flow. Modelled, scripted, and live by Week 6 of their Growth Program.
"I've paid more for less and I've paid less for a lot less. The Validation Sprint is the first time anyone has actually diagnosed my business before trying to sell me a solution. Worth ten times the fee before the roadmap even landed."
Who this Sprint is built for.
We'd rather tell you now if it's not for you. Each track is designed for a specific stage of business.
✓ Track A is for you if
- You're pre-launch or recently launched and need to know if this product can actually acquire customers profitably.
- You're about to commit to scaling and you want a structured, capped 4-week test before you bet the house on it.
- You have a working offer but no real ad data yet, and you need someone to tell you if the signal is there.
- You'd rather have data than vibes before you pour more money in.
- You're willing to commit up to $5k in validation ad spend on top of the Sprint fee.
- You're the founder, or you have direct access to one, and decisions can actually get made.
✗ Track A is not for you if
- You already have meaningful sales and just want someone to audit and fix your marketing. That's Track B.
- You want full-funnel execution today. The Sprint is a structured test, not a 6-month engagement.
- You're not willing to spend the validation ad budget. Without spend, we can't validate.
- You only want to hear yes. We're contractually obliged to call it Red when the data says Red.
- You're looking for a quick tactical fix. The Sprint is strategic, structural, and built to make big calls.
✓ Track B is for you if
- You're an existing eCom brand with proven sales coming through and you want to know what's really working, what's not, and what to scale next.
- You've already worked with an agency or two and feel like nobody saw the full picture.
- You're about to commit to a big spend, hire, or pivot and you want a second, data-led set of eyes first.
- You'd rather hear the truth about your business than another sales pitch.
- You're the founder, or you have direct access to one, and decisions can actually get made.
✗ Track B is not for you if
- You're pre-launch or have no meaningful sales data yet. That's Track A.
- You want someone to execute, not diagnose. You're ready to hire an agency today.
- You want a 30-minute audit and a pretty deck. This is a four-week forensic piece of work.
- You're not willing to share real numbers, projections, or plans. We can't diagnose a business on vibes.
- You only want validation to hear what you want to hear. We're contractually obliged to tell you the hard thing.
Flat fee. No retainers. No surprise line items.
The Validation Sprint runs at a flat weekly rate for four weeks regardless of which track you're in. Nothing is deferred, nothing is hidden, nothing flips into a 12-month contract at the end. If you continue with a Growth Program, the Sprint fee is fully credited toward your first month.
Track A also includes up to $5,000 in validation ad spend, paid directly to Meta and Google. It's a ceiling, not a target. We stop the moment we have a confident call, so you don't pay for spend you don't need.
Track B is a diagnostic of your existing data. No ad spend is included or required. We audit what's already running.
Credited in full against your first month if you proceed to a Growth Program. No obligation to continue. Validation ad spend (up to $5k) is additional and paid directly to Meta and Google, capped. We stop the moment we have a clear call.
If we can't find a clear path forward, we'll tell you straight.
Whatever the call is, Green, Amber or Red, it lands in writing with the data behind it by the end of Week 4. Whether you proceed with SSO, execute the roadmap yourself, or walk away, the diagnostic, the scorecard, the roadmap and the raw data are yours to keep. No drawn-out process. No upsell theatre. No fence-sitting.
Before you book, this is usually what people ask.
How is the Sprint different from a free discovery call or audit?
A free audit is a 30 to 60 minute conversation and a slide deck. The Validation Sprint is a four-week structured project. We connect to your data, we run real diagnostics or live tests, and we produce written deliverables you can hand to any operator and have them execute. Free audits are a sales tool. The Sprint is actual work.
Do I have to continue with SSO after the Sprint?
No. Roughly a third of Sprint clients continue into a Growth Program, a third execute the roadmap themselves or with another team, and a third get told it's not the right moment to scale at all. All three are valid outcomes. The Sprint is paid for up front and everything is yours to keep.
How much of my team's time does it take?
Roughly 3 to 5 hours across the four weeks. A kick-off call, a mid-sprint check-in, a 90-minute Growth Strategy Review at the end, plus access to your ad accounts, analytics, and commerce platform. We do the heavy lifting. You answer questions.
Can you sign an NDA before we share data?
Absolutely. We sign a mutual NDA before any commercial data is shared. Every Sprint is ring-fenced inside our secure environment, and no client data is used as public case-study content without explicit written permission.
What if the outcome is Red? Do I still get deliverables?
Yes. Red is still a full Sprint. You get the diagnostic, the scorecard, the raw data pack, and a clear written explanation of why we've made the call. Plus a suggested path for the next 90 days that does not involve us. An honest No is often the most valuable deliverable you'll pay for all year.
When can we start?
We run a small number of Sprints at any one time so the diagnostic is deep, not shallow. Most new Sprints start within 7 to 14 days of booking. Book the call, we'll confirm fit and slot, and Week 1 kicks off the following Monday.
How do I know whether I'm Track A or Track B?
Pick the one that matches your starting point on this page. If you're pre-launch, recently launched, or you don't have meaningful proven sales yet, that's Track A. If you've got an existing brand with real sales coming through and you want to diagnose what's working, what's not, and where to scale, that's Track B. On your discovery call we'll confirm you're in the right track before we kick off. If you're between the two, we'll recommend the one that gives you the most useful answer.
Track A: New Business questions
What's the $5k validation ad spend for, and is it on top of the Sprint fee?
Yes. The $5k is your media budget, paid directly to Meta and Google, not to us. We use it to run the structured tests that validate whether your product can acquire customers profitably. It's a ceiling, not a target. We stop the moment we have a confident call. You don't pay for spend you don't need.
What if my product is still pre-launch and I have nothing to sell yet?
If you have a product, an offer, and a site that can take orders, we can validate it. If you're still in concept or pre-build, the Sprint isn't the right fit yet. We can't validate market response without a live offer. Book the call, share where you are, and we'll tell you straight whether you're ready.
What data access do you need for Track A?
Less than Track B, because we're building from scratch. Read-only access to your Shopify or WooCommerce, your ad accounts (Meta, Google), GA4 if it exists, and a clear brief on the offer, margin, and positioning. We send a short onboarding form in Week 1 that covers every permission.
Track B: Existing Business questions
What data access do you need for Track B?
Read-only access is fine for everything. Shopify or WooCommerce, Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, GA4, Klaviyo or your ESP, and your current P&L. We send a short onboarding form in Week 1 that covers every permission.
Do you run any live ads during Track B?
Sometimes. We run one targeted live test in Week 3 on the highest-leverage hypothesis we've uncovered in the audit. It's not a campaign rebuild. It's a focused test on a single variable (a creative angle, an offer, or a landing page change) to confirm the call before Week 4. Ad spend for that test is small and runs through your existing accounts.
Find out what's actually going on in your business. In 4 weeks.
Book a 30-minute call. We'll confirm fit, lock in your track, and confirm your Sprint start date. No pitch deck, no hard sell.
We take on a limited number of new clients each month. Every engagement gets the same senior team, the same depth, and the same honesty.