# Review the Margin Lift in Your Numbers Source: https://ivankamenken.com/margin-lift-review ยท Last updated 25 October 2026 A margin lift review is a one-page review Ivanka Menken uses inside the Clarity Shift Mastermind, a 10-month peer programme at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST. When your gross margin is stuck in the low 40s, you put the starting margin, the current margin and the one pricing or mix decision behind the move on the same page. The room questions the decision, and you leave with one written commitment that holds the margin. It is a review of the number, not another cost-cutting list. ## The margin moved, and nobody can name why - Your gross margin is stuck in the low 40s. - You cannot name the decision that moved margin. - You review costs but not the pricing or mix decision. **AN EXAMPLE WEEK:** It is the first Monday. The scorecard is open, gross margin is 42%, and the work feels busier than ever. You can name every cost you cut. You cannot name the decision that would move it. ### THE MONTHLY REVIEW AGENDA - Gross margin: 42% (example) - Cost changes: reviewed - Pricing or mix: not reviewed - The decision: not named ## Gross margin moves when one pricing or mix decision is reviewed against the numbers, not when every cost is cut A cost review explains what you spent. It rarely explains why the margin moved. Ivanka puts the starting margin and the current margin side by side, then asks which pricing or mix decision sits between them. The room hears the decision, not the story. The other founders question it, and the founder leaves with one commitment to check next month. > A cost review explains spend, not the lift. **The cost of staying stuck:** Staying stuck costs the margin points between the low 40s and 50%. In the example, that is 8 points. ## The tool: Margin Lift Review Margin Lift Review puts the starting margin, the current margin and one decision behind the move on one page, so the room tests the decision, not the story. It is a one-page review, not a cost audit. It holds the starting margin, the current margin, the decision behind the move and the commitment that holds it. The page comes back each month. It replaces the cost-cutting list: small savings that explain the spend but not the lift. Gross margin review starts with the decision that changed the number. ### What goes on the page 1. Starting margin: where you began 2. Current margin: the number now 3. The decision: the pricing or mix choice 4. The commitment: what will hold the margin It sits inside Clarity Shift Mastermind, alongside the five-number scorecard. Gross margin is one of the five numbers; the review explains the move. There is no separate checkout. ## Put the number on the table, then name the decision Ivanka puts the gross margin number on the table. She asks where it moved from the low 40s to 50%, which pricing or mix decision changed, what the room sees in the number, and what one written commitment will hold the margin. The founder brings the anchor decision; the room questions it. The output is the one-page review with the starting margin, the current margin and the decision behind the move. ### The questions - Where did the margin move from and to? - Which pricing or mix decision changed? - What does the room see in the number? - What would hold the margin? - What will you write down? ### THE FOUR-STEP LOOP 1. The one thing: The anchor decision the founder brings. 2. The numbers: Starting margin, current margin, the decision. 3. The story: What the founder says moved it; the room tests it. 4. The commitment: One written commitment that holds the margin. Before the next session, the founder brings the review back with the commitment tested. The room asks whether the decision held. ## A review you can bring back each month By month 6, the review is a habit. **BEFORE THE REVIEW** - Gross margin is a number you look at, not a decision you review. - Every cost gets cut at once. - The decision behind the move has no name. **BY MONTH 6** - A one-page margin lift review. - One anchor decision brought to the room each month. - A written commitment that holds the margin. The container: 10 months of monthly two-hour group sessions with eight founders, plus two 1:1 check-ins a quarter. ## The room is chaired so the decision gets tested Ivanka Menken chairs the Clarity Shift Mastermind for a vetted group of eight founders of A$1M to A$10M businesses. One founder brings a real decision, the others question it, and everyone leaves with a commitment. The Margin Lift Review is one of the tools inside that work. It does not replace your accountant or turn the room into a course. It keeps the conversation on the decision behind the number. > 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 fits, and who does not ### It fits - You run a A$1M to A$10M business day to day. - You will bring real numbers: the five-number scorecard, shared in the room. - You can hold a confidence: what is said in the room stays in the room. - You can commit to ten monthly sessions. ### It does not fit - You want a course, masterclass or done-for-you fix. - You want advice without being questioned. - You are not willing to bring your numbers. - You cannot commit to the ten monthly sessions. ### Investment **AUD $2,000 per month ex GST, 10 months.** It is part of Clarity Shift Mastermind, a 10-month peer programme at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST, not sold separately. Included: - 10 monthly two-hour group sessions - Two 1:1 check-ins each quarter - The five-number scorecard shared each month - The one-page Margin Lift Review - [Apply for Clarity Shift Mastermind, AUD $2,000/mo, 10 months](mailto:ivanka@ivankamenken.com?subject=Clarity%20Shift%20Mastermind%20application) - [Book a 20-minute intro call](https://theartofservice.zohobookings.com.au/#/15606000001356030) - [See the Clarity Shift Mastermind programme](https://ivankamenken.com/clarity-shift-mastermind) ## Questions about Margin Lift Review ### Is the Margin Lift Review part of Clarity Shift Mastermind? Yes. The Margin Lift Review is a tool inside Clarity Shift Mastermind, not a separate product. Ivanka Menken uses it in the peer programme, which runs 10 months, at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST. It sits alongside the five-number scorecard shared each month. There is no separate checkout; joining the programme is the only paid step. ### How do I review gross margin from the low 40s to 50%? Start with the two numbers: the margin you began with and the margin now. Then name the one pricing or mix decision between them. In Clarity Shift Mastermind, Ivanka Menken asks the founder to bring that decision to the room, where the other founders test it. The review is written on one page. The programme runs 10 months at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST. ### Which decision moved the margin? The one you can name and test. It is usually a pricing decision, such as a higher floor on custom work, or a mix decision, such as more of the work that carries the better margin. Ivanka Menken uses the Clarity Shift Mastermind room to question the founder's answer. The review records the decision, not cost cuts. The programme runs 10 months at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST. ### What if the numbers move slowly? Then the review shows a small move, and the room asks what the decision needs next. Ivanka Menken keeps the Clarity Shift Mastermind review tied to the five-number scorecard, so one quiet month is a reading, not a verdict. The written commitment is to hold the decision, not to force a number. The programme runs 10 months at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST. ## Put the lift on one page If the gross margin number is stuck and the decision behind it has no name, apply for Clarity Shift Mastermind. The Margin Lift Review is in the room. - [Apply for Clarity Shift Mastermind, AUD $2,000/mo, 10 months](mailto:ivanka@ivankamenken.com?subject=Clarity%20Shift%20Mastermind%20application) - [Book a 20-minute intro call](https://theartofservice.zohobookings.com.au/#/15606000001356030) - [See the Clarity Shift Mastermind programme](https://ivankamenken.com/clarity-shift-mastermind) - [The Anchor Seat](https://ivankamenken.com/anchor-seat) - [The Five-Number Scorecard](https://ivankamenken.com/five-number-scorecard) - Every way to work with Ivanka: https://ivankamenken.com/work-with-ivanka