How It Works

The 4C Framework.
Built from real work,
not whitepapers.

Every Clear Stack engagement follows the same four steps — Catalog, Consolidate, Connect, Coach. Here's exactly what happens, when, and why.

The Methodology

Four steps. Every engagement. Every time.

We'll show you the shape of the work here. The exact templates, scorecards, and workflow blueprints — the actual playbook — we walk through with you once we're engaged. Full transparency, just not on a public page.

Built and run by Brian Burge, founder →

01
C

Catalog

We map every AI tool in your organization with the precision of a financial audit — what it costs, who uses it, how often, and what it actually produces. Most companies are genuinely shocked by what we find.

Not because they made bad decisions, but because AI adoption moved faster than visibility did.

⏱ Weeks 1–2

What you walk away with

Complete visibility into every AI tool you're running — what it costs, who uses it, and what it's actually producing. Most clients are surprised by what surfaces.

02
C

Consolidate

We eliminate redundancy, keep the best tool for each function, and negotiate better terms where leverage exists. The stack gets smaller. The monthly bill drops. The output goes up.

This is where most clients see their first clear ROI number — and it's usually larger than expected.

⏱ Weeks 3–5

What you walk away with

A smaller, sharper stack, a lower monthly bill, and your first documented ROI number — usually larger than expected.

03
C

Connect

We build Make.com automation workflows connecting your surviving tools — data flows between platforms, handoffs happen automatically, and the manual steps costing your team hours get eliminated.

Every workflow is built to be understood and maintained by your team. You own it from day one.

⏱ Weeks 5–10

What you walk away with

Your tools working as one system: data flows between platforms and handoffs happen automatically — fully documented so your team owns it from day one.

04
C

Coach

We train your team until they can run the system without us — because the best outcome of this engagement is that you don't need us anymore. We document everything and stay available 30 days post-handoff.

Every question gets a straight answer. No ticket system, no offshore support queue.

⏱ Weeks 10–13

What you walk away with

Your team running the system confidently without us, everything documented, plus a 30-day post-handoff support window.

Typical Engagement

90 days to a clear,
connected stack.

Weeks 1–2
Catalog
Full stack audit, cost mapping, redundancy identification
Weeks 3–5
Consolidate
Stack decisions made, cancellations executed, savings locked
Weeks 5–10
Connect
Automations built, tested, and deployed in your environment
Weeks 10–13
Coach
Team training, documentation, handoff, 30-day support
After
You own it
Retainer available if you want ongoing optimization
The math

What your fragmented
stack costs you per year.

Tooling spend is the line you see. Recovered hours are the real number. Drag to estimate both.

Current monthly AI / SaaS spend$2,400/mo
Pull the real number from your last month of invoices — most operators underestimate it.
Overlapping / redundant tools6
Hours/week on automatable manual work12 hrs/wk
Fully-loaded labor rate$100/hr

Estimated year-one savings

$51,216

After consolidating to a clear stack.

Tooling: from / to$2,400 → $1,512/mo
Tooling saved / yr$10,656
Labor recovered / yr$40,560

Book a discovery call

Estimate only. Model assumptions: consolidation trims 10–60% of tooling spend depending on overlap, and about 65% of manual hours are realistically recoverable. Your real numbers come out of the Catalog phase.

Not sure which engagement fits? Take the 2-minute path finder →

Common Questions

Questions we get
on every first call.

How do you handle tools we're locked into long-term contracts for?+
We work with what you have. The Catalog phase identifies contracts, expiry dates, and cancellation clauses. Consolidation is sequenced around your actual exit dates — we don't recommend cuts that create liability. We build your roadmap around the real timeline, not the ideal one.
Do we need a technical team internally for this to work?+
No. Every automation is built to be understood and maintained by whoever owns operations at your company — not an engineer, not a dedicated IT person. Brian works directly with every client, which means everything gets built to the standard of someone who won't be there to fix it at 11pm. That's not a sales promise. It's how principal-led engagements work.
What if we only want the audit and not the full implementation?+
That's exactly what the $1,500 Stack Audit is. We map your stack, identify waste, and hand you a prioritized consolidation roadmap with the savings priced. You implement it yourself or bring us back for Connect later — and if you do, the audit fee is credited in full toward the implementation. Scope is always your call.
How do you guarantee ROI?+
Two written commitments, in the engagement agreement rather than the fine print. The Stack Audit: if we don't identify annual savings greater than the $1,500 fee, we refund it. Done-For-You implementations: if the system doesn't work as specified at handoff, we keep working at no additional cost until it does.
What size company is the right fit?+
The sweet spot is 50–500 employees — small enough that decisions can move quickly, large enough that tool sprawl has had time to compound. We've worked with companies as small as 30 people with surprising complexity and as large as 2,000 with surprisingly clean stacks.
Find your path

Three questions.
We'll tell you where to start.

No call required. Answer three taps and we'll point you to the right engagement.

Start Here

Ready to run
the 4C Framework?

Start with the $1,500 Stack Audit — the Catalog phase, delivered in two weeks and credited in full toward implementation. Book a free 30-minute intro call to see if it's a fit.

Book an Intro Call Get the Playbook — $49 Audit fee refunded if we don't find savings above it