Level 6: Integrated - The ArchiTECH Ascent

Run a Unified, Data-Driven Operation

You’re no longer scaling with grit alone. At Level 6, everything needs to work together: systems, data, people, and decisions. This is where ecommerce stops being siloed and becomes a truly connected business.

Level 6 Snapshot

You’ve built a powerful tech stack. Now the goal is total cohesion. Your data moves in real-time. Your departments are aligned. Your business decisions are informed by accurate, cross-functional insights—not guesswork. You’re running the company from the dashboard.

Key Characteristics:

• Advanced tools with deep, system-level integrations

• Shared data across ecommerce, ops, finance, and marketing

• Internal workflows built around automated logic

• Centralized reporting across departments

• Ops and tech teams work hand-in-hand

• ERP is fully live or in late-stage implementation

• Departments trust the data—and use it to drive growth

Level 6 Business Profile

Your business runs on systems, not people. Your teams are specialized. Your platforms are interconnected. This is where infrastructure becomes a true competitive advantage.

Trait	Typical Scenario
Revenue	$5M–$10M+
Team	30–50+ people across departments
SKUs	10,000–25,000+
Tools	30–50 integrated platforms
Fulfillment	Multi-location, international, and/or B2B channels
Operations	Centralized dashboards, cross-department automation

You’re no longer running on hustle. You’re running on infrastructure.

Mindset: “If it doesn’t connect, it doesn’t belong.” 

Every decision at this level is made with long-term scale in mind. Every tool must integrate. Every process must be documented. Every workflow must flow across people, platforms, and outcomes.

Estimated Expenses at Level 6

Your tech spend is shifting from tactical tools to infrastructure and platform management. You're investing heavily in integrations, analytics, and scalable systems.

• Estimated monthly revenue: $500,000

• Monthly tech budget (10%): $50,000

• Stack tools: $20,000/month

• Technical Labor: $30,000/month

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

You’ve stopped reacting. Now you’re engineering growth. Systems must be designed, maintained, and continuously improved by internal and external experts.

The labor investment supports platform ownership, ERP customization, performance optimization, and org-wide reporting. You now need full-time specialists and cross-functional tech leadership.

Typical Tech Stack at Level 6

This is a fully integrated business platform. You’re combining ecommerce, finance, fulfillment, and marketing into one cohesive digital ecosystem.

Category	Tools Used at Level 6	Monthly Cost Estimate
Ecommerce Platform	BigCommerce Enterprise, Shopify Plus with headless or composable frontend	$1,000–$3,000
Inventory Management	Netstock, Zoho Inventory, built-in ERP modules	$1,000–$2,000
Order Management & Fulfillment	Extensiv, Whiplash, ShipBob API, ReturnLogic, custom OMS	$1,000–$2,500
Product Information Management (PIM)	Akeneo, Plytix, or ERP-integrated PIM	$1,000–$2,000
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)	NetSuite, Acumatica, Odoo Enterprise	$3,000–$6,000
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)	HubSpot Pro, Salesforce, Gorgias, custom segments	$1,000–$2,000
Accounting Systems	NetSuite Finance, Zoho Books, custom integrations with ERP	$500–$1,000
Automation Tools	Celigo, Alloy, Make, Tray.io (enterprise-level automation platforms)	$1,000–$3,000

Technical Reality at This Level

Every system you use must be able to talk to every other system. Data moves automatically. Visibility is real-time. You don’t just log in to check things—you log in to make decisions. This is where backend complexity must be abstracted into clarity.

How Technical Labor is Typically Allocated

At Level 6, you have multiple full-time roles focused solely on technical performance. You’re not outsourcing tasks—you’re building a professional operations team. Most brands fund 4–6 of these roles in parallel, with both strategic and tactical contributors.

Role	Type	Typical Cost Range
CEO or COO
Focuses on growth strategy, team leadership, and vendor management—not daily platform issues.	Payroll	Included in ownership draw
Marketing Director or VP
Owns marketing strategy, CRM segmentation, and conversion performance. Collaborates with platform team.	Payroll	$8,000–$12,000/month
Customer Support Team
Fully trained on CRM, returns systems, and internal knowledge bases.	Payroll	$3,000–$5,000/month (per rep)
Ops Director
Manages fulfillment, ERP reporting, order flow, vendor SLAs, and dashboards.	Payroll	$6,000–$10,000/month
Digital Operations Director
Owns all backend systems, workflows, integrations, and automation platforms. Acts as internal systems architect.	Payroll	$8,000–$12,000/month
Platform / App Specialists
Ensure ecommerce frontend, search, filters, and apps are performant and integrated.	Contract	$3,000–$5,000/month
Backend Systems Specialists
Maintain and improve ERP, PIM, accounting integrations, API logic, and reporting layers. Often part of a systems team.	Contract	$5,000–$10,000/month

Note: At this level, you’ve likely reduced reliance on generalists. These roles are focused, strategic, and accountable for performance across departments—not just tasks.

Common Product Types:

• Global ecommerce brands with international warehousing and multi-currency support

• Automotive parts with fitment data, VIN logic, and wholesale integration

• Multi-brand portfolios using a shared backend or ERP

• Subscription-driven wellness brands with fulfillment orchestration and loyalty layers

• High-SKU inventory requiring PIM, dynamic search, and advanced filters

Real-World Example

A DTC brand expands into B2B and international markets, triggering complexity across fulfillment, finance, and inventory. They implement NetSuite and connect it to BigCommerce, Celigo, and Zoho Inventory. A Digital Operations Director oversees all tech projects, from ERP customization to new market automation.

The Ops Director runs multi-warehouse operations using dashboards from Alloy and ShipHero. A Backend Systems Specialist maintains reporting accuracy and supports finance with real-time reconciliation. The company can now see product profitability by channel, location, and promotion—without manual effort.

Level 6 Pain Points:

• ERP and ecommerce logic collide during peak seasons

• Data hygiene issues slow decision-making

• Onboarding a new team member takes weeks

• Multiple tools do similar things—poorly

• Vendors aren’t aligned with your system maturity

• Internal staff need ongoing training to keep up

• Automations are too brittle—or too customized to scale

Signs It’s Time to Level Up:

• You need a formal systems architect to scale

• Tech debt is making growth more expensive

• Reporting takes too long to trust

• You want to roll out new functionality—but don’t know where to start

• You’re investing heavily in platform ops and infrastructure

• Ops and finance are still catching up to marketing and sales

Bottom Line

At Level 6, your backend is no longer a bottleneck—it’s your operating engine. You’ve replaced the chaos with clarity. The next level isn’t just about scaling more... it’s about scaling smarter, faster, and with total alignment across the business.