My business seems to be doing fine and my CPA handles my taxes. Is this really worth the effort?
The Skeptic
2 years in · "Waits for a crisis to react"
Most entrepreneurs don't have a financial plan they trust or value.
Before they found us, every client told us some version of the same few things.
I'd open the spreadsheet, stare at the formulas, and quietly close it again. It's not really my background.
The Operator
2 years in · "Doesn't have a finance background"
The consultant wanted $3,400 for two meetings and a deck. I'd rather just figure it out myself.
The Builder
First-time founder · "Can't justify the cost"
I made a plan once. It was out of date the week after I finished it.
The Veteran
5+ yrs in · "Gave up on the plan they had"
A real plan dispells those myths.
Here's what our clients realized after their first month.
01
You stop
wondering whether the effort is worth it.
You start
unlocking $100–$1,000 of annual cash per dollar spent planning. The same reason Wall Street professionals do what they do.
100–1,000x
return on every dollar invested.
02
You stop
telling yourself you're not a "numbers person."
You start
making decisions based on cash flow, driven by a rigorous, beginner-friendly plan that evolves with you.
10+ yrs
of investment banking and private equity expertise, built into every number you see.
03
You stop
foregoing high-quality insights for budget chatbots and spreadsheets.
You start
saving $3.2k+ on consultant-grade strategies, at your own pace and for the same price or less than an AI chatbot subscription.
$3.2k+
saved vs. the consultant quote — and more depth than any general-purpose AI can deliver.
We listened to operators and built every piece to prove the investment.
We set a bar: every dollar you spend on a plan should unlock at least $100 in annual cash flow. That required three non-negotiables.
Wall Street rigor, real results
Elite consulting frameworks — without the retainer.
Investment banking, private equity, and tax structuring methodologies power every insight. The same approaches that drive billion-dollar decisions, applied to your business to surface the highest-value moves first.
Frameworks proven over a decade of Wall Street experience.
Written for operators, not analysts
Every number makes sense on the first read.
No jargon, no 80-page decks. Plain-language explanations, guided workflows, and beginner-friendly steps — so you act on insights instead of deciphering them. Built for people who run businesses, not spreadsheets.
Zero finance background required.
A full planning suite, not a chatbot
Purpose-built tools backed by AI with your data.
Structured financial models, scenario builders, and diagnostic tools — each informed by a decade of expert context and fed your actual numbers. Self-service, at your own pace, with the depth of a senior consultant.
Expert-grade insights, self-service delivery.
04
How we stack up
The bottom line: Wall Street rigor, beginner-friendly delivery, and a fraction of the consultant price tag — here's how each alternative actually stacks up.
Swipe to compare all alternatives →
|
Occam's Model
|
ChatGPT | Templates | Consultants | Other Software | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHAT YOU GET OUT | |||||
| Return on Planning Dollar |
●
100–1,000×
|
●
|
●
|
●
|
●
|
| Personalized Planning |
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Starts With You
|
● | ● | ● | ● |
| One Clear Next Action |
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Top Priority
|
● | ● | ● | ● |
| Wall Street Rigor | ● | ● | ● | ● | |
| Beginner-Friendly |
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No Finance Background Needed
|
● | ● | ● | ● |
| Plan Stays Current |
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Evolves With You
|
● | ● | ● | ● |
| WHAT YOU PUT IN | |||||
| Price |
●
$8–$25/mo
|
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$20/mo for Plus
|
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Free
|
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$1,000+ for a few hrs
|
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$40/mo
|
| Time to Results |
●
1–2 Hours
|
●
Days/Weeks
|
●
Days/Weeks
|
●
Weeks
|
●
Hours
|
| Effort |
●
Low
|
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High
|
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Very High
|
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Low
|
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Medium
|
VS. CHATGPT
Context Is Everything
ChatGPT's Challenge
- Generic advice without your specific numbers
- You need to know what questions to ask
- No data integration or calculations
- Requires constant back-and-forth refinement
Our Platform Advantage
- Structured modules focus you on what matters
- Interconnected, 24-month business & personal forecast
- Precise calculations, not approximations
Our AI Advantage
- Hyper-personalized advice on your results
- Comprehensive context documentation backed by a decade of Wall Street experience
Real Example: Marketing a Coaching Business
Response to "what's the best place to market my coaching business? how much should I spend there?"
VS. TEMPLATES & SPREADSHEETS
Dynamic. Simple.
Template Challenges
- Hours of manual formula configuration
- Learning complex financial calculations yourself
- No validation—easy to make critical errors
- Zero educational context or explanations
- Static snapshots that break with changes
Our Solution
- Pre-built calculations that just work
- We handle the financial complexity for you
- Built-in validation catches errors automatically
- Educational modals explain every term
- Live updates—change one thing, update everything
Days
Spreadsheet Setup
Minutes
Our Platform
The Effort Gap
With Spreadsheets, You Handle:
- Finding the right template
- Understanding financial formulas
- Configuring complex calculations
- Debugging formula errors
- Manually updating interconnected cells
- Googling financial terms you don't understand
With Occam's Model, We Handle:
Everything. You just input your numbers.
Calculations, validation, education, updates—all automated.
VS. CONSULTANTS
Same Expertise, Fraction of the Cost
The Consultant Path
- $1,000+ for 2-4 hours and a short plan
- Expensive way to go up the learning curve
- Every question = another billable hour
The Occam Way
- $8-25/mo, at your own pace
- Personalized results you can revisit and revise at any time
- Educational format and trained AI help you understand every number
- Live expert support available to answer any final questions
Cost Comparison
$1,000+
for each consultant session
$8-$25
per month with Occam's Model
Built by a Team Trained
at the Highest Standards
Investment Banking
Built models for corporate mergers, IPOs, and financings
Private Equity
Acquired and grew businesses across sizes & industries
Tax & Deal Structuring
Executed deals in various tax jurisdictions
VS. OTHER PLANNING SOFTWARE
You-First, From Tools to Pricing
Their Approach: Business-First
- Start with market sizing and industry reports
- Focus on growth projections and TAM
- Modules that ignore your personal finances and real-world constraints
- Built for investor presentations, not daily decisions
Our Approach: You-First
- Start with your finances and life goals
- Diagnose what you have and design what you need
- Wall Street rigor for operators moving quickly
- Get answers without jargon
The Difference: We design a business plan for your lifestyle, not a lifestyle for your business plan.
Simple, Direct Pricing
Clear signal, no noise. Just the tools you need to build a new plan or diagnose your existing business.
Other Providers
$40+/mo for too much
Comprehensive but complex toolkits designed for investor presentations, not daily decision-making.
Occam's Model
$8-25/mo for what matters
Focused tools built specifically for optimizing what you have and designing what you need. Nothing more, nothing less.
Questions, answered.
Everything you need to know about Occam's Model — from what it is to how it works.
Talk to usWhy is it called "Occam's Model"?
Named after Occam's Razor (pronounced AH-kum) — the principle that the simplest solution is usually the right one. Business planning doesn't need to be complicated. We've distilled it to what actually matters: your goals, your finances, your path forward. Whether that means diagnosing and optimizing an existing business with Playbook or designing your first business plan with Blueprint — no unnecessary complexity.
What do I use if I already have a business?
Playbook. Walk through a guided diagnostic of your finances — from revenue down to after-tax cash in hand — benchmark every metric against your industry, and get step-by-step action plans built around whatever needs the most attention. It's designed for business owners who want clarity on where they stand and a concrete path to improve.
What do I use to test new ideas?
Blueprint. Start with your personal finances to calculate the income your new venture needs to generate, then build a full business model — revenue assumptions, costs, startup investment — and see a 24-month forecast integrated with your personal situation. Great for vetting ideas before you commit.
Can I use both tools?
Absolutely. Many serial entrepreneurs use Playbook to optimize what they're already running and Blueprint to vet what's next. Our Serial plan bundles both at a discount — run what you have, plan what's next.
Do I need to know finance or accounting?
Not at all — that's the whole point. We abstract the complexity and provide educational guidance throughout. Every financial term includes a simple explanation. You don't need to understand tax brackets or financial formulas — we handle that for you. Just input your information, and we'll guide you through the rest.
What's special about the AI?
We start with the most advanced models on the market, then layer on proprietary strategy and research documentation written by a team with a decade of banking, private equity, and financial advisory experience. Your live data is structured so the AI always has the right context — whether you're running an action plan, asking a question about your results, or researching pricing. The result is responses that are grounded in your actual numbers and informed by real operational expertise, not generic advice.
What if I still want to work with a consultant?
We've got experts available as add-ons for any paid plan — book a 45-minute session or add ongoing email support. You can also export your financial statements and share them directly with any outside advisor. Between the AI agents for quick, data-rich answers and a consultant for nuanced conversation, you get the best of both — and having one focused session where you come prepared with specific questions will save you thousands.
Unlock the power of financial clarity.
Level up your business or finally start what you've been dreaming of for years.