Based on your answers, your shop is no longer fragile. You’re not fighting chaos every day.
You have a sense of control over operations, pricing, and demand. The limitation at this stage isn’t survival. It’s focus. Right now, the business can grow - but without a clear strategy, growth may:

• overload the team
• reduce quality
• increase stress instead of freedom

This is the stage where many owners either break through - or get stuck maintaining instead of scaling.

What this diagnosis really means.

You’ve already built something real.

Typical signs at this stage:

• demand is relatively stable
• margins are mostly predictable
• operations work even when you step back briefly
• you’re thinking about “what’s next”, not “how to survive”

The challenge now is different: effort alone won’t take you further.
The goal here is not “more sales”.
The goal is smart, controlled growth.

The 3 strategic numbers that define scale (and how to calculate them)

1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) - how much one new customer costs
This shows whether growth is efficient or expensive.

How to calculate it (monthly):
Marketing spend ÷ New customers acquired = CAC

Example:

• Spent $1,200 on marketing
• Gained 60 new customers

CAC = $20

What to look for:

• rising CAC → scaling risk
• stable or decreasing CAC → healthy growth

If you don’t know CAC, scaling is guesswork.

2. Average Order Value (AOV) - how much each order brings
This shows whether growth comes from volume or value.

How to calculate it:
Total revenue ÷ Number of orders = AOV

Example:

• Revenue: $12,000
• Orders: 200

AOV = $60

What to look for:

• stagnant AOV → margin pressure
• increasing AOV → easier scaling

Often, increasing AOV is safer than increasing traffic.

3. Repeat Purchase Rate - how strong the business really is
This shows how much growth depends on loyalty instead of acquisition.

How to calculate it (monthly):
Repeat customers ÷ Total customers = Repeat rate

Example:

• 100 customers
• 45 repeat

Repeat rate = 45%

What to look for:

• below 30% → growth requires constant acquisition
• 40–50% → strong foundation
• 60%+ → scalable, resilient business

Repeat rate is what makes growth calm instead of exhausting.

Your 14-day focus: prepare the business for scale

Days 1–2:
Clarify unit economicsCalculate CAC

• Calculate AOV
• Calculate repeat rate

This gives you a clear view of how growth actually behaves.

Days 3–5:
Choose your growth leverYou’ll identify:

• one primary acquisition channel
• one priority customer segment
• one product or offer to scale

Scale comes from focus, not expansion.

Days 6–8:
Strengthen the core offerInstead of adding complexity, you’ll:

• simplify the product mix
• highlight best-performing offers
• improve perceived value, not just volume

This protects margins as demand grows.

Days 9–11:
Reduce owner dependency at a higher levelYou’ll work on:

• decision rules instead of decisions
• performance indicators instead of micromanagement
• clearer roles and responsibilities

This is where the owner shifts from operator to leader.

Days 12–14:
Set scale boundariesYou’ll define:

• how fast you want to grow
• what quality must never drop
• which numbers signal “stop and adjust”

Sustainable growth is intentional growth.

• What success feels like after 14 daysgrowth feels planned, not reactive
• numbers guide decisions
• the business supports your time instead of consuming it

You’re no longer asking: “Can we handle more?”
You’re asking: “How do we grow well?”