INSIDE BUILDER-OF-LEADERS MENTORING
Lead on Two Controllable Metrics
A composite client example.
You open the dashboard, see revenue up, and still cannot tell whether the team sold better or just sold more at a lower spend. Ivanka Menken uses the ATV-UPT Lens inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, a 6-month programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. Your team leads on average spend and items per transaction, two numbers they control before month-end. In a composite example, an ecommerce founder released one area to a team lead. You leave with a written ATV/UPT note and a release commitment.
The ATV-UPT Lens is a tool inside the programme, not a separate product.
AN EXAMPLE MONTH
Revenue up. The two numbers down.
- REVENUEthe number everyone watchesUp 10%
- AVERAGE SPENDATV, per transaction$80 to $72
- ITEMS PER SALEUPT, per transaction1.8 to 1.5
THE RULE
“Revenue is the result. Average spend and items per transaction are what the team can move.”
A composite example, not a client result. Your numbers will differ.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Revenue is the only number in the room
- 01You watch revenue closely and step into every pricing decision.
- 02Your team has no shared view of average spend or items per transaction.
- 03You cannot tell whether more revenue came from better selling or more discounting.
THE REVIEW, AS IT STANDS
- On the agenda: revenue
- Average spend (ATV): not tracked
- Items per transaction (UPT): not tracked
- Who decides on bundles and codes: you
- What the team can act on: not clear
A composite example. One number, and every decision back to you.
THE EXAMPLE CASE
One shop, one number in the room
A composite client example.
01
THE MOMENT
Revenue up, and the same question back on your desk
It is the first of the month. The dashboard says revenue is up 10% and you feel relief for about a minute. Then you notice the discount codes. Orders are up, but the average spend has slipped from $80 to $72 and items per transaction has dropped from 1.8 to 1.5. Your team lead asks whether to run the promotion again. You realise you are about to decide it yourself, again.
02
WHAT THEY HAD TRIED
A regular revenue meeting
The obvious fix was a weekly revenue meeting with the team. Every Monday, the number went on the screen. When it dipped, the meeting produced pressure: sell more, push the promotion, try a new code. Nobody left with something they could control, because nobody in the room sets revenue directly. And whenever the number wobbled, the founder stepped back into pricing and bundles.
03
WHAT IVANKA NOTICED
Revenue to the dollar, and nothing else
Ivanka noticed the founder could quote last month’s revenue to the dollar, but not the average spend or the items per transaction from the last review. Those two numbers were the ones the team could move every day, through bundles, recommendations and how they handled a basket. They were invisible, so the team waited for the founder, and the founder kept stepping in.
THE DIAGNOSIS
Not a lack of effort. The wrong number in view.
The diagnosis was not that the team needed to try harder. Revenue was the only number in view, so the team could not act on the two metrics they could control. Every conversation about results became a conversation the founder had to lead.
The reframe: average spend and items per transaction are more controllable than revenue, so they give a leader something to act on before month-end. Revenue is transactions times average spend, and average spend is items per transaction times the average item price. Put the two middle numbers in the team’s hands, and the founder can step back from the basket.
Revenue is the result. Average spend and items per transaction are what the team can move.
THE COST OF STAYING STUCK
Staying stuck means revenue is the only number you see, so you cannot correct average spend or items per transaction before the month closes. You stay inside every pricing call.
THE TOOL
The ATV-UPT Lens, for one team
The ATV-UPT Lens breaks revenue into the parts a team can move. Revenue is transactions times average spend (ATV). Average spend is items per transaction (UPT) times the average item price. The lens puts ATV and UPT on the agenda before revenue, then hands one area that moves them to a team lead for a fortnight.
A composite example month. Tap a part. Your numbers and release area are yours.
ATV-UPT Lens · a framework by Ivanka Menken
What it is
It is a one-page ATV/UPT note. The two numbers from the last review, the area the team controls that moves them, the decision the founder keeps stepping into, the release area handed to a named team lead, and the exception that still comes back to the founder.
What it replaces
It replaces a revenue meeting that only produces pressure, discount codes chosen by the founder whenever the number dips, and a team waiting to be told what to do with a basket.
It sits inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, with the Release Dial and the monthly scorecard of release commitments kept. The team leads on the two numbers; Ivanka works with you on what to release and when. There is no separate checkout.
THE LENS, FOR ONE MONTH
- 01Revenue: up 10% in the example, the result
- 02Transactions: up, mostly on discount codes
- 03Average spend (ATV): $80 down to $72
- 04Items per transaction (UPT): 1.8 down to 1.5
- 05The release area: bundles and add-ons, to the team lead
- 06The exception: any change to the price list comes back to you
HOW IVANKA WORKED WITH THEM
Two numbers and one release
In the session, Ivanka asked for average spend and items per transaction before she asked about revenue. Then three questions: what does the team control that moves these two numbers, which decision do you keep stepping into, and who could own it for a fortnight? The founder chose bundles and add-ons, released them to the team lead, and wrote the exception that still comes back. Before the next session, the team lead ran the area and the founder heard about exceptions afterwards.
THE ATV/UPT NOTE, AS WRITTEN
- The two metrics
- Average spend $72, items per transaction 1.5, last month.
- The release area
- Bundles and add-ons, owned by the team lead.
- The exception
- Any change to the price list or a new discount code.
- The release commitment
- A fortnight without stepping in, then review.
- Review
- Weekly with the team, fortnightly with Ivanka
A composite example. Your numbers are yours.
THE RELEASE, IN FOUR STEPS
- 1The two numbersATV and UPT, read before revenue.
- 2The areaBundles and add-ons, the lever the team owns.
- 3The ownerOne team lead, named, for a fortnight.
- 4The reviewExceptions heard after the fact, then read together.
THE QUESTIONS
- What were average spend and items per transaction last month?
- What does the team control that moves them?
- Which decision do you keep stepping into?
- Who could own it for a fortnight?
- What still comes back to you?
Before the next session, the team lead ran bundles and add-ons without the founder, and the weekly review opened with average spend and items per transaction.
WHAT CHANGED
The team leads on two numbers
By month 6, the team reviews average spend and items per transaction before revenue, the founder hears about exceptions after the fact, and one release commitment is kept every fortnight.
BEFORE
- Revenue was the only number.
- The founder decided bundles and codes.
- Meetings produced pressure, not action.
- Nobody could explain a revenue rise.
BY MONTH 6
- ATV and UPT on the agenda before revenue.
- One area released to a named team lead.
- Exceptions reported after the fact.
- A release commitment kept every fortnight.
THE 12 FORTNIGHTS
- 1Call
- 2Call
- 3Call
- 4Call
- 5Call
- 6Month 3
- 7Call
- 8Call
- 9Call
- 10Call
- 11Call
- 12Month 6
The programme is the container: 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions, one release each fortnight, and reviews at month 3 and month 6.
ILLUSTRATIVE RESULT
In this composite example, the founder put average spend and items per transaction on the review agenda, released one transaction area to a team lead, and reviewed exceptions afterwards rather than joining every decision. The change was in who leads on the numbers, not a claim about revenue. Illustrative, not a client result.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
Give the team the numbers they can move
Ivanka Menken built Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring for founders of $500K to $3M businesses who have leaders in place and still make every call. She asks which decision you keep stepping into, and keeps you to the release you write down.
This fits if your team sells and you still decide every bundle, code and promotion. It does not fit if you want leadership theory or someone to run the team for you. The decision in front of you is which two numbers go on the agenda first. Put them there at the next review.
“Helps founders lead with clarity and integrity by modelling vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and grounded decision-making. Creates an environment where leaders can openly explore challenges and grow without fear of judgement.”
R.W., founder
WHO IT IS FOR
It fits
- You run a $500K to $3M business with a team that sells.
- You watch revenue and step into pricing when it dips.
- Your team has no shared view of average spend.
- You will release one area and review exceptions afterwards.
It does not fit
- You want leadership theory or a course.
- You want a done-for-you fix or someone to manage the team.
- You want accounting or financial advice.
- You are not ready to let a team lead decide anything.
THE INVESTMENT
AUD $1,500
per month ex GST
6 months · 12 fortnightly sessions
The ATV-UPT Lens is part of Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, a 6-month 1:1 programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. It is not sold separately.
- 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions
- One release each fortnight
- A monthly scorecard with release commitments kept
- Reviews at month 3 and month 6
Three founding places in total, shared across all 1:1 mentoring, are available at AUD $1,000/month ex GST, in return for honest monthly feedback and a testimonial, which can be anonymous. Claim a founding place.
The ATV-UPT Lens is part of the programme. It is not sold separately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about average spend and items per transaction
Why average spend and items per transaction?
Because a team can move them every day, through bundles, recommendations and how a basket is handled, while revenue only shows the result at month-end. Revenue is transactions times average spend, so these two explain a rise or a fall. Ivanka Menken uses them inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, which runs 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, to give a team something to lead on.
How often should we review ATV and UPT?
Weekly with the team, before anyone looks at revenue, and fortnightly in your session. Weekly is often enough to correct a slide before the month closes, and short enough to keep the review to ten minutes. Ivanka Menken reads the trend with you inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, and on the monthly scorecard.
How does the ATV-UPT Lens fit inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring?
It is one of the tools used to decide what to release. The two numbers show which area the team can own, and the Release Dial sets how far to let go of it for a fortnight. Ivanka Menken works both with you inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, with one release each fortnight.
What if the team does not control pricing?
They rarely should, and the lens does not need them to. Average spend and items per transaction move through bundles, add-ons and recommendations, which a team can own inside a price list you set. The exception rule sends any price change back to you. Ivanka Menken sets that rule with you inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST.
Put two numbers on the next agenda
If revenue is the only number your team sees and every pricing call comes back to you, start with Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring. The ATV-UPT Lens is inside it, and the 20-minute intro call is where you can see whether the programme fits.
Not leadership theory or a done-for-you fix.