Business Scorecard

What this tool does

You enter your numbers, the tool does the math instantly, then calls on my coaching benchmarks to grade each ratio. After the grades appear, it writes a straight read of where your business stands, pulling everything together the way I would if you handed me these numbers across a table. The read uses your own Anthropic API key, so it runs on your account.

Your numbers are not saved anywhere. They are sent to Anthropic only when you run the read, and only under your key. Run it once a quarter and watch the trend, because the trend matters more than any single score.

Your API key and model

Open the API key panel at the top of the form, paste your key, and save it. It stays in this browser so you do not have to paste it each time. Once saved, the panel rolls up to show the last four characters. Use Change to replace the key or Remove to delete it. Keys start with sk-ant-, and you can create or manage them at console.anthropic.com.

The model dropdown controls which Claude model writes the read. Haiku is the default and the fastest. Sonnet and Opus take longer and cost more per run, and they handle complicated numbers more carefully. Your model choice is saved in this browser too.

Use this on a computer you control. Anyone with access to this browser profile can read the saved key.

Your About text

Open the About panel and paste the contents of your about.md. The read uses it to understand your work, your market, and the terms you use, so the read sounds like it was written about your business rather than a generic one. Leave it empty and the read still works, just with less context. It is saved only in this browser, and you can edit or remove it at any time. Keep it under 12,000 characters.

The seven required fields

• Time period Pick the period you are measuring: a single month, a quarter, or a full year. Use the same period every time so the numbers compare.
• Total revenue All money collected from clients during that period. If a job was shot last quarter but paid this quarter, count it when the money arrived.
• Qualified leads Real prospects you pursued or who came to you with genuine interest. Not follower counts, mailing list sizes, or website clicks. If you would not put them in a spreadsheet as a prospect, they do not belong here.
• Real conversations A genuine back and forth with a prospect: a call, a video meeting, or a detailed email exchange where both sides are engaged. A one-line reply to a contact form does not count.
• Clients booked Unique clients who paid you during this period. One client who booked three sessions counts as one client here. The tool measures relationships, not job volume.
• Repeat clients Of the clients booked above, how many had worked with you before, in any earlier period.
• Revenue from repeat clients The dollar total paid by those returning clients during this period. Pull it from your invoices. If one repeat client paid $4,200 and another paid $3,800, enter $8,000.

The optional fields

Each optional field unlocks a specific calculation. If you have the numbers, use them. They make the read more specific.

• Prior period revenue Revenue from the same length period immediately before this one. Unlocks revenue growth.
• Prior period clients booked Unique clients from the prior period. With prior revenue, this shows whether revenue per client is rising or falling.
• Total expenses / overhead Everything you spent to run the business during this period: gear, software, insurance, studio, marketing, travel, subcontractors. A close estimate is still worth entering. Unlocks profit margin.
• Total hours Every hour you worked on the business: shooting, editing, client communication, marketing, admin. Unlocks effective hourly rate, which is shown but never graded.
• Price change this period If you raised or lowered prices, note the direction and percentage. The read connects it to what happened with bookings.

Reading the output

The numbers panel shows each ratio with a grade. Sienna tones are low, neutral tones are mid, olive tones are strong. The average revenue for new clients and for returning clients appears below the grades, so you can see whether repeat work is worth more or less than new work.

Before the read is written, the tool checks the numbers for inconsistencies, such as more clients than leads, and lists them above the results. Fix those first, because a funnel built on mismatched counts will mislead you. The read also names the weaker stage of your funnel, lead to conversation or conversation to client, so you know where to look first.

A low grade is not a verdict. A weak conversion rate in a niche specialty in a small market means something different than the same rate in a major metro. The read is written with that in mind, and it uses your About text to account for your market and specialty.

These benchmarks come from over twenty years of coaching commercial photographers and creative entrepreneurs. They are a target, not a universal standard. Run this tool at the same interval every period and the trend matters more than any single score.