A 90-DAY GROWTH PLAYBOOK FOR FOUNDER-LED BUSINESSES

YOUR BUSINESS ISN'T STUCK.
IT'S UNDIAGNOSED.

The COMPASS Method identifies the constraint in your business limiting revenue, separates it from the noise and gives you a focused, 90-day plan that you can implement today.

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THE ROOMS THIS METHOD WAS BUILT IN

100+

COMPASS Diagnostics deployed

~20

Years in the trenches
The Problem

Your Revenue Is Stuck And Every Answer You Get Is Different.

You're founder-led and you've hit a ceiling. The thing that got you here has stopped working, and everyone you pay to tell you why says something different.

01

Fragmented Strategy

Six tactics, no plan. The SEO guy says SEO. The ads guy says ads. Everyone's confident, nobody agrees, and you're the one paying to find out who's right.

02

Expensive Guesses

$15K a month to an agency that spends the first 90 days “getting up to speed.” By the time you know it isn't working, you've spent $45K learning that.

03

Founder Burnout

Every decision routes through you. Which means growth is capped at your calendar, not your market.

The Method Behind It

Growth Isn't Random. It's A Flywheel With A Broken Spoke.

1
Awareness — they know you exist
2
Attraction — they want what you have
3
Acquisition — they buy
4
Activation — they get the result
5
Advocacy — they bring others
The Methodology

Growth Isn't Random. It's A Flywheel With A Broken Spoke.

Every growing business runs the same five-stage loop: Awareness, Attraction, Acquisition, Activation, Advocacy. When it spins, growth compounds. When one stage breaks, everything upstream is wasted motion. Most founders respond by pouring more fuel into the stage that's already working.
The COMPASS Method finds the broken stage. We get specific on the one capping you right now. We name it, fix the constraint, and give you a 90-day plan on what to do next.
See What You Get

Peek Inside A Real COMPASS

This is a redacted output from an actual diagnostic. A $3.2M home services company discovered they were leaving $1.4M on the table from a single broken process.

Prepared for: [REDACTED] Home Services · Revenue: $3.2M · Team: 14

North Star Roadmap: Q3 2026

Primary Constraint Identified

Acquisition Lever: Lead-To-Appointment Conversion

This business generates 847 inbound leads per month but converts only 11.2% to booked appointments. Industry benchmark: 28–34%. The modeled opportunity of leaving this unresolved is approximately $1.4M annually.

THE REVENUE MATH
METRIC CURRENT BENCHMARK GAP
Monthly Leads 847 — Sufficient
Lead-to-Appt Rate 11.2% 28-34% -17 to -23 pts
Appt-to-Close Rate 62% 55-65% On Target
Average Ticket $1,840 $1,600-$2,200 On Target
FLYWHEEL HEALTH SCORE
Awareness
7.2/10 Healthy
Attraction
6.8/10 Moderate
Acquisition
3.1/10 Critical
Activation
6.5/10 Moderate
Advocacy
5.9/10 Moderate

Closing the Acquisition gap from 11.2% to 22% models $94,000/month in additional revenue — $1.13M annualized from a single constraint removal.

This is an illustrative opportunity model based on stated assumptions. It is not a claim of realized revenue.

Why 76% Of These Leads Never Became Appointments

Root Cause #1 — Speed-To-Lead Failure

Average first-response time: 4 hours 22 minutes. Industry leaders respond in under 5 minutes. After 30 minutes, lead conversion drops sharply.

  • Leads submitted 6pm-8am (41% of volume): no response until next business day
  • Weekend leads (22% of volume): average 14-hour wait
  • No automated confirmation sent upon form submission
Impact: ~520 of 847 monthly leads go cold before a human speaks to them.

Root Cause #2 — No Qualification Framework

Every lead treated identically. No scoring, no priority routing, no disqualification criteria. A high-ticket replacement lead gets the same response as a minor service call.

  • No lead scoring fields populated in CRM
  • Average intake call: 2:14 (benchmark: 4-6 minutes)
  • 34% of appointments result in "not a fit" (benchmark: under 15%)
Impact: Closers waste 34% of appointment time on unqualified prospects.

Root Cause #3 — Single-Channel Intake

Response happens by phone only. No SMS, no chat, in a market segment that increasingly prefers text-based communication for service inquiries.

  • No SMS platform connected to CRM
  • Website chat widget unmanned (6+ hour response)
  • Leads who don't answer phone marked "no contact" after 1-2 attempts
Impact: Forcing phone-only on a market that prefers async communication.
Objective: Move Lead-to-Appointment Rate from 11.2% to 22%

The 90-Day Sprint Plan

WEEK 1-2: STOP THE BLEEDING

ACTION OWNER METRIC
Install automated SMS confirmation on all form submissions Office Manager 100% leads get response within 60 seconds
Set up after-hours auto-text acknowledgment Office Manager After-hours leads receive immediate reply
Create lead scoring: Hot / Warm / Cold criteria Owner + Lead Tech All leads scored within 5 minutes
Expected: First-response time drops from 4h 22m to under 5 minutes.

WEEK 3-4: BUILD THE MACHINE

ACTION OWNER METRIC
Hire part-time intake specialist (20 hrs/week) Owner Dedicated response during business hours
Build 5-message SMS nurture for non-answers Intake Specialist No lead abandoned before 5 attempts
Create qualification script (4 questions, 3 min) Owner + Lead Tech 90% leads scored accurately
Route Hot leads to senior tech calendar Office Manager Hot leads booked within 4 hours
Expected: Lead-to-Appointment rate moves from 11.2% to 16-18%.

WEEK 5-12: OPTIMIZE, SCALE, LOCK IN

ACTION OWNER METRIC
Implement weekly "No Lead Left Behind" audit Intake Specialist 100% unconverted leads documented
Add webchat with live response Intake Specialist New channel captures 10-15% of leads
Launch reactivation campaign (past 90 days) Intake Specialist Recover 5-8% of dead leads
Document full intake SOP Intake + Owner Process runs 2 weeks without owner
Expected: Lead-to-Appointment rate stabilized at 22%+.
$3.2M
CURRENT ANNUAL
$4.85M
Modeled Annual
+52%
Modeled Growth
88x
Modeled return

This is an illustrative opportunity model based on stated assumptions. It is not a claim of realized revenue.

Book Your Free COMPASS Call
HOW CMOS WORKS

You Bring The Operating Picture. The COMpass Identifies The Constraint.
Your Team Gets tactical playbook for the next 90 days.

01

What you provide

The Operating Picture

A structured view of your market, offer, message, customer evidence, and operating capacity.

02

What CMOS does

Finds The Constraint

Reviews the 5A Flywheel to identify the binding growth constraint and the evidence behind it.

03

What your team receives

The Next 90 Days

A named priority, revenue opportunity model, sequenced 90-day roadmap, handoff brief, and progress dashboard.

01

WHAT YOU PROVIDE

A structured view of your market, offer, message, customer evidence, and operating capacity.

02

WHAT THE COMPASS DOES

Reviews the 5A Flywheel to identify the binding growth constraint and the evidence behind it.

03

WHAT YOUR TEAM RECEIVES

A named priority, revenue opportunity model, sequenced 90-day roadmap, handoff brief, and progress dashboard.
What A Real Diagnosis Changes

BELOW ARE KEY METRICS THAT THE COMPASS METHOD HELPED SOLVE

Results from Herald client engagements as documented by the Herald team. They describe those businesses and are not a projection of your result.
Agriculture Biologicals
Agriculture Biologicals
Attraction
Outcome
$10M $16M+
Revenue scaled, with a clear path toward $20M
The constraint
Messaging pitched too technical for the mainstream buyer
▸ Read the full diagnosis
Starting point
A biologicals company had grown to $10M but hit a wall. They needed to move beyond early adopters and compete against massive synthetic chemical incumbents with 100x their marketing budget.
Constraint found
Attraction. Messaging was too technical for the mainstream buyer, and digital marketing execution was inconsistent. The whitespace wasn't in harder selling — it was in education.
What revealed it
The COMPASS surfaced both constraints: a technical message that early adopters tolerated but the mainstream buyer would not, alongside inconsistent digital execution.
What changed
Repositioned the brand as a thought leader through targeted podcasts and high-impact industry events, and restructured paid media to improve CAC and conversion rates across Google and Meta.
Early leading indicator
Improved CAC and conversion rates across Google and Meta as the repositioned message and rebuilt paid structure took hold.
Documented outcome
Revenue scaled from $10M to $16M+ with a clear path toward $20M. The brand became the trusted authority in their category before direct sales contact even occurred.
Attribution: Herald COMPASS engagement.
Alternative Education
Alternative Education
Acquisition
Outcome
$200K 2× goal
Doubled a $200K monthly revenue goal
The constraint
No lower-cost entry point outside peak enrollment
▸ Read the full diagnosis
Starting point
An alternative education company had severe revenue swings tied to seasonal enrollment. Some months were strong. Others were near-zero. They needed to stabilize cash flow and build a consistent pipeline year-round.
Constraint found
Acquisition. There was no lower-cost entry point to capture demand outside peak enrollment, and messaging failed to separate parent buyers from student users.
What revealed it
The COMPASS identified both constraints: revenue concentrated entirely in peak enrollment windows, and a single message aimed at two different audiences.
What changed
Built an evergreen webinar funnel to drive leads outside of peak seasons and developed a new, lower-cost paid course as an entry point that generated recurring revenue independent of enrollment cycles.
Early leading indicator
Revenue cycles smoothed out as leads began arriving outside peak enrollment windows.
Documented outcome
A new recurring revenue stream launched successfully, and the team hit their stretch target: doubling a $200K monthly revenue goal.
Attribution: Herald COMPASS engagement.
Logistics & SaaS
Logistics & SaaS
Acquisition
Outcome
$10K/mo $50K/mo
Ad spend scaled at a maintained 3:1 ROI
The constraint
Quote-to-booking friction burning the ad spend
▸ Read the full diagnosis
Starting point
A specialized logistics service was spending $10K/month on Google Ads and getting almost nothing back. Traffic was there. Conversions were not. A $750K revenue shortfall was closing in.
Constraint found
Acquisition. The quote-to-booking UX was causing massive drop-off, and the Google Ads account was optimized for traffic volume rather than conversion efficiency.
What revealed it
The COMPASS revealed that funnel friction — not demand — was burning the ad spend: traffic arrived and dropped off between quote and booking.
What changed
Overhauled the Google Ads account for conversion efficiency, aggressively simplified the quote-to-booking UX, and produced a brand video to articulate the value proposition above the fold.
Early leading indicator
A 500% improvement in Google Ads conversions on the same traffic.
Documented outcome
The client scaled monthly ad spend from $10K to $50K while maintaining a 3:1 ROI, closing the entire $750K revenue shortfall.
Attribution: Herald COMPASS engagement.
Public Figure Brand Partnerships
Public Figure Brand Partnerships
Acquisition
Outcome
No pipeline $700K
Pipeline generated; $350K closed in Year 1
The constraint
Deep audience trust with zero infrastructure behind it
▸ Read the full diagnosis
Starting point
A world-renowned professional surfer and Christian public figure had a massive, loyal audience but was leaving money on the table. No systematic pipeline. No IP strategy. Below-market deal rates on every partnership.
Constraint found
Acquisition. Deep audience trust existed with zero infrastructure behind it to convert that trust into deals at market value.
What revealed it
Every partnership was being negotiated below market rate, one-off, with no pipeline and no intellectual property compounding beyond individual deals.
What changed
COLLECTIVE deployed a dedicated deal-making team, built a structured pipeline from scratch, and began negotiating brand partnerships and speaking engagements at rates reflecting her actual market value.
Early leading indicator
A structured pipeline reached $700K where none had existed.
Documented outcome
$350K closed in brand deals and speaking, and $120K in COLLECTIVE revenue in Year 1 — the proof of concept that validated the entire COLLECTIVE model.
Attribution: Herald COLLECTIVE engagement.
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What Leaders Say

The Method Has A Track Record.

“In an industry crowded with noise, Trey is a signal. Clear thinker, generous teacher, disciplined builder. He gives leaders language, structure, and the confidence to scale on purpose.”

Gabe Lyons

Bestselling Author & Founder, THINQ

“With Trey's COMPASS Method, I gained the clarity and confidence to step into a leadership role well beyond my experience—growing quickly from a novice into a professional and effective marketing leader.”

Kylie Burnside Anfin

VP of Marketing, Darren Hardy LLC

“What truly sets Trey apart is the rare combination of character and craft. He leads with integrity, insists on evidence and accountability, and focuses on growth that lasts. Wherever his method is applied, teams not only improve quickly—they sustain that excellence over time.”

David Benham

Owner, Benham Companies

“As a CEO without a marketing background, navigating the ever-shifting world of social media advertising felt like a day at the craps table—pouring in money for inconsistent luck, zero clarity, and endless frustration. Trey Sheneman's The COMPASS Method changed everything, transforming a chaotic approach into a disciplined, reliable system that delivers real results.”

Jeff Gerhardt

CEO, Priority Living

“In an industry crowded with noise, Trey is a signal. Clear thinker, generous teacher, disciplined builder. He gives leaders language, structure, and the confidence to scale on purpose.”

Gabe Lyons
Bestselling Author & Founder, THINQ

“With Trey's COMPASS Method, I gained the clarity and confidence to step into a leadership role well beyond my experience—growing quickly from a novice into a professional and effective marketing leader.”

Kylie Burnside Anfin
VP of Marketing, Darren Hardy LLC

“What truly sets Trey apart is the rare combination of character and craft. He leads with integrity, insists on evidence and accountability, and focuses on growth that lasts. Wherever his method is applied, teams not only improve quickly—they sustain that excellence over time.”

David Benham
Owner, Benham Companies

“As a CEO without a marketing background, navigating the ever-shifting world of social media advertising felt like a day at the craps table—pouring in money for inconsistent luck, zero clarity, and endless frustration. Trey Sheneman's The COMPASS Method changed everything, transforming a chaotic approach into a disciplined, reliable system that delivers real results.”

Jeff Gerhardt
CEO, Priority Living
The Math

One Month Of Agency Retainer Or A Year Of Knowing What To Do.

You're already spending money to answer this question. Here's what the answer costs three different ways.

Option A

Internal CMO

$250k+ per year

C-suite salary and full-time benefits. As a growing business, you might not be able to afford that cost.

90+ days to diagnose
One person's pattern library
Expensive onboarding processes
Option B

Traditional Agency

$15,000+

$15K–$25K for a diagnostic engagement, six to eight weeks of research gathering, and most agencies operate in single channels.

6–8 weeks minimum
Single channel strategy
No repeatable system
Option C

$5,000

The same diagnostic, drawn from 100+ validated roadmaps instead of one person's résumé. Delivered in days.

Days, not months
100+ validated roadmaps
A plan your team can execute
Repeatable every quarter
CMOS
Book Your Free COMPASS Call
Trey Sheneman
The Architect

20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN A 90-DAY GROWTH PLAN.

I'm Trey Sheneman. For nearly 20 years, I built the marketing and sales systems behind Ramsey Solutions, Maxwell Leadership, and GrowthDay; taking brands from early traction to tens of millions. My job was always the same: find the constraint, build the plan. Hundreds of times, the same six or seven failure patterns. I developed the COMPASS Method as the foundation of every decision.
100+ COMPASS Diagnostics deployed
Nearly 20 years in the trenches
Common Questions

Everything You Need To Know.

What happens On the COMPASS Call?

Trey will take you through each step of an already built compass and begin breaking down your business over the last 90 days. You will discuss KPI's, business goals, and whether the COMPASS Method is right for you.  

What industries does CMOS work for?

The COMPASS Method has been validated across dozens of industries, from biotech and logistics to education, professional services, home services, and SaaS. If you're a founder-led business experiencing a ceiling to growth, the methodology applies. Growth constraints follow patterns regardless of industry.

What data do I need to provide?

Roughly 90 minutes of structured intake. You don't need perfect data. We will work with what you have and identify the gaps that matter most.

Why a 90-day plan instead of a 12-month strategy?

Because 12-month plans are where good strategy goes to die. Stuck businesses need to move fast and iterate. A 90-day roadmap gives you a precise, prioritized set of actions that move the needle this quarter. Run it again next quarter for the next set.

What if I already have a marketing team or agency?

Even better. The COMPASS Method doesn't replace your team. It tells them what to focus on. Most teams execute tactics without a diagnosis. The 90-day roadmap becomes the brief they've been missing — written to hand off, not to translate.

Is there a guarantee?

Yes. Complete the intake, establish the baseline with us, and execute the agreed first-90-day plan with the required reporting. If the documented result does not create at least $4,999 in measurable, eligible value, your next CMOS diagnostic is provided at no charge.

Who built this and why should I trust it?

Trey Sheneman, founder of Herald Co., built the COMPASS Method over 20 years of hands-on growth work with brands from startups to $50M enterprises. He's the author of The COMPASS Method and has personally led hundreds of strategic engagements. The COMPASS Method is his frameworks, strategy and pattern recognition, specifically for your business in a 90-day playbook.

Stop Guessing.
Start Scaling.

Book your free COMPASS Call
CMOS is a Herald Co. company. Herald builds growth systems for founder-led businesses.
© 2026 Herald Co. All rights reserved.
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