The Found Formula Turns Near-Closure Into 26% Profit Growth

3-Step Found Formula Delivers 26% Profit Growth for Local Mechanic via AI Search

Kingsgrove, Australia – May 18, 2026 / Perceptiv Media /

Rachelle Sassine, founder of Perceptiv Media, has launched The Found Formula™, a structured three-step framework designed to help small businesses achieve measurable visibility across both traditional search engines and AI-powered discovery platforms. The launch comes at a moment when AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews are reshaping how consumers find and choose local businesses, creating a gap between those who adapt and those who disappear from results entirely.

The announcement centers on a concrete result: a Sydney-based mechanic named Chris, whose business was on a near-closure trajectory before adopting The Found Formula™. Following implementation of the system, Chris recorded 26% year-over-year profit growth and expanded his physical premises — a turnaround Perceptiv Media attributes directly to the framework’s structured approach to both local SEO strategy and AI-driven discoverability.

A Three-Step System Built for the AI Search Era

The Found Formula™ operates across three sequential phases. The first, BUILD, focuses on establishing a technically sound digital foundation through custom-built, fast-loading, and SEO-optimized site architecture. This stage is designed to ensure a business meets the technical requirements that both search engines and AI platforms use when evaluating source credibility.

The second phase, RANK, targets authority building through Google Maps optimization, Google Business Profile (GBP) management, and strategic backlink acquisition. These elements work together to strengthen a business’s position in local search results — a critical factor for service-based businesses competing within defined geographic areas.

The third phase, RECOMMEND, is where The Found Formula™ moves beyond conventional SEO. This stage applies AI optimization for business visibility across platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The objective is to ensure that when users query AI tools for local service recommendations, the businesses that have implemented the framework appear as credible, cited sources rather than being omitted from AI-generated responses entirely.

From Near-Closure to Expansion

Chris’s outcome illustrates what Sassine describes as the core problem facing small businesses today: high-quality operators with no digital visibility. Before engaging The Found Formula™, his workshop was losing ground despite strong technical skills and a loyal base of existing customers. New customer acquisition had stalled, and the business lacked the online presence needed to surface in search results or AI recommendations.

Following implementation across all three phases, the business reversed that trajectory. The 26% year-over-year profit growth was accompanied by a physical expansion of his premises — a tangible indicator of sustained demand rather than a short-term spike.

“Chris is exactly who this framework was built for,” said Rachelle Sassine, founder of Perceptiv Media. “He had a legitimate, skilled business that nobody could find. The shift happening in search right now means that if you are not optimized for AI platforms as well as Google, you are invisible to an entire segment of customers who are using those tools to make decisions every day. The Found Formula™ was designed to close that gap systematically.”

Responding to a Structural Shift in How Customers Search

The launch of The Found Formula™ reflects a broader structural change in consumer search behavior. AI assistants are increasingly used to answer specific, intent-driven queries — such as “best mechanic near me” or “who do locals recommend for car servicing in Sydney” — and the businesses that appear in those responses are not always the ones ranking highest on traditional search pages. Sassine built the RECOMMEND phase specifically to address this divergence.

As a growth marketing agency Sydney businesses can access directly, Perceptiv Media positions The Found Formula™ as a practical, sequenced system rather than a collection of isolated tactics. Each phase builds on the previous one, meaning the authority established in RANK feeds into the AI citation potential targeted in RECOMMEND.

The framework is being offered to small and medium-sized businesses across Sydney, with particular relevance for service-based operators in trades, health, professional services, and retail — sectors where local search intent is high and AI recommendation is becoming a primary discovery channel.

About Perceptiv Media

Perceptiv Media is a Sydney-based digital marketing agency founded by Rachelle Sassine. The agency specializes in local SEO strategy, website architecture, and AI optimization for business visibility across search engines and AI-powered platforms. Perceptiv Media works with small and medium-sized businesses to build structured, measurable digital presence through its proprietary framework, The Found Formula™.

Learn more at Perceptiv Media