The models behind MarginOS, published so you can use them even before you buy.
Dashboards tell you what happened. Frameworks tell you what to do next.
This library is for $3–12M Shopify founders who care more about Lifetime Gross Profit (LTGP) than vanity metrics.
These frameworks are the strategic core of the MarginOS Profit OS. We publish them here first, then turn them into product.
The three models we're actively extending and wiring into the product.
Shopify shows revenue and gross margin. It does not show which products and channels actually make money once 3PL, returns, and fees hit. This framework makes SKU × channel your default unit of analysis and shows how to move from ROAS to LTGP:CAC so every dollar goes into profitable SKUs.
Ideal for: $3–12M Shopify founders who want profit by SKU and channel, not just ROAS.
A "55% gross margin" on Shopify is usually only counting product cost. The real number has 8 cost layers: freight, duty, storage, pick‑pack‑ship, payment fees, returns, and more. This framework names every layer, shows how they stack per SKU, and explains how MarginOS's Yield Engine uses WMS/3PL + carrier data so your margin math finally matches your bank account.
Ideal for: $3–12M founders and ops leaders staring at 3PL invoices they can't fully reconcile.
Every profit tool has G2 reviews complaining "the numbers don't match our books." The problem isn't charts – it's opaque math. This framework gives you a simple test: actual vs estimated tagging and source-traceable costs, so you (and your CFO) know which numbers you can bet the business on.
Ideal for: $3–12M founders whose CFO or board keeps asking "can we trust these numbers?"
Established playbooks we keep current, but aren't actively expanding this quarter.
How to design win-back and replenishment flows that grow gross profit, not just opens and clicks. These are the retention plays we use when LTGP matters more than "90-day sequences."
What AI checkout (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, etc.) actually does to your unit economics and how to pick the first SKUs that won't blow up your margins. We treat this as a reference + roadmap lens while the category matures.
Side-by-side breakdowns of the profit, inventory, and 3PL apps Shopify DTC brands actually use. We group tools by job-to-be-done - profit trackers, analytics dashboards, inventory planners, and 3PL cost analyzers - then show what each is great at, where it breaks, and which type of brand it really serves. No affiliate links, no "top 10" fluff. Just clear trade-offs so you can decide when a single-purpose app is enough and when you've outgrown that layer and need a profit operating system.
The principles in this library are the strategic core of MarginOS. Once you've mastered the frameworks, the next logical step is to automate them.
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