A banker's read of your business, in writing.
A written assessment from someone who spent thirteen years across the desk from small business owners. Where you actually are, what's killing growth, and the next moves I'd make if I were running it. Delivered in one to two weeks, followed by a 45-minute debrief.
A diagnostic, not a deck.
The Read is the written form of what I'd say if I sat across the desk from you with your statements in front of me. Not a generic template. Your numbers, your bottlenecks, the specific places where the gains are in your business that you're not yet seeing.
Bring your most recent P&L if you have one. Add a paragraph about what's been bothering you. The key numbers go in the brief: revenue, margin, costs, customer count. I read what you give me the way I read loan files for thirteen years: starting with cash flow, working out from there.
If you've worked the Workbook, The Read goes deeper, faster. The data-gathering is done. We go straight to the pattern. Your $99 credits forward — same total either way.
The deliverable is a written report you can act on by yourself, or use as the foundation for a Build if we keep working together. Both paths are fair. Every Read uses the same lens: the numbers a banker reads first, and the patterns that show up in small businesses that get into trouble.
A document built around your numbers.
Every Read covers five areas: a snapshot of how the business reads on paper, the six numbers a banker looks at first, the pattern your numbers actually show, a 90-day action plan, and a clear next move. The depth in each one varies based on what your business needs. A small operator at $5K/month gets a different Read than an established business at $40K/month.
Operating businesses with a question they can't see past.
The Read works best for businesses with revenue, real customers, and a specific decision they're trying to make. You don't need everything figured out. You need someone else's eyes on what you're carrying.
- You're stuck and don't know which of three moves to make next
- You've been growing on instinct and you sense something's off in the numbers
- You want a banker's view without going through your bank
When this isn't the fit.
- Pre-launch or pre-revenue. If you don't have customers yet, start a lighter conversation instead. The Read needs operating data to be useful.
- Looking for a website. The Read is not a build. If you know you want a site, The Foundation or The Build is the right starting point.
- Looking for a coaching call. The Read is a document, not a conversation. The 45-minute debrief is a debrief, not a session.
One to two weeks, written.
Intake on day one. First read by day three, writing through the back half of week one. Written delivery and a 45-minute debrief between day ten and day fourteen. Sometimes faster. Never sold as urgent.
$750 flat. Credits forward to a Build.
- $750, paid in full at signature. No hourly billing. The price doesn't change based on how long it takes me.
- Credits forward to The Build or The Foundation within 60 days. If you keep working with me after the Read, the $750 you paid comes off the build invoice.
- One to two weeks delivery. Sometimes faster. Never sold as urgent.
- Confidential. Your data goes in a private working folder. It doesn't leave there.
What you walk away with: an honest read of where your business stands and the next moves to make it read sharper.
Want a banker's read of your business?
Fill out the intake. I'll review what you send and email you back within one business day to confirm the engagement and start the read.