Become the company AI recommends.

Buyers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google who to call before they ever reach a website. We test how your business shows up today, fix what AI cannot read, then re-test on the same questions so the movement is documented rather than claimed. For privately held businesses in the $5M–$50M band.

AI visibility Fractional leadership Digital infrastructure LinkedIn growth
3x
Website traffic in six weeks · The Box Automotive Finance Academy
131
Bing Copilot citations for one client since launch
8 of 18
ChatGPT buyer questions now citing that client
What is Carbacio Group?

The company businesses call to become visible in the AI era.

Carbacio Group makes privately held businesses findable and recommendable in AI search. We test how you show up when buyers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google who to call, fix what the models cannot read, and re-test so the movement is documented rather than claimed. Recent client work includes tripling website traffic in six weeks for The Box Automotive Finance Academy. Prior operator results from the partners include $3.36M in annualized profit improvement and 80% sales volume growth, with measurable movement in 30 days. It starts with a free AI visibility audit and a short call. No sales pitch.

What we do

Four services. All measured.

Four services, each one measured, sequenced, and delivered directly by the same two partners. We baseline before we start, we do the work, and we measure again. Both partners on every engagement. We don't sub-contract; we don't hand off.

Why us

Two partners. Operating reps. Real accountability.

Carbacio Group is built around the model that owner-operators of $5M–$50M businesses deserve to work directly with senior operators — not a slide-deck pyramid where the partner shows up at the readout.

Both
Partners on every engagement
Nick on relationships, operations, and talent. Jeff on the numbers, the technical layer, and the AI-era visibility work.
Fixed
Fee, scope, and timeline
Every engagement is quoted before commitment. No hourly billing. No scope creep. The number is in writing before you sign.
After
No automatic retainer
The diagnostic stands alone. Continuing work is optional and proposed at engagement-end — based on a real recommendation.
Yours
Every deliverable is the client's
Scorecards, models, playbooks, audits — owned by you, editable by you, not hosted on our server.
Who we serve

Privately held. Owner-operated. $5M–$50M.

The buyer fit is a size band and an operating posture — not an industry. We specialize where horizontal operating discipline applied carefully has the most impact, and where the McKinseys of the world don't bother to show up.

What signals fit

Revenue band — $5M to $50M in annual revenue. Material enough to support a real engagement; small enough that the partners can stay in the building.

Ownership — privately held. Owner-operated, family-held, or PE-backed in transition. The decision-maker is the owner, the president, the CEO, or the COO.

The pain — somewhere between "this used to be easier" and "I know there's profit hiding in here, I can't find it." Operational drag, margin leaks, missed pricing, weak operating cadence, talent gaps, or an AI-era visibility gap that wasn't there two years ago.

Industries — any. The methodology travels. Industries we've worked with through the partners include automotive (through Max Q Automotive, our automotive practice), restaurant groups, home services, multi-property service portfolios, and more. Read the home services pillar →

Common questions

What buyers ask before booking the call.

These are the questions that come up most often on first discovery.

What is Carbacio Group and who runs it?
Carbacio Group is a horizontal consulting firm for privately held, owner-operated businesses doing $5M to $50M in annual revenue, across any industry. The firm was co-founded in 2026 by Nick Carbacio and Jeff Hatfield. Nick brings multi-rooftop automotive operating experience from the sales floor to the executive suite, and runs Max Q Automotive — Carbacio Group's automotive practice. Jeff leads the AI visibility methodology, the measurement and reporting, and the technical infrastructure work. Both partners are on every engagement — there is no junior consultant roster.
Is Carbacio Group a real firm? What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Yes — Carbacio Group LLC is a Wyoming-formed limited liability company founded in 2026. We work with privately held businesses doing $5M to $50M in annual revenue across any industry. The methodology is horizontal operating discipline — not vertical specialization. Industries we've worked with through the partners include automotive (through Max Q Automotive, our automotive practice), restaurant groups, home services, and multi-property service portfolios.
What does Carbacio Group actually do?
Carbacio Group delivers four services. AI Visibility Management tests how a business appears when buyers ask AI who to call, fixes what the models cannot read, and re-tests monthly so movement is documented. Fractional Leadership embeds a CEO, COO, CTO, or CMO directly into the business, delivered personally by the two founding partners. The Digital Infrastructure Audit covers hosting, DNS, redirects, schema, monitoring, AI crawler health, and lead-capture integrity. The LinkedIn Growth Engine builds founder-led content and outbound aimed at conversations with buyers and referral partners. Operational consulting for automotive dealers runs through Max Q Automotive, the firm's automotive practice. Additional specialties, including scorecards, talent acquisition, leadership development, and organizational consulting, are available and detailed on the full services page.
What is AI visibility?
AI visibility is how often and how accurately a business appears in AI-generated answers when buyers ask tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google who to call. It is the AI-era equivalent of ranking on page one. A business with low AI visibility is invisible to the growing share of buyers who start their search inside an AI assistant instead of a search engine.
How do I know if ChatGPT recommends my business?
Ask the AI tools the questions your buyers actually ask, such as who the best provider in your category and market is, and see whether your business is named, described accurately, and recommended. Carbacio Group runs this as a structured test battery across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude, then documents where you appear, where competitors appear instead, and why. The free AI visibility audit delivers that baseline.
What does the free AI visibility audit include?
The free AI visibility audit tests how your business currently appears across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude for the questions your buyers ask, checks the technical signals AI systems read on your website, and identifies the gaps costing you recommendations. It is followed by a short call to walk through the findings. No sales pitch, no obligation.
Does Carbacio Group offer fractional executives?
Yes. Carbacio Group provides embedded fractional CEO, COO, CTO, and CMO leadership for privately held businesses in the $5M to $50M revenue range. Unlike advisory or consulting engagements, Carbacio Group's fractional leaders are hands-on and directly accountable for the function they run, not outside advisors checking in periodically. Nick Carbacio leads Fractional CEO and COO engagements; Jeff Hatfield leads Fractional CTO and CMO engagements.
Does Carbacio Group offer a fractional CFO?
Not currently. Carbacio Group's fractional leadership offering covers CEO, COO, CTO, and CMO, matched to the partners' direct operating experience in sales, operations, technology, and AI-era marketing.
Start the conversation

Get your free AI visibility audit.

Tell us about the business. We'll test how you show up when buyers ask AI who to call, then walk you through the findings on a short call. No sales pitch, no agency-style sequence. Just the audit and one conversation.

info@carbaciogroup.com
carbaciogroup.com