Level 5: Systemized - The ArchiTECH Ascent

Build a High-Functioning Ecosystem

You’re no longer duct-taping solutions together. At Level 5, your business becomes a structured, predictable operation. Systems are in place, teams are defined, and your backend is starting to run like… an actual business.

Level 5 Snapshot

Your tech stack is robust, your team has grown, and your systems are finally starting to work together. You’ve moved from scattered operations to repeatable processes. Now it’s about scale, structure, and sustainability. At this level, you’re actively replacing manual tasks with automation—and people with systems.

Key Characteristics:

• Defined roles and responsibilities across teams

• Processes documented, repeatable, and partially automated

• Functional cross-platform integrations (OMS, CRM, PIM, etc.)

• Ecommerce and ops are no longer siloed

• You’re making platform decisions with strategy in mind

• Data is becoming actionable, not just available

• Tech support and implementation are ongoing investments

Common Product Types:

• Nutraceutical brands with SKUs in the thousands and advanced subscriptions

• Automotive aftermarket with bundled kits and vehicle fitment logic

• Multi-category product lines requiring PIM + ERP coordination

• Furniture or home goods with customizations and lead-time fulfillment

• Subscription-based ecommerce with warehouse integration and LTV modeling

Level 5 Business Traits

You’ve moved from organized chaos to a predictable rhythm. Your business has real structure now. Every tool has a purpose. Every person has a role. You’re no longer just “keeping up”—you’re designing the business to run well and scale further.

Trait	Typical Scenario
Revenue	$2M–$5M+
Team	15–30 people across departments
SKUs	5,000–10,000+
Tools	15–30+ platforms or integrations
Fulfillment	Multi-location, possibly hybrid 3PL + in-house
Operations	Systems documented and evolving, growing use of automation

You're running a real operation now—and every new dollar goes further because your foundation is strong.

Mindset: “Design for sustainability, not survival.” 

You’ve proven the business works. Now you're building the infrastructure to scale efficiently. That means stable platforms, strategic hires, and business processes that run without constant babysitting.

Estimated Expenses at Level 5

Your tech budget is still ~10% of revenue, but the ratio is shifting. You're investing more in your platform infrastructure and technical personnel to run, improve, and support that ecosystem.

• Estimated monthly revenue: $250,000

• Monthly tech budget (10%): $25,000

• Stack tools: $10,000/month

• Technical Labor: $15,000/month

• Split: 40% stack tools / 60% technical labor

You’re no longer just paying for tools—you’re investing in people who build and manage reliable systems that scale.

The higher labor cost reflects ongoing implementation, app ownership, and advanced platform management. These aren’t just specialists—they’re operators and builders who make your backend perform.

Typical Tech Stack at Level 5

At this stage, your stack is specialized by department—but unified at the core. You’re using APIs, middleware, and workflows to connect tools and automate handoffs across the business.

Category	Tools Used at Level 5	Monthly Cost Estimate
Ecommerce Platform	Shopify Plus or BigCommerce Enterprise	$500–$1,500
Inventory Management	Inventory Planner, Netstock, Zoho Inventory	$300–$800
Order Management & Fulfillment	ShipHero, Whiplash, Extensiv, ReturnLogic	$500–$1,500
Product Information Management (PIM)	Plytix, Akeneo, in-house tools	$200–$1,000
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)	DEAR, Odoo, NetSuite, Acumatica (early adoption)	$1,000–$3,000
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)	HubSpot, Klaviyo (advanced), Gorgias, Zendesk	$500–$1,500
Accounting Systems	QuickBooks with integrations, NetSuite Finance, Xero + A2X	$100–$500
Automation Tools	Alloy, Celigo, Make, Zapier Enterprise	$500–$1,500

Technical Reality at This Level

Your business can't function without its tech stack—and everyone knows it. Systems are connected. Reports are trusted. Teams rely on workflows that don't break every Monday morning. You’re still evolving—but now you're playing offense, not defense.

How Technical Labor is Typically Allocated

At Level 5, your team is bigger, your contractors more specialized, and you likely have full-time roles focused solely on backend performance. Most brands fund 3–4 of these roles at once, depending on the complexity of operations.

Role	Type	Typical Cost Range
CEO or COO
Provides strategic oversight and manages budget allocation across teams and systems.	Payroll	Included in ownership draw
Marketing Director or Manager
Uses CRM and ecommerce tools to run campaigns. Collaborates closely with ops and tech leads.	Payroll	$6,000–$10,000/month
Customer Support Team
Uses CRM, returns portals, and order history to resolve issues.	Payroll	$3,000–$4,500/month (per rep)
Ops Director or Manager
Oversees fulfillment, vendor management, and ops data. Relies heavily on OMS, ERP, and reporting tools.	Payroll	$5,000–$8,000/month
Digital Ops Manager
Owns backend platforms, automation, and integration flow. Acts as system admin for many tools.	Payroll	$4,000–$6,000/month
Platform / App Specialists
Manage and support the ecommerce layer: storefront performance, advanced app logic, checkout behavior.	Contract	$2,000–$4,000/month
Backend Systems Specialists
Oversee ERP, PIM, accounting syncs, and API-level integrations. May work with an agency or act as interim architect.	Contract	$3,000–$6,000/month

Note: Most technical labor at this stage is deeply embedded in your business. You’re not outsourcing one-off tasks—you’re building in-house capability and long-term infrastructure.

Real-World Example

A fast-growing automotive parts brand sells 8,000 SKUs with year-over-year growth of 60%. They outgrew spreadsheets and brought in Celigo to connect BigCommerce to DEAR Inventory and NetSuite for accounting. Their ops director manages fulfillment across 3 warehouses and relies on dashboards built in Alloy to track delays and anomalies.

They hire a Digital Ops Manager to own backend systems, reduce support friction, and optimize product data flow. The marketing team begins launching product-specific automations and A/B testing bundle configurations—because the backend finally supports it.

Level 5 Pain Points:

• Technical debt slowing future changes

• Legacy apps no longer scale or integrate

• Staff overwhelmed by app-specific quirks

• Key systems work—but no one knows why

• Internal roles still too blended or unclear

• Reporting exists but lacks trust

• Process gaps reappear under pressure

Signs It's Time to Level Up:

• You’re relying on too many human handoffs

• You can’t add new tools without breaking things

• New hires spend weeks learning tribal knowledge

• You’ve hit a ceiling on fulfillment or returns

• You’re debating ERP vs. middleware

• You're using data—but still not deeply leveraging it

Bottom Line

Level 5 is where your ecommerce operation becomes a real business engine. You’re not just scaling revenue—you’re scaling systems, structure, and team. It’s no longer about working harder—it’s about building something that runs smarter.