How we work

We don't hand you more tasks. We help you make the right decisions.

Mentorship across your entire digital business. We diagnose your specific challenge and work with you and your team for 30, 60 or 90 days to solve it within an agreed scope.

We operate our own ecommerce brands in several markets and have built international operations and holdings, with hands-on commercial, financial, sourcing and technology experience. Behind the programs sit two deep operating specialisms: Ecommerce and Marketplaces / Amazon. When it makes sense, our team executes.

From diagnosis to partnership

Start small. Move on only if it makes sense.

Each step stands on its own and none commits you to the next.

  1. Start here

    Free diagnosis

    With the founding team, after six questions. You leave with a read on what's holding you back and the route we recommend.

    30 minFree

  2. Strategic review

    A live session on your account data, with prioritised recommendations.

    90 minUS$900

  3. Written audit

    Written report and presentation. If you move on to mentorship or a partnership, the US$2,000 is credited once.

    Report + presentationUS$2,000

  4. Mentorship

    4, 8 or 12 sessions. We decide with you and your team executes.

    30 days: mentorship · 60 days: includes First AI · 90 days: includes First AI and the Academy

    30, 60 or 90 daysOn request

    60 / 90 days · On request
  5. Partnership / Joint venture

    We decide with you and our team runs the agreed channels. Joint venture for selected brands.

    Case-by-case proposal

01 / How it works

A free first call. Then guide or operate.

A clear starting point and an agreed engagement, shaped by your business rather than a standard production bundle.

30Minutes · free diagnosis
  1. Free diagnosis

    A free 30-minute diagnosis with the founding team, after six questions. You leave with a read on what's holding you back and the route we recommend. Answer six questions, then pick a time.

  2. Optional deeper look

    If you want senior eyes on your numbers first: a live strategic review on Google Meet (US$900), or a tailored written audit or study (US$2,000). Neither is required.

  3. Guide or operate

    A 30, 60 or 90-day program where we guide your team, or an annual partnership where our team operates the agreed work, including full Amazon channel operations.

  4. Review together

    Scheduled reviews keep decisions, owners and results visible throughout the agreed period.

Everything you could do
Your strategic plan
  • Priorities that move profit
  • Owned by your team
  • Scheduled review

Not more tasks. Fewer, better decisions, in the right order.

theprofitfirst.comScroll →
02 / Mentorship

The same team. The same expertise. The mentorship period your business needs.

We start from your goals and the problems we identify to define the work. The longer the mentorship, the more we can deepen the analysis, follow the execution and adjust based on results.

30 / 60 / 90Days of mentorship

Shared by all three: the same mentorship methodology and the same team competencies, applied to your digital business as relevant: ecommerce, Amazon, AI and SaaS, or international growth. We diagnose, set the priorities, guide your team as it implements and review progress with you. Only the duration changes, not the service. There is no required sequence.

30-day mentorship

US$5,000

Focus the work on the business priorities.

We identify the main obstacles, define an action plan and support your team through the first steps. The shorter period means concentrating the work on the priority issues.

Delivered in 4 one-hour sessions across 30 days.

60-day mentorship

On request

More time to implement, evaluate and adjust.

The same strategic approach, with more availability to deepen the analysis, work across several areas of the operation and follow the adjustments as your team implements.

Delivered in 8 one-hour sessions across 60 days.

Tailored scope and investment, presented in your diagnosis session

Your team implements with our guidance; execution by our specialists can be contracted separately. The 60-day mentorship includes First AI; the 90-day mentorship includes First AI and the Academy. Results depend on your starting point and on how the plan is executed.

Amazon

We guide your team, or we operate the channel.

If you want to keep Amazon in-house, a 30, 60 or 90-day program guides your team. If you want our team, which includes former senior Amazon USA personnel, to run the channel, the annual Amazon partnership covers full-channel operations under a written agreement, with fees set in a private proposal after the diagnosis.

See the Amazon partnership
Optional / Strategic review

A live, prepared 90-minute session. US$900

A substantial 90-minute paid session on Google Meet. We prepare from the context and account data you share, analyze the account and its economics, and discuss concrete strategic opportunities and prioritized recommendations with you live. It does not include a written report and is different from the audit below. You book it directly in our calendar; after booking we tell you what to share so we can prepare.

Book this review
Optional / Strategic audit or study

A tailored deep read. US$2,000

Independently commissioned and not a prerequisite for any program or partnership: a market study, website and business analysis, Amazon organic and Ads audit, or a scoped digital-operation audit, tailored to your brief. You receive a written report with findings, priorities and next steps, and a call to present it. Markets, SKUs, channels and complexity are agreed before purchase; it is not a full audit of every part of the operation. Purchased by proposal, not online. If you then sign a 30, 60 or 90-day program or an annual partnership, the full US$2,000 is credited once against it (for partnerships, on fixed monthly retainer invoices until used; variable fees still apply). Terms are set in your written proposal.

Enquire about an audit
Profit First · International structuring

An international structure built around your operation. Dubai or the United States.

Corporate structuring, banking, accounting and regulatory compliance, carried out with tax optimisation. We migrate your ecommerce operation to the new structure without interrupting revenue.

01Operation review02Structure design03Incorporation and migration04Ongoing compliance

Dubai UAE

  • Corporate structuringFree Zone or Mainland, defined by your activity and markets.
  • Visa and residencyThe whole process handled for you.
  • BankingPreparation and support for opening the business account.
  • Accounting and reportingAccounting, reporting and substance, handled by our team.
Common to both destinations

Full migration of your structure.

We migrate your operation to the new international structure: payments, Shopify and ad accounts. And we oversee its tax optimisation and regulatory compliance.

As ecommerce operators, we run the migration without interrupting sales.

Book a 30-minute call

Free, confidential first conversation.

United States USA

  • Corporate structuringIncorporation of the company in the United States, with the structure suited to your operation.
  • BankingPreparation and support for opening the business account.
  • Accounting and reportingAccounting and reporting, handled by our team.
Annual partnership

Strategy and execution. Three ways to partner.

For Shopify and other digital work: our specialists execute and manage the channels and activities defined in your contracted scope, coordinating with your team. A Shopify or digital partnership covers only the channels in its proposal; full Amazon channel operations are a separate annual Amazon partnership. Fees for Shopify and Amazon are presented in a private proposal after the free diagnosis or the 90-minute strategic review. Additional builds are quoted separately.

Annual partnership

Launch

For a new business starting from zero.

We shape the offer, build the store or channel, and run launch acquisition and operations within scope.

Proposal after diagnosis.

Discuss a proposal
Annual partnership

Retainer

For an existing account already above US$100k in revenue.

We take over agreed growth work: acquisition, conversion, retention and reporting, plus marketplaces where the proposal includes them.

Proposal after diagnosis.

Discuss a proposal
Annual partnership

Enterprise

For operations above US$500k in revenue.

A bespoke team and scope across markets and channels, with structured governance and reviews.

Proposal after diagnosis.

Discuss a proposal
03 / Two deep operating specialisms

Ecommerce. Marketplaces / Amazon.

Shopify. From A to Z.

Store & acquisition

Integration and migration, product pages, checkout, CRO, Klaviyo email and SMS, Meta and Google, funnel creative and Black Friday.

Operations & economics

Offer, stock, sourcing, fulfillment, payment partners and margins. International structure, with tax matters coordinated with qualified advisers.

Explore Shopify expertise

Amazon. Launch and scale.

Account & content

Seller and Vendor Central, listings, A+ Content, Storefronts and Brand Registry.

Advertising & operations

Amazon Ads, FBA, inventory, SKU economics, expansion into new markets and other marketplaces. A team that includes former senior Amazon USA personnel.

See the Amazon partnership
04 / How engagements work

Clear responsibilities. Connected decisions.

Mentorship

We diagnose, prioritize, guide and review your team's work. Your team or existing providers implement the plan within the agreed cadence.

Operational partnership

Under an annual agreement, our team executes and manages the agreed channels and activities, coordinating with your team. Work outside the contracted scope needs a separate approval.

Confidential by default

No client names or testimonials. Trust comes from experience, method and transparency. Tax and legal advice and local execution remain with qualified specialists.

The right fit

Our programmes are selective. The free diagnosis tells us your stage; mentorship fits brands with real operating data and a team able to act.

05 / Your specialists

The people beside you. Operators in your business.

Cátia Sá

Cátia Sá

Ecommerce & Shopify

Connects brand, offer, store and conversion.

Flávio Aquino

Flávio Aquino

Operations & Tax

Connects margins, financial visibility and operating structure, alongside qualified advisers for tax matters.

João Couceiro

João Couceiro

Amazon & Marketplaces

Connects Amazon positioning, advertising, logistics and channel economics.

06 / A few answers

Before we start. Keep it clear.

Is the 30-minute diagnosis free?
Yes. It's 30 minutes with the founding team, after six questions. You leave with a read on what's holding you back and the route we recommend. It isn't an account audit: that's what the 90-minute strategic review and the written audit are for.
How is the strategic review different from the audit?
The US$900 strategic review is a live Google Meet working session: we prepare from your context and account data and discuss prioritized recommendations with you, without a written report. The US$2,000 audit or study is a separately commissioned written report with a presentation, scoped before purchase.
Is the program only for ecommerce or Shopify?
No. The 30, 60 and 90-day programs cover the whole digital business: ecommerce and Amazon, SaaS and software products, AI adoption, cross-border growth, digital infrastructure, funnels, payments, operations and acquisition. We agree the specific challenge and expected outcomes at the start; we do not promise that every issue can be fully solved within any horizon.
What does the US$2,000 audit include?
A tailored study or audit with a written report (findings, priorities and next steps) and a presentation call. We agree markets, SKUs, channels and complexity before purchase, so the scope matches the fee. Larger scopes are quoted separately.
How are operating partnerships priced?
Annual contracts for Shopify and Amazon, combining a fixed monthly fee and a success fee. We present the exact terms in a private proposal after the free diagnosis or the 90-minute strategic review. Additional builds are quoted separately.
Can your specialists also implement?
Yes. In an annual operating partnership, our specialists execute and manage the channels and activities set out in its scope. Mentorship programmes do not include execution. Work outside the contracted scope, such as Shopify pages, integrations, email flows, paid campaigns, Amazon setup, listings, Storefronts or Ads, is quoted and approved separately.
Are Academy and First AI included?
The 60-day mentorship includes First AI, and the 90-day mentorship includes First AI and the Academy. For partnerships, it's set out in the proposal. Anyone can buy the Academy or subscribe to First AI separately. First AI on its own is US$39/month with unlimited text.
Ask your store

Be honest. How many of these are yours?

Tap the ones that are true for you.

Your starting point

Let's meet first. Then choose the route.

A free 30-minute diagnosis with the founding team, after six questions. You leave with a read on what's holding you back and the route we recommend.

Free / 30 minutes

Book your free diagnosis session

Answer six questions, then pick a time.

Who you will meet

The free 30-minute call is with a member of the founding team.

Cátia Sá with an audience of founders
Cátia Sá with an audience of founders
Cátia Sá presenting on stage at Checkmate
Cátia Sá presenting on stage at Checkmate
Flávio Aquino on stage at Checkmate, talking about channel diversification
Flávio Aquino on stage at Checkmate, talking about channel diversification