The Method
How 90 minutes settles what to fix first, when several explanations all look right
The Founder-Business Diagnostic is a structured business diagnostic session for post-seed and Series A founders. It is not coaching and it is not consulting. It is a single sitting that separates the symptoms from the problem that deserves attention first, named in your own language and defended with evidence from what you brought.
Why a founder cannot see it alone
You built this. You know it better than anyone. Which is exactly why it is hard to see the shape of it from the inside. Founders rarely lack execution. They usually solve the wrong problem, often for years. The five published cases document the point at which an initial hypothesis was named in-session. They do not publish the later 14-day validation result. The hypothesis must therefore be checked against the business evidence, the alternatives ruled out, and what would prove it wrong.
The founder and the company share the same blind spots. Coaches address the founder. Consultants address the business. The Diagnostic addresses both as one system, which is what they are.
What happens in the session
- 01
Context
You talk. I listen for the structure underneath the story: the numbers you sent before the call, the sequence of decisions, the places the same shape repeats.
- 02
Competing explanations
We put every believable explanation on the table: product, positioning, GTM, sales execution, retention, pricing, team, priorities, and how the decisions themselves get made. Then we test which ones the evidence actually supports.
- 03
Naming
Within the first 45 minutes the problem that deserves attention first is named in one sentence, in your own words, with the alternatives that were ruled out and why. Not a framework. Not a menu of options.
- 04
Evidence trail
The naming is defended with evidence from what you told me, plus what would prove it wrong, so it is a testable hypothesis you can verify against your own history rather than take on faith.
- 05
Decision framing
You leave with the first decision or test to make next, actionable within days, and a clear separation between recorded facts, founder estimates, exposures, and scenarios.
What you leave with
- One diagnosis stated in a single sentence you can repeat to your team, your board, or your co-founder.
- The evidence trail for why this cause and not the obvious one.
- A written summary within two weeks: the pattern named, the evidence, and one specific test you run in the following 14 days to validate or falsify it.
- An optional 30-minute call six weeks later, at no additional charge, to close the loop honestly.
Full refund if the 90-minute session does not produce a diagnosis. Everything discussed is confidential.
To Book
The Diagnostic is not expensive. Another quarter on the wrong problem is.
Book a free 20-minute fit call. If the fit is wrong, I tell you before you spend money.
The session is €2,500. Full refund if the 90-minute session does not produce a diagnosis. Ongoing engagement is priced separately after the session.