The classification model
How BMTI reads a business
BMTI turns a business model into a website specification. It describes any business along a fixed set of dimensions, joins those answers into a short classification code, and uses that code to recommend the features the website actually needs — and to skip the ones it doesn't.
This page documents the whole model: the four-layer design, every classifier and its options, how the code is assembled, the rules that keep answers coherent, how business maturity gates features, and the archetypes a classification maps to.
The four layers
BMTI is designed as a four-layer system. Each layer answers a different question about a website. Only Layer 1 is implemented today; the rest describe where the model is headed.
Classifiers
The ten typology dimensions plus Maturity. They score or filter which website features a business needs. Everything on this site is Layer 1.
Contextualizers
Legal, scale and location overlays — an Impressum for DE/AT/CH, HIPAA forms for US healthcare — that add or remove features through rules.
Directives
Per-session generation inputs: the primary conversion goal, must-have pages, domain status. They steer a single build rather than the model.
Personalizers
Brand assets, existing tools (email / CRM / analytics), voice and tone. They specialize how features are rendered, not which features apply.
The 11 classifiers
Layer 1 has eleven classifiers — ten typology dimensions plus Maturity. Each one asks a single question. Some accept exactly one answer (single-select); others accept several (multi-select) when a business genuinely spans more than one. Each option carries a one- or two-letter code used to build the classification.
Business Architecture
Single-select“How is your business structurally organized?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
D | Direct | Create and sell your own products/services directly to customers |
P | Platform | Provide infrastructure for others to create, sell, or interact |
F | Franchise | Operate through franchisees or licensees |
A | Aggregator | Aggregate supply under your own brand, controlling the customer experience |
Core Offering
Multi-select“What do you sell or provide?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
S | Service | Human-delivered services (consulting, design, plumbing, etc.) |
P | Product | Physical or digital goods sold as discrete units |
W | Software / SaaS | Software application delivered via browser or app |
C | Content | Information, media, or educational material |
X | Platform / Marketplace | Facilitates transactions between two or more user groups |
E | Event | Live or virtual events as the primary offering |
M | Community | Membership and community access as the primary value |
D | Data / API | Sells access to data, infrastructure, or programmatic interfaces |
Customer Type
Multi-select“Who is your primary customer?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
C | B2C | Sells to individual consumers |
B | B2B | Sells to businesses |
D | D2C | Sells directly to consumers, bypassing traditional retail |
H | B2B2C | Sells to businesses who serve consumers |
R | C2C | Facilitates transactions between individual consumers |
G | B2G | Sells to government agencies |
Market Scope & Presence
Multi-select“Where and how do you reach your customers?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
LP | Local Physical | Serve a local area through physical locations |
LO | Local Online | Serve a local area through digital channels |
GO | Global Online | Serve global markets through digital channels with internationalization |
GP | Global Physical | Serve multiple regions through physical locations |
DB | Digital Borderless | Digital product with no meaningful geographic dimension |
Product Portfolio Breadth
Single-select“How many distinct products or services do you offer?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
F | Few (2–10) | A focused portfolio, each offering individually marketed |
C | Catalog (11–999) | A browsable catalog requiring navigation and filtering |
S | Single | One core product or service |
X | Mega-catalog (1,000+) | Massive inventory requiring sophisticated search and recommendations |
Revenue Model
Multi-select“How do you make money?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
T | Transactional | One-time purchases of goods or services |
S | Subscription | Recurring periodic payments for ongoing access |
F | Freemium | Free base tier with paid upgrades |
C | Commission / Take-rate | Percentage of transactions facilitated between other parties |
A | Ad-supported | Revenue from advertising displayed to users |
U | Usage-based | Revenue scales with consumption, not a fixed subscription |
L | Licensing | Right-to-use agreements for IP, software, or brand |
D | Donation / Nonprofit | Voluntary contributions, grants, or fundraising |
Price Positioning
Single-select“Where do you sit in the market on price?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
M | Mid-market | Balanced price-to-value, competing on overall package |
B | Budget | Lowest price as primary competitive advantage |
P | Premium | High price, justified by quality, exclusivity, or status |
D | Dynamic / Variable | Price fluctuates based on demand, timing, or availability |
F | Free / Open Source | Core product is free; monetize through support, enterprise, or hosting |
Customer Journey Complexity
Single-select“How complex is the path from discovery to purchase?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
S | Simple | Minimal steps; self-service, low consideration |
A | Assisted | Moderate complexity; buyers may need guidance or demos |
E | Enterprise | High complexity; multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles |
Growth Drivers
Multi-select“What drives your customer acquisition?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
A | Advertising / Paid media-led | Growth driven primarily by paid media — digital ads, TV, print, radio, billboards, sponsorships, etc. |
S | Sales-led | Growth through outbound sales, demos, and relationships |
B | Brand-led | Growth through brand perception and emotional connection |
N | Content-led | Growth through educational content that attracts and nurtures |
P | Product-led | The product itself drives adoption through trials and virality |
H | Channel / Partnership-led | Growth through resellers, affiliates, and partner networks |
C | Community-led | Growth through user communities and network effects |
Growth & Margin Focus
Single-select“What is your current strategic priority?”
| Code | Option | What it means |
|---|---|---|
A | Acquisition-focused | Prioritizing customer acquisition and top-of-funnel growth |
R | Retention-focused | Prioritizing retention, expansion, and lifetime value |
M | Margin-focused | Prioritizing operational efficiency and margin improvement |
The classification code
A classification is the eleven answers joined into a single string.
Segments follow the classifier order above, joined by
-.
Where a multi-select dimension has more than one answer, those codes are
joined by +.
The final segment is always the maturity code.
D-S-C-LO+GO-S-T-P-S-B+N-A-G Reading that example segment by segment:
- 01 Business Architecture
- 02 Core Offering
- 03 Customer Type
- 04 Market Scope & Presence
- 05 Product Portfolio Breadth
- 06 Revenue Model
- 07 Price Positioning
- 08 Customer Journey Complexity
- 09 Growth Drivers
- 10 Growth & Margin Focus
- 11 Maturity
Constraints keep answers coherent
Some answers make others impossible or redundant. Constraints encode that: an earlier selection can hide an option that no longer makes sense, or imply one that must follow. They run as you answer, so the choices you see stay valid.
In Core Offering: when Platform (P) is selected in Business Architecture, auto-select Platform / Marketplace (X).
In Product Portfolio Breadth: when Platform (P) or Aggregator (A) is selected in Business Architecture, hide Single (S) .
In Revenue Model: when Platform (P) or Aggregator (A) is selected in Business Architecture, auto-select Commission / Take-rate (C).
In Customer Journey Complexity: when B2G (G) is selected in Customer Type, auto-select Enterprise (E).
Maturity gates features by stage
Maturity is a classifier with filter semantics rather than scoring ones. Many features only make sense once a business has accumulated customers, testimonials, press, or revenue. A feature can be tagged with a stage, and it then appears only for businesses at that stage — a pre-launch idea sees “Founder story” and a “Design-partner waitlist”, while a growth-stage business sees “Case studies” and an “ROI calculator”. Features with no tag apply at every stage. Because it filters rather than scores, maturity is deliberately left out of archetype matching.
I Idea
Concept or prototype stage, no paying customers yet. Site needs founder story, problem statement, vision, and waitlist — but no testimonials, case studies, or customer logos.
E Early
Launched with a handful of first customers, typically under two years in. Can show 1-3 testimonials or early case studies; beta or early-access framing may still apply.
G Growth
Product-market fit found, actively scaling. Multiple case studies across segments, regular testimonials, first press coverage, full social proof section becomes viable.
S Scale-up
PMF established, expanding aggressively into new segments, regions, or product lines. Hundreds+ of customers, active PR and analyst program, sophisticated press room, security/trust center.
M Mature
Long-established, steady state, institutional reputation. Corporate infrastructure: investor relations, ESG reports, governance, executive leadership, analyst relations, press room.
Archetypes name the pattern
On top of the raw code, BMTI matches a classification against 26 named archetypes. Each archetype has a signature — the codes it expects on the indicators that define its identity — and per-indicator weights, because some dimensions matter more than others. Multi-select dimensions match if any selected code is in the expected set. The highest-scoring archetypes win, giving a business a recognizable shape rather than just a string.
The Corner Shop
Small footprint, big loyalty
A local business that thrives on community trust, repeat customers, and being the go-to in the neighborhood. Your website is your digital front door.
The Neighborhood Hero
Everyone's first call
A local service business that's earned its reputation block by block. Plumbers, dentists, salons, accountants — the backbone of every community.
The Deal Machine
Lowest price, loudest banner
A budget-focused retailer that wins on price, runs hot on promotions, and optimizes every pixel for conversion. If the checkout has friction, money is burning.
The Shelf Commander
Something for everyone, curated for each
A mid-market retailer with a real catalog — not huge, not tiny. Wins on curation, value-for-money, and making browsing feel effortless.
The Empire
If it exists, it's in the catalog
A mega-scale retailer or marketplace with a staggering catalog. Search, recommendations, and logistics are the moat. Everything else is optimization.
The Velvet Box
You don't just buy it, you experience it
A D2C or premium brand where the product is an identity statement. Unboxing is a ritual, the brand story is half the value, and discounts are forbidden.
The Rebel Brand
We cut out the middleman, and the boring
A direct-to-consumer disruptor with a strong voice, a bold story, and a mission to replace the old guard. Growth comes from paid media and word-of-mouth in equal measure.
The Flywheel
Try it free, love it, pay for more
A product-led SaaS machine where the product is the salesperson. Free trials, self-serve onboarding, and viral sharing mechanics do the heavy lifting.
The Cathedral
Big deals, long cycles, white gloves
Enterprise SaaS that sells through demos, pilots, and procurement processes. The website exists to generate leads and arm champions with ammo for the buying committee.
The Rocket Ship
Growth at all costs, product as fuel
A SaaS startup in hypergrowth mode — product-led, acquisition-obsessed, and building the plane while flying it. The website is a conversion machine.
The API Factory
Docs are the product, uptime is the brand
An infrastructure or data business where developers are the customers and documentation quality determines adoption. The website IS the product experience.
The Bazaar
A million sellers, one front door
A marketplace or platform teeming with supply. Trust, discovery, and transaction mechanics are everything. You don't own the inventory — you own the experience.
The Matchmaker
Connecting the perfect pair
A platform that thrives on matching supply with demand — whether it's rides with drivers, freelancers with projects, or hosts with travelers. The algorithm is the moat.
The Toll Bridge
Everyone passes through, everyone pays a little
A platform that's become essential infrastructure. Developers build on it, businesses depend on it, and the commission flows with every transaction.
The Suit
Trusted advisor, premium rates
A professional services firm — consulting, legal, finance, agency. Relationships drive revenue, reputation is the moat, and the website says 'we're worth it' without saying the price.
The Pipeline
Leads in, proposals out, repeat
A B2B service business running on a steady stream of leads. Not enterprise-complex, not self-serve simple — the sweet spot where a good website and a responsive team close deals.
The Megaphone
Eyeballs are the currency
A content or media business monetized through advertising. Every click is inventory, every page is real estate, and engagement is oxygen.
The Library
Knowledge behind the paywall, worth every penny
A premium content business — newsletters, research, courses, or publications — where people pay for depth, expertise, and curation.
The Clubhouse
Membership has its privileges
A community-first business where belonging IS the product. Members pay for access, connection, and the feeling of being on the inside.
The Stage
The show must go on (and sell out)
An events business where anticipation is marketing, the lineup is the product, and every detail — from the landing page to the countdown timer — builds toward the moment.
The Franchise Machine
Replicate the magic, scale the brand
A franchise operation where brand consistency meets local hustle. The corporate site recruits franchisees; the local sites win customers.
The Aggregator
Your brand, their supply, one seamless experience
An aggregator that pulls supply from everywhere and wraps it in a unified experience. Unlike a marketplace, you own the relationship — the customer thinks it's all you.
The Open Garden
Free to enter, beautiful to stay
An open-source or free-tier-first business that grows through community contribution. The code is free; the enterprise features, support, and hosting pay the bills.
The Surge
The price is right... right now
A business where price is a living thing — shifting with demand, timing, and availability. Airlines, hotels, ride-sharing, energy markets. The website must make volatility feel fair.
The Contractor
Compliant, capable, and cleared
A business that sells to government. Procurement processes, compliance certifications, and past performance are the language. The website speaks bureaucracy fluently.
The Ecosystem
Partners are the product's best salespeople
A business that grows through its network of partners, resellers, and integrations. The partner portal is as important as the customer-facing site.
From codes to features
Every option carries a set of recommended website features, each with a plain-language rationale. A classification collects the features for all of its selected codes, filters them by maturity, and adds a set of baseline features that every site needs regardless of type. The result is a single prioritized specification: what to build, and why.
One feature can be shared across many code combinations, so the same recommendation can be justified from several angles without being listed twice.