Understand What Actually
Drives Your Profit
Get a complete picture of how revenue flows through your business, which channels contribute to real profit, and where your margins actually come from.
Back to HomeWhat This Analysis Delivers
This service gives you a detailed breakdown of your revenue and profitability across every dimension that matters to your business. You'll see which sales channels contribute margin after all associated costs. Which products or product categories generate profit versus those that consume resources. How customer segments differ in their value to your business.
The analysis goes beyond simple revenue rankings. We calculate true contribution margin by channel, accounting for platform fees, payment processing, shipping costs, returns, and any other factors that affect what you actually keep. You'll understand seasonal patterns and trends that affect different parts of your business.
You receive detailed reports with clear visualizations and written explanations of what the numbers mean. The deliverable is designed to inform decisions, whether you're considering expanding a channel, dropping a product line, or adjusting pricing.
The Questions You're Trying to Answer
You know your total revenue numbers, but you're not certain which parts of your business actually make money. Amazon might show high sales volume, but after fees and advertising costs, the margin could be thin. Your direct Shopify sales might be lower volume but more profitable per transaction.
You need to make decisions about where to invest time and resources, but you're working with incomplete information. Should you expand on eBay or focus on your own site? Are certain products worth carrying given the returns and support costs they generate? Which customer segments are worth acquiring more of?
The data exists across multiple platforms, but putting it together in a meaningful way requires significant time. By the time you finish analyzing one month, you're already several weeks into the next. The insights arrive too late to act on them effectively.
How We Approach Revenue Analysis
We start by pulling transaction data from all your sales channels and payment processors. This includes gross sales, returns, fees, shipping income, tax collected, and any other components that affect your actual receipts. We also incorporate your cost data where you can provide it.
The analysis breaks down revenue by every dimension that matters to decision-making. By sales channel with full cost attribution. By product or product category with margin calculations. By customer segment showing lifetime value patterns. By time period to identify seasonal trends and growth trajectories.
We calculate true contribution margin for each channel by including all associated costs. Platform fees, payment processing, shipping expenses, advertising spend if allocated, and return costs all get factored in. You see what each channel actually contributes to covering fixed costs and generating profit.
The deliverable includes detailed spreadsheets with the underlying numbers and summary reports that explain the findings in plain language. Charts and graphs show patterns visually. Written commentary highlights what we think is most important based on your business context.
The Analysis Process
Discovery and Data Collection
We start with a conversation about your business and what questions you need answered. You grant us access to your sales platforms, payment processors, and any other relevant systems. We pull 12-24 months of historical data to establish patterns and trends.
Analysis and Calculation
We spend two weeks processing and analyzing the data. This includes reconciling transactions across platforms, calculating margins with full cost attribution, identifying patterns and outliers, and building the analytical models that answer your specific questions.
Report Delivery and Review
You receive comprehensive reports showing channel performance, product profitability, customer segment analysis, and trend identification. We schedule a meeting to walk through the findings and answer questions. The deliverables are yours to use for planning and decision-making.
Follow-Up Support
For 30 days after delivery, you can reach out with questions about the analysis or requests for additional perspectives on the data. Many clients return for updated analysis quarterly or annually to track how their business evolution.
Service Investment
What's Included
- Collection and reconciliation of 12-24 months of transaction data
- Revenue breakdown by sales channel with full cost attribution
- Product-level profitability analysis with margin calculations
- Customer segment analysis showing value patterns
- Seasonal pattern identification and trend analysis
- Comprehensive written reports with findings and commentary
- Detailed spreadsheets with underlying data and calculations
- 90-minute review meeting to discuss findings and answer questions
- 30 days of follow-up support for questions about the analysis
Typical turnaround is 3-4 weeks from data access to final delivery.
Payment due at project start. We begin work upon receiving payment and system access.
What This Analysis Reveals
This type of analysis consistently reveals insights that revenue numbers alone don't show. High-volume channels often have lower actual margins than they appear to at first glance. Products that seem successful may be breaking even or losing money once all costs are included.
The timeline for seeing value is immediate. You receive actionable insights within three to four weeks of starting the project. The findings inform decisions about channel investment, product mix, pricing strategy, and resource allocation.
Progress is measured by the quality of decisions you can make afterward. Clients use these analyses to justify discontinuing unprofitable product lines, shifting resources toward high-margin channels, renegotiating platform arrangements, and setting more effective pricing.
Many businesses return for updated analysis on a quarterly or annual basis. Markets change, platform fee structures evolve, and customer behavior shifts. Regular analysis helps you stay aligned with where profit actually comes from as conditions change.
Our Commitment
If the delivered analysis doesn't provide meaningful insights into your business, we'll revise the work at no additional cost. This includes reworking calculations, adding different analytical perspectives, or focusing on different aspects of your revenue.
We stand behind the accuracy of our calculations. If we make an error in the analysis, we correct it promptly and deliver updated reports. The 30-day follow-up period ensures you have time to work with the findings and ask questions as they arise.
Before committing to the project, we offer a brief conversation to discuss your business and confirm this analysis will address your needs. This helps ensure the project is a good fit before you invest in it.
Getting Started
Initial Discussion
Contact us to discuss your business and what you want to understand about your revenue and profitability. We'll confirm this analysis matches your needs and explain what we'll deliver.
Agreement and Payment
We send a project agreement outlining the scope, timeline, and deliverables. You review and sign when ready. Payment is due before we begin work on the analysis.
Data Access and Collection
You grant us access to your sales platforms and payment systems. We pull the transaction data and begin reconciliation. This phase typically takes a few days.
Analysis and Delivery
We conduct the analysis over approximately two weeks. You receive the final reports and we schedule a review meeting to discuss the findings and their implications for your business.
Ready to Understand Your Numbers?
Start with a conversation about what you want to learn from your revenue data. We'll discuss whether this analysis addresses your questions.
Contact UsOther Services
This analysis works well alongside ongoing accounting or specialized reconciliation services.
E-Commerce Accounting
Complete monthly accounting for online retailers including marketplace reconciliation, fee tracking, and financial reporting.
Digital Transaction Reconciliation
Focused service for matching payment processor deposits to source transactions and resolving discrepancies.