Common Questions
Frequently Asked.
The questions owners ask before booking the diagnostic. If yours is not here, send it to joe at ironbridgeautomation dot com.
The Framework
What is the BRIDGE Methodology?
The BRIDGE Methodology is the six-phase AI consulting framework IronBridge uses with every service business client. Benchmark, Roadmap, Integrate, Deploy, Grow, Evolve. Every engagement runs through all six in order.
What is the 9-Link Revenue Chain?
The 9-Link Revenue Chain is the diagnostic framework at the center of the BRIDGE Methodology. Nine sequential stages every customer moves through, from discovery to referral. Each link is scored and contributes to a composite maturity score.
What is Revenue at Risk?
The annual dollar figure a business is losing to broken or manual links in its Revenue Chain. Every weak link has a dollar impact. The sum is the Revenue at Risk. For service businesses $1M to $10M, this typically falls between $150,000 and $400,000 per year.
The Engagement
How does an engagement start?
With a thirty-minute Revenue Chain Diagnostic. We score the business across all nine links, calculate Revenue at Risk, and identify the highest-leverage fixes. The diagnostic is the first conversation before any engagement begins.
How long does an engagement last?
Most engagements are twelve-month minimum retainers, after which they continue month-to-month. The first system typically ships within six to twelve weeks. The operating system as a whole compounds over twelve to thirty-six months.
What is the engagement structure?
One engagement. One flat retainer. Full Revenue at Risk diagnostic in month one, ongoing AI strategy, monthly review of your numbers and systems, monthly staff AI training, and direct access. Builds scoped separately as needed. The retainer is set on the diagnostic call against the size of the leak.
Who does the work?
Joe Balcom leads every engagement personally. Strategy and execution are not handed off. The owner of your business talks to the person doing the work. No junior staff, no account managers, no offshore teams.
Pricing
Why is pricing not on the website?
Pricing is disclosed on the diagnostic call, after we have scored your Revenue Chain. The right engagement depends on what we find. Posting a number before we have that conversation would be dishonest.
What is the diagnostic going to cost?
The Revenue Chain Diagnostic call is complimentary. There is no cost and no obligation. You leave the call with your Revenue at Risk number whether we work together or not.
Is there a minimum engagement size?
Yes. IronBridge works exclusively with service businesses $1M to $10M in annual revenue. The operating system approach does not produce meaningful ROI below that range. For sub-$1M businesses, we can point you to the right tools.
Who We Work With
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Service businesses with $1M to $10M in annual revenue. Home services including HVAC, electrical, and roofing. Financial services including advisory, mortgage, CPA, and insurance. Professional services where relationships drive revenue.
What businesses do you not work with?
Enterprise, sub-$1M operator-run businesses, retail, ecommerce, and any business where the fundamental problem is lead generation rather than leak closure. BRIDGE is built for businesses that already have demand and need infrastructure.
Do you work outside the Philadelphia area?
The Delaware Valley is home and the primary service area. Engagements elsewhere in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the broader region are evaluated case by case. In-person meetings are expected at least once per quarter on every engagement.
Still Have Questions
Easier on a call.
Book the thirty-minute diagnostic. Ask anything. Leave with your Revenue at Risk number.
Book the Diagnostic