WORKING DRAFT
WORKING DRAFT
8 OF 12
QUESTION 8
The ask
Price, fully loaded delivery cost with human and inference lines named, the margin trajectory, and the napkin P&L at $1–2 million.
NOTE:
This page needs clear worked examples. In progress...
What you submit
01
Unit-economics sheet — price and fully loaded delivery cost, with human and inference lines named separately.
02
Margin trajectory — today's gross margin, the path to 70–80%, and the automation and model-price assumptions behind it.
03
The napkin P&L — default-alive at $1–2M revenue, including gross margin, cost to serve, and how far the check gets you.
04
12-month P&L model — what the business looks like in the 12 months after the $1M: monthly revenue build → contribution → fixed opex → EBITDA. Link out to the model (see the example below).
05
The $10M-EBITDA path — how many contracts or customers you need to get there, and whether there is a real path or a wall in year two.
Price
what customers pay
− Cost
human + inference
= Margin
today → destination
Great looks like:
Every number ties out: the automation ratio explains the margin trajectory, the simple market math feeds the napkin P&L, and the founder can defend every fully loaded cost line. Pricing is based on value and performance — if you win on speed and quality, you don't underprice it.
Risk
Margin cannot compound to software-like levels because of heavy human services or heavy unpriced inference.
Example · Aux Insights
Price: About $200K per month per project, with minimum 3× ROI committed before each engagement.
Costs: Engagement teams and a 300-plus contractor bench, with AI absorbing the analyst layer.
Missing: Gross margin and fully loaded delivery cost.
Go deeper
Gross-margin targets by model: services 60%+, SaaS 85%, media 90%.
Aux value pricing versus GrowthAssistant cost-plus pricing.
Example: the monthly build from the $1M — revenue, contribution, fixed opex, EBITDA.
Visit ↗Price × clients × conversion becomes the revenue plan.