Level 7: Enterprise - The ArchiTECH Ascent

Scale to the Top With Confidence 

You’ve reached the summit. At Level 7, your business runs like a fully-integrated machine—complex, intelligent, and built to scale across markets, brands, and channels.

Level 7 Snapshot

This is the top of the mountain. You’ve built (or are building) a digital enterprise with formalized teams, connected data, advanced infrastructure, and high standards across every department. Growth doesn’t just happen—it’s engineered.

Key Characteristics:

• ERP is fully integrated and actively used across all departments

• Automation and workflows span global operations

• Custom platforms or middleware power edge use cases

• Real-time reporting and dashboards drive daily decision-making

• Teams are cross-functional, data-driven, and accountable

• Platform governance, QA, and documentation are standard

• Architecture decisions are made for scale—not just speed

Common Product Types:

• Global DTC + B2B brands with international warehousing and regional sites

• Automotive or heavy equipment with high-SKU complexity and custom integrations

• Consumer packaged goods (CPG) operating across retail, ecommerce, and wholesale

• Subscription-first businesses running loyalty, referral, and retention programs

• Manufacturers or private-label brands running ecommerce + ERP + B2B portals

Level 7 Business Profile

You’ve shifted from being a brand operator to an enterprise orchestrator. Your systems support multiple brands, markets, or business models. You’re investing in resiliency, not just velocity.

Trait	Typical Scenario
Revenue	$10M–$50M+
Team	50–150+ across org, with layered management
SKUs	25,000–100,000+
Tools	50–100+ tools across departments, locations, and regions
Fulfillment	Global, omnichannel, and wholesale
Operations	Fully documented systems, dedicated platform teams

You're not scaling chaos. You’re scaling certainty.

Mindset: “Structure creates freedom.” 

At this level, every system has an owner. Every report has a purpose. Every tool fits into the bigger architecture. You’re playing the long game—scaling with control and clarity.

Estimated Expenses at Level 7

Tech and labor costs are high—but so is efficiency. This level prioritizes strategic alignment, system governance, and platform performance.

• Estimated monthly revenue: $1M+

• Monthly tech budget (10%): $100,000

• Stack tools: $40,000/month

• Technical Labor: $60,000/month

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

You’re not just investing in platforms—you’re investing in business architecture. Your systems are robust, governed, and owned by people who understand how to optimize them.

Most of your labor budget is spent on platform-specific admins, systems architects, and cross-functional implementation teams. This is where technical strategy becomes a competitive moat.

Typical Tech Stack at Level 7

At this level, tech is no longer a collection of tools—it’s an ecosystem. You’re layering composable architecture, real-time integrations, and enterprise-grade security across all systems.

Category	Tools Used at Level 7	Monthly Cost Estimate
Ecommerce Platform	Composable commerce, headless Shopify, BigCommerce Multi-Storefront	$3,000–$10,000
Inventory Management	Built-in ERP modules, Netstock, or highly customized solutions	$2,000–$5,000
Order Management & Fulfillment	Custom OMS, Extensiv, global 3PL integrations, order orchestration platforms	$2,000–$5,000
Product Information Management (PIM)	Akeneo Enterprise, in-house or ERP-integrated PIM	$2,000–$5,000
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)	NetSuite, SAP, Acumatica, Microsoft Dynamics 365	$5,000–$10,000
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)	Salesforce, HubSpot Enterprise, Zendesk Suite	$2,000–$6,000
Accounting Systems	ERP-native finance modules, enterprise-grade accounting workflows	$1,000–$3,000
Automation Tools	Celigo, MuleSoft, Tray.io, custom API orchestration	$3,000–$6,000

Technical Reality at This Level

Your business is a system of systems. Tools are connected. People are accountable. The tech is robust—but so is the discipline. Governance, QA, and documentation are standard. You're not chasing scale—you’re directing it.

How Technical Labor is Typically Allocated

At Level 7, you have internal teams and external partners managing specialized platforms. You’ve likely built a small internal “digital operations team” or platform department. Labor is distributed across strategy, execution, and platform ownership.

Role	Type	Typical Cost Range
CEO or COO
Sets vision and strategic initiatives. Doesn’t manage systems but approves direction.	Payroll	Included in ownership draw
Marketing VP or Director
Leads customer lifecycle strategy. Works with CRM, PIM, and analytics teams.	Payroll	$10,000–$15,000/month
Customer Support Team
Scales across regions and languages. Fully trained on CRM and help desk logic.	Payroll	$3,500–$6,000/month (per rep)
Ops Director
Oversees fulfillment, warehouse, and ERP data. Owns performance SLAs.	Payroll	$8,000–$12,000/month
Digital Operations Director
Owns platform strategy, integrations, and system governance. Manages internal and external tech teams.	Payroll	$10,000–$15,000/month
Platform / App Specialists
Manage ecommerce storefronts, search logic, UX testing, and performance across brands/sites.	Contract	$4,000–$6,000/month
Backend Systems Specialists
Architect and optimize ERP, inventory logic, accounting syncs, and API workflows. Often internal or part of an enterprise agency.	Contract	$6,000–$12,000/month

Note: These roles are no longer tactical. They are strategic owners of platform performance. Internal and external specialists work together in an orchestrated system.

Real-World Example

An enterprise tire distributor runs 100,000+ SKUs across B2B and B2C channels. They operate multiple BigCommerce storefronts and maintain an Akeneo PIM and SAP ERP. Orders flow into a custom OMS for orchestration across 12 global warehouses.

Their Digital Operations Director manages a team of 6 technical specialists who monitor dashboards, review system performance, and implement improvements. Their backend systems sync every 10 minutes across inventory, orders, and product data. Growth doesn’t break anything—because the system was built to handle it.

Level 7 Pain Points:

• Governance gaps in system ownership or documentation

• New tools require change management and QA

• Cross-brand logic becomes difficult to manage

• Global data sync or tax complexity

• Security, compliance, and uptime requirements increase

• Platform upgrades require version control and staging

• Technical debt becomes expensive to fix

Signs It’s Time to Reinvent (Again):

• Your architecture can’t support the next strategic move

• Platform performance lags under peak load

• Global or channel expansion hits complexity ceilings

• Internal platform ownership isn’t clearly defined

• You’re spending more time maintaining than innovating

• Reporting gaps expose vulnerabilities or revenue leaks

Bottom Line

At Level 7, growth doesn’t come from working harder—it comes from working smarter, deeper, and with more precision. You’ve built something real. Something resilient. Something scalable. Now, the only question is: where do you want to take it next?