DTC Data Infrastructure

Your Ad Platforms
Are Lying to You.

I build unified data infrastructure for DTC subscription brands — so you can see true profitability, not platform-reported vanity metrics.

Built for brands spending

$200K–$500K+/month on paid media
Substrate Data Dashboard Preview

Interactive demo with synthetic data — scroll to explore

The Problem

You're spending six figures a month on ads. None of your tools talk to each other.

Meta says one thing. Google says another. Shopify shows a third number. Your CFO is asking for a single source of truth, and you're stitching together spreadsheets at midnight trying to answer questions that should take seconds.

Five questions you can't answer right now:

01

What is our true, blended customer acquisition cost across all channels?

02

Which creative is actually driving profitable first orders — not just clicks?

03

What does our contribution margin look like after COGS, shipping, returns, and ad spend?

04

Which cohorts are churning fastest, and what did they have in common at acquisition?

05

If we cut TikTok spend by 40% tomorrow, what actually happens to revenue?

Platform-Reported ROAS vs True ROAS comparison

Your Meta dashboard says 3.5x ROAS.
The real number is closer to 1.7x.

Every platform takes credit for conversions that would have happened anyway. They double-count across channels. They ignore returns, COGS, and shipping. The gap between what they report and what actually hits your bank account is where six-figure mistakes get made.

Cost of Inaction

$720,000

per year in misallocated ad budget

20%

Avg. ROAS discrepancy

$300K

Monthly ad spend

$60K

Wasted per month

Every platform inflates its numbers. When you're spending $300K/month and your ROAS is off by 20%, that's $60K in budget going to the wrong channels, the wrong creatives, the wrong audiences. Every single month. The longer you wait, the more you burn.

Stop the Bleeding — Book a Call
The Solution

One unified system. Every data source. Every answer.

I connect your ad platforms, Shopify, subscription tools, email, and support data into a single warehouse — then build the dashboards, automations, and AI layer on top. You get a permanent piece of infrastructure, not a monthly retainer.

Data architecture: Sources → Fivetran → BigQuery → Outputs

Your data sources → Fivetran (automated sync) → BigQuery (warehouse) → Dashboards, Slack, AI

Executive Dashboards

Real-time views for leadership, media buyers, and finance — each seeing exactly what they need. True ROAS, contribution margin, cohort health, creative performance.

Slack Automation

Daily briefings, anomaly alerts, and weekly summaries delivered to the right channel. No one has to remember to check a dashboard.

AI Query Layer

Ask your data questions in plain English. "What's our CAC by channel this month?" Get an answer in seconds, with the SQL to verify it.

Built on your accounts. Zero lock-in.

Everything lives in your BigQuery, your Fivetran, your Looker Studio. If we part ways, you keep 100% of the infrastructure. No proprietary tools, no hostage data.

AI Query Layer

Ask your data anything. Get answers in seconds.

No SQL. No analyst. No waiting. Type a question in plain English and get the answer with the data, the chart, and the query behind it. Your entire team can self-serve.

Ask Your Data
>

What is our CAC by channel?

Live Demo

Explore the dashboards. Powered by synthetic data.

This is a working demo built on a synthetic dataset modeled after a $5M/month DTC subscription brand. The data patterns — churn curves, ROAS discrepancies, creative fatigue — are all realistic. Interact with it.

Monthly Revenue

$485K

+0.0% vs prev

Active Subscribers

9,723

645 new this month

Blended CAC

$587

All channels

Churn Rate

1.3%

Monthly

Monthly Revenue Trend

2024-122025-012025-022025-032025-042025-052025-062025-072025-082025-092025-102025-11$0$150K$300K$450K$600K

Platform-Reported vs True ROAS

The gap between what platforms claim and what actually happened

Meta AdsGoogle AdsTikTok00.551.11.652.2
  • Platform ROAS
  • True ROAS

Insight: Meta is overstating ROAS by ~22%. On $5,200/day spend, that's roughly $1,924/day in phantom revenue.

All data is synthetic. Patterns mirror real DTC subscription brand performance.

AI Query Layer

Ask your data anything. In plain English.

Type a question. Get the SQL, the data, the chart, and a plain-language summary. No analyst required. Try it with the synthetic dataset powering this demo.

Try asking:

Ask a question or click an example above

Demo queries run against the synthetic dataset. In production, this connects to your live BigQuery warehouse.

Investment

Every build is custom. Here's what to expect.

Your stack is different from every other brand's. So your build will be scoped to your specific data sources, team structure, and decision-making needs. These tiers are starting points — your proposal will be tailored to you after the discovery call.

Full-Time HireAgency RetainerSubstrate Data
Annual cost$130K–$170K$96K–$180K$5K–$20K once
Time to first output2-3 months4-6 weeks2-3 weeks
You own the infrastructureYesNoYes
DTC-specific data modelsUnlikelyGenericBuilt-in
Ongoing cost after buildSalary + benefits$8K-$15K/mo$600-$2K/mo tooling
Lock-inEmployment3-6 mo contractZero

Substrate: Foundation

Starting at$5,000

$15,000+ value · scoped to your stack

Core data infrastructure — connect your sources, build the warehouse, get your first real dashboards. The starting point for brands who need a single source of truth.

BigQuery data warehouse setup & config($2,500 value)
Fivetran connectors (Shopify, Meta, Google, TikTok)($3,000 value)
Core data models (orders, customers, ad spend)($4,000 value)
Executive KPI dashboard (Looker Studio)($3,000 value)
True ROAS vs Platform ROAS comparison view($2,500 value)

Best for: Brands doing $100K-$200K/mo in ad spend who need a single source of truth before scaling further.

Book Discovery Call
Most Common

Substrate: Analytics

Starting at$12,000

$35,000+ value · scoped to your stack

Full analytics suite — everything in Foundation plus role-specific dashboards, cohort analysis, and Slack automation. The most common build.

Everything in Foundation($15,000 value)
Media buyer dashboard (creative-level performance)($3,500 value)
Subscription health dashboard (churn, LTV, cohorts)($4,000 value)
Unit economics model (contribution margin by SKU)($3,000 value)
Slack daily briefing + anomaly alerts($4,000 value)
Cohort retention analysis (by source, product, month)($3,500 value)
30 days post-delivery support($2,000 value)

Best for: Brands doing $200K-$400K/mo who need their entire team making decisions from the same data.

Book Discovery Call

Substrate: Intelligence

Starting at$20,000

$55,000+ value · scoped to your stack

The full build — everything in Analytics plus AI query layer, automated reporting, and creative intelligence. For brands that want the complete system.

Everything in Analytics($35,000 value)
AI natural language query layer ("Ask Your Data")($6,000 value)
Automated weekly executive summary (AI-generated)($3,000 value)
Creative fatigue detection & alerts($3,500 value)
Support ticket intelligence (churn risk scoring)($3,000 value)
Custom Slack bot for on-demand data queries($2,500 value)
60 days post-delivery support + 2 iteration rounds($4,000 value)

Best for: Brands doing $400K+/mo who want AI-powered decision support and full automation.

Book Discovery Call

Don't see exactly what you need? Every proposal is custom. Book a call and I'll scope a build that fits your brand, your tools, and your budget.

Common Add-ons

Klaviyo / email integrationfrom $1,500
Support ticket data pipelinefrom $1,500
Custom Slack botfrom $2,000
Additional dashboard (per role)from $2,500
Risk Reversal

Your risk is zero. Mine is everything.

Deliverables Guarantee

Every deliverable is scoped and documented before we start. If I don't deliver what's in the scope document, I'll keep working at no additional cost until it's done.

Data Accuracy Guarantee

Your dashboards will match your source systems within a 2% margin. If we find a discrepancy, I fix it — no matter when you discover it within the first 90 days.

Post-Delivery Support

30-60 days of included support depending on your tier. Questions, adjustments, and minor iterations are covered. You won't be left alone with a system you don't understand.

Zero Lock-In

Everything is built on your accounts — your BigQuery, your Fivetran, your Looker Studio. If we part ways, you keep 100% of the infrastructure. No proprietary tools. No hostage data.

FAQ

Common questions.

I take on 2-3 builds per month. Currently booking for April/May 2026.

Book Your Free Discovery Call

30 minutes. No pitch deck. I'll ask about your current stack, your pain points, and your goals — then tell you honestly whether this is a fit.

Audit your current data stack

Identify the highest-impact gaps

Get a custom scope & timeline

Schedule Discovery Call

Free. 30 minutes. No obligation.