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Plate 00 · IntakeSelf-assessment
Free scorecard · See your stage with no signup
Where is your brand actually stuck?
Most DTC brands plateau at $1M, $5M, or $20M by running the right playbook for the wrong stage. Answer twelve quick questions, add your storefront, and I'll place you at your inflection point and benchmark your numbers against brands in your category, at your stage.
✓ See your stage and readiness score instantly. No signup to view your result.
Run 2,600+ times. The same diagnostic behind dozens of brands scaled from single-digit millions into the tens and hundreds of millions, profitably.
By Taylor Sicard · early Shopify · scaled WIN Brands to $100M+ · worked with Nike, P&G, Coca-Cola, and others
WHICH GROWTH WALL ARE YOU AT
The scorecard places a brand at one of four inflection points by trailing-12-month revenue, then scores readiness for the next jump out of 100. Nine signal questions are weighted differently at each stage, because the binding constraint moves as you grow: CAC payback is the heavy question between $1M and $5M, founder dependency between $5M and $20M, channel mix and profitability above $20M. The score is read against a bar set per stage, so a $3M brand is not graded like a $30M one.
- The four stages: Proof, $0 to $1M, where the constraint is product-market fit. Scale, $1M to $5M, acquisition efficiency. Structure, $5M to $20M, organizational capacity. Institution, $20M to $100M, brand equity and infrastructure.
- Formula: score = the sum of (stage weight x answer value / that question's maximum value), divided by the sum of the stage weights, x 100.
- The nine signals: momentum, repeat-purchase rate, CAC payback, gross margin, cash position, profitability, channel mix, owned revenue share, founder dependency.
- Where the weight sits: Proof leans on repeat rate and gross margin (3 each). Scale leans on CAC payback (3) and cash (2.5). Structure leans on founder dependency (3). Institution leans on channel mix and founder dependency (3 each).
- Readiness bar: 70 at Proof, 66 at Scale, 63 at Structure, 62 at Institution. Clear it and the brand reads as built for the jump. Under 45 says you are running a wrong-stage playbook.
- Common mistake: running the next stage's playbook early. More ad spend does not fix an organizational constraint, and hiring does not fix an unproven product.
Worked example. A $3M brand sits at the Scale stage, where the nine weights sum to 17.5. Answer mid-range across the board: flattening momentum 1 of 2, repeat rate 15% to 25% at 1 of 3, payback 6 to 12 months at 1 of 3, margin 50% to 65% at 2 of 3, cash workable at 2 of 3, break-even profit at 1 of 3, two channels at 1 of 2, owned revenue 10% to 20% at 1 of 2, partial delegation at 1 of 2. The weighted total is 8.42 of 17.5, so the score is 48. Against the Scale bar of 66 that reads mid-transition, and the largest single loss is CAC payback: the heaviest question at this stage, answered at a third of full marks.
Source: Taylor Sicard, Taylor Sicard Consulting · Updated August 2026
A look at what you get Example
The whole picture, in 90 seconds.
Here's a sample of the report a Scale-stage brand walks away with. Yours is built from your own answers, your stage, your numbers, your storefront.
Your inflection point + readiness
Scale Stage
$1M → $5M
34
Your numbers vs. the benchmark
Needs attentionChannel concentration
Single-channel dependence is the most common way DTC brands die. Keep any one paid channel under 50–60%.
StrengthGross margin
At or above the DTC median, you have room to fund growth and absorb CAC.
Your action plan
What matters now
- Get blended CAC and payback honest, then healthy
- Diversify beyond a single acquisition channel
What to stop
- Spending harder on one channel you can't measure
Your site performance score
58
Loading speed: 3.4s
Visual stability: 0.14
Responsiveness: 380ms
Free · 90 seconds · see your stage with no signup
Go deeper
The thinking behind the scorecard.
Consumer Commerce
Find the stage your brand is actually in.
How the 90-second diagnostic places a brand at its $1M, $5M, or $20M inflection point.
Read post →
Consumer Commerce
The four DTC inflection points
The map: $1M, $5M, $20M, $100M, and the single constraint that defines each jump.
Read post →
Consumer Commerce
The $5M inflection
Why $1M to $5M is the stage that breaks the most brands, and how to clear it.
Read post →
Consumer Commerce
Contribution margin for DTC
The one margin number that decides whether you can afford to scale at all.
Read post →
Consumer Commerce
CAC payback by vertical
Directional payback benchmarks by category, and what each number is really telling you.
Read post →
Consumer Commerce
The max allowable CAC formula
The one-page formula for the most you can spend to acquire a customer and stay healthy.
Read post →
Consumer Commerce
Good Shopify conversion rates
Your scorecard grades site speed. Here is the conversion rate that speed should be earning you.
Read post →
How the scoring works
Calibrated to your stage and your category.
A readiness score is only useful if the grading is honest. Here's how I built it.
Weighted by stage
Twelve questions, each weighted by stage. CAC payback is the heavy question at $1M to $5M. Founder dependency is the heavy one at $5M to $20M. The same answer earns a different score depending on where you are.
Calibrated per inflection point
The readiness bars are set separately for each inflection point ($1M, $5M, $20M, $100M), so a $3M brand is not graded like a $30M one. Your score is read against what it actually takes to clear your stage's wall, not a generic average.
Category-specific benchmarks
Repeat-rate and margin benchmarks are category-specific, because apparel is not supplements. A 20% repeat rate is healthy for a furniture brand and a warning sign for a consumables brand, and the scorecard knows the difference.
Where the benchmarks come from
Current data across leading brands in the ecosystem, stress tested against thousands of online brands, with input from operators and specialists across finance, retention, and paid acquisition. These are the numbers I use with clients, not theory.
Questions, answered
Scorecard FAQ.
What is the DTC Growth Scorecard?
A free 12-question self-assessment built from the diagnostic I run with consulting clients. It places your brand at one of four growth inflection points, scores your readiness for the next jump out of 100, and benchmarks your key metrics against brands in your category, at your stage.
How is the readiness score calculated?
Your answers on retention, CAC payback, margin, cash, profitability, channel mix, owned revenue, and founder dependency are weighted by stage, then scored out of 100. The readiness bar you are graded against is calibrated per inflection point, so a $3M brand is not held to the same line as a $30M one.
What are the DTC growth inflection points?
The four revenue walls where a brand's binding constraint changes: $1M (product-market fit), $5M (acquisition efficiency), $20M (organizational capacity), and $100M (brand equity and institutional infrastructure). Most stalled brands are running the right playbook for the wrong stage.
Do I need to give my email to see my result?
No. Your stage, your readiness score, and a key observation from your answers are free, with no signup. Adding your email unlocks the full benchmark report and action plan, and I send a copy to your inbox so you can come back to it.