Shopify-verified stores Zero up-front

Mentorship you pay for with profits, not savings.

Upside pairs e-commerce founders with mentors who have already built what you're building — under a signed profit-share agreement. Your mentor earns a percentage of the verified net profit they help you create, and nothing before that. No $5,000 course. No financing. No "money-back guarantee" you have to chase.

Free to join · payouts run automatically from your connected store

Upside · June payout run
StoreRiverbed Goods · Shopify
Verified net profit — June$9,340
Mentor share · 10% of net profit$934
Upside fee · 5% of payout−$47
Payout to Maya Tran · Jul 15$887
✓ synced 1,412 orders from Shopify Admin API
✓ COGS, shipping, refunds & ad spend reconciled
✓ ledger visible to both parties — nothing to dispute
The problem

The mentorship math is broken.

The founders who need help the most are the ones with the least cash to spare — every dollar is already in inventory, ads, and apps. Yet almost every course, coaching program, and "mastermind" wants thousands of dollars before it has produced a single dollar for you.

Thousands up front

Serious e-commerce mentorships routinely charge $2,000–$10,000 before you've made a sale. That's your ad budget. That's your next inventory order.

Financing just delays the problem

Payment plans and high-interest financing still commit you to the full price — whether the advice works or not.

"Money-back guarantees" are marketing

"Work with me until you make it back" still requires the up-front check — and the fine print decides whether you ever see it again.

How it works

Aligned from day one.

The mentor only earns when you earn. That single change fixes the incentives of the entire mentorship industry.

STEP 1

Apply & get vetted

Founders share their store, stage, and goals. Mentors connect their own store and verify their track record with real data. Both sides review each other before anything is signed.

STEP 2

Match & meet

Browse mentors by niche — dropshipping, DTC brands, Amazon FBA, subscriptions. Take a free intro call. No commitment until both of you opt in.

STEP 3

Sign a profit-share agreement

Set the share (typically 8–15% of net profit), the term, a monthly profit floor that protects you, and a cap that protects your margins. E-signed in the platform, binding for both.

STEP 4

Connect Shopify — payouts run themselves

Your store syncs orders, refunds, and expenses. Upside computes net profit on a ledger both parties can see, and pays the mentor's share out automatically each month.

Verification

Receipts, not screenshots.

Anyone can post a revenue screenshot. On Upside, mentors prove their track record by connecting their own store — lifetime revenue, margins, and longevity are verified through the same integration that powers your payouts.

  • ✓Mentor stats pulled from live Shopify data, never self-reported
  • ✓One shared profit ledger — both parties see identical numbers
  • ✓Expenses (COGS, shipping, ads, refunds) reconciled automatically
  • ✓Disconnecting a store pauses the agreement and notifies both sides
verification · maya-tran
$ upside verify --mentor maya-tran
✓ connected shopify:lume-atelier.myshopify.com
✓ scopes: read_orders, read_reports
✓ lifetime revenue  $4,214,806 (72 months)
✓ avg net margin   23.4%
✓ mentee outcomes  11 completed · +64% avg profit growth
VERIFIED — badge issued, stats locked to live data
Run the numbers

What would you actually pay?

Compare a typical up-front program against a profit share that only exists once the profit does.

$4,000 / mo

Be honest — this is what the share is computed from.

10% of net profit
12 months
Typical course or mastermind $4,900 up front

Due before you've made a dollar — outcome not included.

The same help on Upside $400 / mo · $4,800 total

Paid monthly out of profit that already landed. Never up front.

Mentor earns / month

$400

Total over the term

$4,800

Profit you keep

$43,200


Assumes the standard $2,000/mo profit floor — in months below it, your mentor earns nothing. Every agreement can also set a monthly cap. Design your own terms →

The agreement

A real contract, with real protections.

This isn't a handshake and a Discord role. Every match executes a binding revenue-share agreement, e-signed inside Upside and enforced by the platform's payment rails.

  • ✓Profit floor — the share only applies in months above a threshold you set. Struggle, and your mentor earns $0.
  • ✓Monthly cap — a great month never costs you more than the agreed maximum.
  • ✓Commitment clauses — session cadence and response times the mentor is held to.
  • ✓Exit terms — either side can wind down with 30 days' notice under pre-agreed conditions.

Profit-Share Agreement

Riverbed Goods × Maya Tran · No. UP-2026-0219

1.1Mentor receives 10% of verified net profit of the Store, computed monthly from the shared Upside ledger.
1.2Term: 12 consecutive months beginning Feb 1, 2026.
2.1Profit floor: the share applies only in months where net profit meets or exceeds $2,000.
2.2Monthly cap: mentor share shall not exceed $1,500 in any single month.
3.1Mentor commits to one 60-minute session weekly and asynchronous review within 24 hours.

Jordan Avery

Founder · Riverbed Goods

Maya Tran

Mentor · Verified

Your mentee portfolio

June accruals
StoreShareJune profitYour share
Riverbed Goods10%$9,340$934
Lume Candle Co.12%$5,100$612
Trailhead Supply8%$9,475$758
Nova Skin10%$4,260$426

Accruing this month $2,730
For mentors

Your playbook is an asset. Treat it like one.

Stop selling $200 calls and start building a portfolio. Take equity-style upside in a handful of stores you actually believe in — your advice compounds, and so does your income.

  • ✓Recurring income that grows with every store you level up
  • ✓Vetted, committed founders — you choose who you take on
  • ✓Verified badge from your own store data — stand out instantly
  • ✓Payouts handled by Upside — no invoicing, no chasing
Pricing

We only make money when both of you do.

Founders

$0

forever

  • ✓Match with verified mentors
  • ✓Shopify sync & shared profit ledger
  • ✓Agreement builder & e-sign
  • ✓Automated monthly payouts
Get matched
How we earn

Success fee

5%

of each mentor payout

  • ✓Charged only when a payout actually happens
  • ✓No profit, no payout, no fee — for anyone
  • ✓Covers verification, escrow & dispute mediation
  • ✓Our incentives sit exactly where yours do
See how it works

Mentors

$0

to list & get verified

  • ✓Store-verified track record badge
  • ✓Curated founder applications
  • ✓Portfolio dashboard & accrual tracking
  • ✓Payouts direct to your bank, monthly
Apply as a mentor
FAQ

Fair questions.

What exactly counts as "net profit"?

Net profit = Shopify sales, minus refunds, COGS, shipping, transaction fees, ad spend, and app costs. Sales data syncs from the Shopify Admin API; expenses sync from connected ad and payment accounts, with a monthly reconciliation window for anything manual.

Crucially, both parties see the same ledger, line by line — the number the share is computed from is never a surprise to anyone.

What if my store never becomes profitable?

Then you pay nothing — that's the whole point. The mentor took the same bet you did. Most agreements also include a profit floor, so even in marginally profitable months the share doesn't kick in until you clear a threshold you chose.

What stops a founder from just disconnecting their store?

Three things. First, disconnecting doesn't void the contract — the signed agreement survives, and unpaid shares remain legally owed. Second, a disconnect immediately pauses the agreement, notifies the mentor, and flags the account; reconnecting resumes with a back-audit of the gap. Third, founders who complete agreements keep their standing and reviews — walking out torches the reputation that got them a top mentor in the first place.

Is the agreement actually legally binding?

Yes. It's a revenue-share contract, e-signed by both parties with a full audit trail. The template was drafted for enforceability across US states, and both parties receive an executed copy. Upside also mediates disputes before anything needs to go further.

How are mentors vetted?

Every mentor connects their own store. Lifetime revenue, margins, and store age are verified from live data — not screenshots. On top of that: an application review, an interview, and public reviews from completed mentorships. Mentors who coast get filtered out by the numbers their mentees post.

Can we end the agreement early?

Mutually, any time — two clicks. Unilaterally, either side can exit with 30 days' notice under the exit terms in the agreement; the share is settled through the exit month and then stops. No lock-in theater.

What does Upside cost?

Nothing to join, for either side. Upside keeps 5% of each mentor payout — which means we earn only when the mentorship is actually producing profit. If nobody's making money, neither are we.

Skin in the game goes both ways.

Get matched with a mentor who bets on you — because they literally do.