Most agencies don't talk about how they get paid. We do, because if you're going to take advice from us, you should know what we're incentivized by — and where we're NOT.
Our four revenue sources
1. Managed subscriptions (our primary revenue path)
The core business is a managed marketing workflow for local service businesses. Current business plans start with a managed website and lead to the $97/mo Standard founding offer for customers who want an ongoing marketing operation. Product pricing varies by use case; we publish the current details on the pricing page and do not promise sales, revenue, rankings, or a specific number of leads.
2. Lead Packs (one-time purchases)
Verified business leads sold as one-time CSV exports. $97 / $197 / $497 depending on volume. No subscription. Used by founders who want to test outbound before committing to a recurring marketing relationship.
3. The AI Operator's Playbook ($47 founding / $97 standard)
The AI Operator's Playbook is a one-time, self-serve entry product: 47 specific plays, sequences, and scripts for positioning, outreach, sales, and staying visible. It is $47 during the founding offer and $97 once that offer closes. Faceless Launch is a second $47 entry product for buyers who want a structured self-serve start. Buyers of either product can later choose a managed subscription when they need hands-on execution; they are never required to do so.
4. Affiliate commissions
When our Academy recommends a tool — Mercury for banking, Northwest Registered Agent for LLC formation, Hiscox for insurance, etc. — we use a tracked affiliate link that pays us a commission when you sign up through it. The commission comes from the vendor's marketing budget, not from your pocket — you pay the same price either way.
The vendors we get paid by
Here's every partner program we're enrolled in, what they do, and what we earn when you sign up through our link:
| Vendor | What they do | Our typical payout |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agent | LLC formation + registered agent service | $70-$100 per LLC formed |
| Mercury | Online business banking | $250 per qualified business signup |
| Bluevine | Online business banking + line of credit | ~$100 per qualified signup |
| Ramp | Corporate cards + expense management | $150-$300 per qualified signup |
| Hiscox | Professional liability + general liability insurance | $50-$120 per quote/policy |
| Next Insurance | Small-business insurance — instant online quote | $50-$150 per quote/policy |
| QuickBooks | Accounting + bank sync | 10-30% revenue share, year 1 |
| Calendly | Sales call scheduling | 25% revenue share on Pro tier |
| Namecheap | Domain registration + hosting + SSL | 20% per domain, 35% per hosting plan |
What this biases us toward (and doesn't)
What it does: we're more likely to mention these vendors in lessons than equally-good vendors that don't have affiliate programs. We try to flag this — for example, when we recommend Wave (free accounting software, no commission) alongside QuickBooks (commission), we say so.
What it doesn't: we don't recommend a worse product because the commission's higher. The Academy recommends Mercury for banking and Northwest for LLC formation because those are the tools the founder genuinely uses. The commission is a happy second-order effect, not the reason for the recommendation.
The honest test: if a vendor we recommend stops being the best option for our customers, we drop the recommendation and forfeit the commission. The subscription business is too valuable to undermine for short-term affiliate revenue.
How we disclose at the link itself
Every affiliate link in our Academy carries a disclosure right below the click target: "We may earn a commission when you sign up through this link, at no extra cost to you." Links open in a new tab with the appropriate rel="sponsored" attribute so search engines and screen readers can identify them.
Questions?
Email aaron@ironfrontdigital.com. Genuine questions about how we earn, what we recommend, or whether a specific vendor recommendation is biased — happy to answer directly.