Level 1: Starter - The ArchiTECH Ascent

Get Launched, Stay Lean

This is where every ecommerce journey begins—lightweight, scrappy, and driven by momentum. You're validating a product, figuring out fulfillment, and learning what it means to run an online business. At this level, simplicity is your strength, but limitations will come fast.

Level 1 Snapshot

You're just getting started—testing your first product, setting up shop, and learning what tools you'll need to run an online business. The focus is on speed, simplicity, and learning. This level is about launching quickly with the bare essentials, and understanding how to operate without overcomplicating things. You’re more focused on product-market fit than tech stack optimization—and that’s exactly how it should be.

Key Characteristics:

• Selling on a single channel, typically Shopify or Etsy

• Low SKU count, often < 50 products

• Manual inventory tracking using spreadsheets

• Fulfillment handled in-house or via a small 3PL

• No real backend—just a frontend and hustle

• DIY branding, photos, and email flows

• No automation, limited reporting

Common Product Types

At this level, sellers typically offer simple, low-SKU, low-variation products—often single-product brands or handmade goods. These products don’t require complex configuration or fulfillment workflows, making them ideal for scrappy, first-time setups.

• Print-on-demand products (t-shirts, mugs, posters)

• Handmade goods (soaps, candles, jewelry)

• Single SKUs with customizations (e.g., custom nameplates or engraved gifts)

• Simple supplements or beauty products

• Digital downloads or online templates

These products allow sellers to get started quickly, manage operations manually, and start generating revenue without heavy operational overhead.

Level 1 Business Profile

You’re doing everything yourself—or close to it. Customer service, packing orders, social media, inventory checks. You name it. You’re not just the founder; you’re the CEO, marketer, support rep, warehouse crew, and janitor all in one.

Trait	Typical Scenario
Revenue	$0–$100K
Team	Solo founder or a couple of helpers
SKUs	Less than 100
Tools	Basic Shopify plan, maybe a free theme, a few free apps
Fulfillment	Manual or through a basic 3PL
Operations	Tracked in spreadsheets, notebooks, or (gulp) memory

Even if you love the hustle, this pace isn’t sustainable forever. You’re a one-person show—or nearly so—juggling dozens of tasks a day. It’s resourceful, brave, and a little chaotic. But it works… for now.

Mindset: "Let’s launch and learn."

You’re not trying to be perfect—you’re trying to prove it works. At this stage, it’s more important to get something up and running than it is to plan the next five years. You're solving for speed, budget, and traction.

Estimated Expenses at Level 1

Starter-level businesses typically invest modestly in tech. Most of the budget goes toward setup help, low-cost tools, or contractors handling one-off tasks.

• Estimated monthly revenue: $5,000

• Monthly tech budget (10%): $500

• Stack tools: $100/month

• Technical Labor: $400/month

• Split: 20% stack tools / 80% Technical Labor

The high labor ratio reflects DIY effort, patchwork plugins, and frequent trial-and-error. You’re not investing in robust systems yet—just getting something that works.

Most of your investment goes toward setting up tools, testing workflows, and paying for occasional expert help—whether that’s freelance devs, consultants, or plug-and-play integrations that need some customization.

Typical Tech Stack at Level 1

Your tools are minimal and often patched together. They aren’t deeply integrated, but they’re enough to get going and validate your business model.

Category	Tools Used at Level 1	Monthly Cost Estimate
Ecommerce Platform	Shopify, WooCommerce	$39
Inventory Management	Google Sheets, Airtable	Free
Order Management & Fulfillment	Shopify built-in tools, Shippo, Pirate Ship	$10
Product Information Management	Shopify product fields, manual updates in spreadsheets	Free
Enterprise Resource Planning	N/A – Not used at this stage	N/A
Customer Relationship Management	Email inbox, Shopify order notes	Free
Accounting Systems	Wave, Excel, QuickBooks Self-Employed	$20
Automation Tools	Manual effort or entry-level Shopify apps with limited automation	$20

Technical Reality at This Level

Tools don’t talk to each other. You copy, paste, and pray. Everything feels like a workaround because it is. Disconnected apps, spreadsheets, and manual workflows are patched together with hustle. Every task depends on your time, attention, or memory to get done.

How Technical Labor is Typically Allocated

At Level 1, you're doing everything yourself. You’re not outsourcing operations, development, or backend work—because there's nothing to outsource yet. If you get help, it’s for something highly specific or technical that you absolutely can’t figure out yourself.

Role	Type	Typical Cost Range
CEO or COO
The founder, operator, packer, customer service rep, and tech support—all in one.	Payroll	Included in ownership draw
Customer Support (Optional)
May hire part-time help if support volume grows (rare at this level).	Contract	$500–$1,000/month
Platform / App Specialist (Optional)
Brought in to configure bundles, fix theme bugs, or help with tricky app setups.	Contract	$200–$500/month (as needed)

Note: Most Level 1 businesses rely on DIY effort and Google searches. You're not hiring technical labor consistently—you're bootstrapping your way to functionality.

Real-World Example:

An indie candle brand launches with 10 SKUs on Shopify, using a free theme and a simple PayPal integration. The founder takes photos with an iPhone, writes their own product copy, and fulfills orders by hand. Orders are tracked using Google Sheets, and shipping labels are printed one at a time using Pirate Ship. Marketing is mostly Instagram posts and word-of-mouth. It’s manageable now, but there’s no way this system can scale without breaking.

Eventually, they realize they need inventory alerts, shipping automation, and at least some reporting. They start to test lightweight apps, but quickly feel overwhelmed by the options and the learning curve.

Level 1 Pain Points:

• Everything is manual

• Inventory gets out of sync easily

• Fulfillment takes too long and eats into creative/product time

• There’s no centralized view of operations or performance

• The business feels reactive instead of proactive

Signs It's Time to Level Up:

• You’re spending more time managing orders than marketing or making products

• You’ve outgrown free tools, but aren’t sure what to replace them with

• Customer service starts slipping due to delays or confusion

• You’re constantly copy/pasting between platforms

• You can’t reliably track inventory, bundles, or fulfillment status

Bottom Line

This level is all about momentum—getting your product into the world and proving it sells. Don’t overinvest in complex systems yet, but do pay attention to the manual processes piling up. As soon as operations begin to slow down growth—or you feel like the business is running you—it’s time to stabilize your backend and climb to Level 2.