PROOF
How scores work
Brand tools

Run the numbers before you commit.

The decisions that make or break an emerging brand: which deal to sign, what your margin really is, and whether a placement pays back. Graders benchmark your terms, calculators run your economics.

Exit & risk
Termination fee high impact
What it costs to walk away if it is not working.
Workable. Push lower if you can.
Termination notice standard
How long before you can actually leave.
A full quarter stuck. Common but slow.
Term length & renewal standard
How long you are committed, and how it renews.
Standard. Diary the opt-out window.
Commitment & reach
Exclusivity high impact
How locked-in you are to this one partner.
Standard, but ties the state to their effort.
Territory scope standard
How much geography you are handing over.
Bigger bet on one partner.
Volume commitment standard
Minimums you are on the hook for.
Low pressure, less distributor skin in the game.
Visibility & performance
Depletion reporting high impact
How often you see what is actually selling.
Leaves you half-blind between reports.
Performance review minor
Whether there is a scheduled check-in on results.
Better than nothing.
Marketing / MDF support minor
Whether they put real money behind your brand.
Case by case. Get specifics in writing.
Money & inventory
Payment terms standard
How long until you get paid.
Manageable, watch the float.
Unsold / dead stock standard
Who eats the cost of product that does not sell.
Split risk. Read the fee print.
Pricing control standard
Who sets the price to retail.
Reasonable if the floor is respected.
Deal score · weighted
66
Workable, with asks
A reasonable starting point. Push on the high-impact items below before you sign, in this order, because that is where the value leaks out.
No terms below the warning line. This is a clean agreement.
Scored across 12 terms, weighted by how much each typically affects an emerging brand.