Forward deployed engineers for e-commerce and marketplace ops. Pricing, marketplace offboarding, CX, paid media, CDP — built, shipped, and operated. See the proof →
This is one capability within our forward deployed model. See our live engagements →
FAQ

Straight answers.

How we work, what it costs, and why we're not a consultancy.

What does MarginOps actually do?

We deploy AI agents that grow your margin. Then we stay and run them. Our team embeds inside your business, audits every cost and revenue line, deploys AI agents across pricing, operations, CRM, and infrastructure, and then operates those systems day-to-day. Every initiative is tracked against EBITDA so the board sees real financial impact — not slide decks.

How is this different from consulting?

Consultancies deliver recommendations and leave. We stay. We get into the codebase, the data warehouse, the vendor contracts, and the P&L. We build production AI agents, migrate infrastructure, run operations, and tie our fees to the results. If the margin doesn't improve, we don't get paid the performance fee. That's the difference.

Read: Why AI Consultancies Build Dependency →

How much does it cost?

Base retainer plus a performance fee tied to the margin improvement we deliver. The retainer covers our team's operating costs — the people embedded in your business, the infrastructure, the AI compute. The performance fee is a percentage of the EBITDA improvement we generate, so we only do well when you do well. We'll quote both numbers clearly before we start. No hidden fees, no scope creep billing.

Get a free margin estimate first — takes 2 minutes →

What industries do you work with?

We work across e-commerce and marketplace. We work best with businesses where there's enough operational complexity for AI agents to make a material difference — automating marketing, managing subscriptions, optimising pricing, running operations.

How does the forward deployed model work?

You get forward deployed engineers, not a bench of juniors — experienced engineers who embed inside your business, build AI systems in your environment, and stay to run them. AI agents do the heavy lifting, which is how a lean team ships production systems fast. Senior enough that nobody needs hand-holding.

Who leads the work?

Ricky Thomas sets the strategy and stays accountable for every engagement at the board level. A senior operator runs each engagement day-to-day, supported by specialists who rotate in based on the workstream — AI engineers, data operators, DevOps, CRM. You always have a named person running your programme, not a rotating cast of consultants.

What technology do you use?

Every AI system we build runs on Anthropic's Claude. We chose Claude for the reasoning quality, enterprise trust, and agentic capabilities — it's the best foundation model for production business systems. Beyond AI, our team works across the full stack: Node.js, Python, Next.js, React Native, NestJS, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, Docker, AWS, and dedicated infrastructure.

How long before we see results?

Two weeks. We skip the lengthy audit phase. Discovery call on day one, quick wins shipping by week two — report automation, KPI dashboards, disconnected systems joined up, manual processes automated. Larger initiatives like AI pricing engines typically show results in 4-8 weeks from deployment. Then we stay and operate — ongoing, not project-based.

See our live engagements and results →

Do you only do margin improvement?

We deploy AI agents and automate operations across every part of the business — marketing, pricing, CX, subscriptions, infrastructure, billing. At our e-commerce clients we've deployed 215+ MCP tools, pricing engines, and CX automation. If it involves AI and it needs to work in production, we build and run it.

Can you work with our existing team?

Yes. We embed alongside your team, not replace them. Our operators and AI agents augment your existing people. We handle the transformation programme, build the systems, and transfer knowledge so your team can extend what we build. The goal is to make your operation permanently better, not create a dependency on us.

See our 90-day AI Mobilisation framework →

How do I get started?

Book a 20-minute call. We'll discuss your business, identify where AI agents can improve your margin, and outline what an engagement would look like — including clear pricing. No commitment, no slide deck — just a straight conversation about what's possible.

Still have questions?

Or skip the questions and see your margin opportunity first.