steve kaplan.ai

Standards · how I work

Six things I won't do. In writing.

Most consultancies tell you what they do. The bigger trust signal is what they refuse. These six are operationally enforced — not aspirational. If I break one, you get the audit refunded and the retainer cancelled. No questions.

01

I won't ship a strategy deck.

If the deliverable is a 47-slide PDF that nobody opens after the kickoff call, you didn't hire me. The Profit Loop Audit is a stack inventory, a data baseline, a ranked list of wins with dollar numbers attached, and a 30/60/90 plan your team can execute. Five business days. PDF you can share. No deck.

02

I won't take vendor kickbacks.

If I recommend a tool, it's because it ranks highest on effort vs lift for your stack — not because somebody's paying me. I have no affiliate, partner, or rev-share deals with any vendor I rank in an audit. I'll show you the comparison if you ask.

03

I won't sell you AI you don't need.

If your top-5 wins are a fixed lead-routing rule and a re-targeted retargeting audience, that's what the audit says. AI shows up when AI is the highest-leverage move — not because it's trending. Half the wins I find are workflow fixes, not models.

04

I won't promise a number I can't audit.

No guaranteed ROAS lift. No guaranteed pipeline. No guaranteed CPA reduction. The 32:1 lifetime ROI on my homepage is a documented track record across $50M+ of personally-managed spend, not a forward-looking promise. I'll guarantee the deliverable: 5 wins or full refund. That's it.

05

I won't take work I can't ship myself.

Solo operator. No subcontractors, no offshore team, no junior bench. If you book the audit, I do the audit. If you sign a retainer afterward, I do the work. The reason I can charge $3,500 flat for 5 days is that the cost structure isn't propping up an agency.

06

I won't pretend I'm the right fit when I'm not.

Pre-revenue, pre-PMF, B2C-only, or under $5M ARR? You're paying for an audit you can't act on yet. I'll tell you that on the kickoff call and refund the audit on the spot. I'd rather lose a $3,500 audit than waste 5 days of your time and a quarter of your trust.

The audit, with these standards baked in

5 days. $3,500 flat. Money back if fewer than 3 wins.

If anything in here changes my mind on the audit's value to you, tell me on the kickoff call and I'll refund it.

See a sample audit →