Find out exactly what is holding your business back — and get a clear plan to fix it.
Is Your Business Growing Harder Than It Should Be?
Most founders hit a wall. Revenue is there. Clients are there. But something is grinding. Decisions take too long. The same problems keep coming back. Your team is busy, but the right things are not getting done.
The Forge Assessment is a structured 30-day diagnostic designed to surface exactly what is breaking down in your operations — and give you a concrete roadmap to fix it.
What The Forge Assessment Covers
Over 30 days, we go deep into five core areas of your business:
Operations and Process — Where are your workflows creating friction, rework, or bottlenecks? We map what is actually happening versus what you think is happening.
Organizational Clarity — Are roles, accountabilities, and decision rights clear? We identify where ownership gaps are costing you time and money.
Pricing and Margin — Are you leaving money on the table? We examine your pricing model, packaging, and cost structure to find hidden margin.
Data and Decision-Making — What information are you using to run the business? We assess whether your metrics are telling you the truth.
Leadership and Capacity — Where is your time going? We look at where the owner is the bottleneck and what needs to change to create leverage.
How It Works
Week 1 — Discovery
We start with a deep intake session covering your business model, current challenges, team structure, and goals. You complete a structured pre-work questionnaire so we hit the ground running.
Week 2 and 3 — Diagnostic
We conduct stakeholder interviews, review your key documents and data, and map your core workflows. This is where we find what is actually going on beneath the surface.
Week 4 — Synthesis and Readout
We deliver the Forge Assessment Report: a prioritized finding set with root cause analysis, a 90-day action plan, and a live readout session where we walk through everything together.
What You Walk Away With
- A full written Forge Assessment Report (20 to 30 pages)
- Root cause analysis of your top operational constraints
- A prioritized 90-day action plan with specific next steps
- Clarity on where to focus your energy and investment
- An honest view of what your business needs to grow
Who This Is For
The Forge Assessment is built for:
- Founders and CEOs of businesses doing $1M to $15M in revenue
- Companies that have grown but feel like growth is getting harder, not easier
- Owners preparing for a new phase of growth, a key hire, or outside investment
- Leaders who want a clear, outside perspective before making big decisions
This is not a feel-good audit. It is a rigorous diagnostic designed to tell you the truth about your business.
What Happens After the Assessment
Many clients move from the Forge Assessment into an ongoing engagement — either as a Fractional Operating Partner or through Strategic Advisory — to implement the recommendations. That is entirely optional. The report stands on its own and gives you everything you need to move forward with your own team or another partner.
Ready to Get Started?
The Forge Assessment is available by application. We work with a limited number of clients at a time to ensure quality and focus.
Contact us to schedule a free 30-minute discovery call. We will talk through where you are, what you are trying to solve, and whether the Forge Assessment is the right fit.
RELATED READING
Related reading
- How The Forge Assessment Works: What to Expect in 30 Days →
- Why Your Business Hit a Revenue Ceiling (And How Operations Fix It) →
- Stop Experiencing Problems. Start Solving Them. →
COMMON QUESTIONS
Common questions
What do I get at the end of the 30 days?
A 12-month operational roadmap that names the specific bottlenecks slowing your business down (people, process, systems, decisions) and the order to fix them in. Plus a written narrative of what we found, what you said works, and what we’d do first. No 90-page deck, no slides full of frameworks.
What does the assessment actually look like day-to-day?
Week 1 is scoping. Weeks 2 and 3 are diagnostic: we sit in your weekly leadership meeting, watch the operating cadence, talk to your team, look at your actual numbers. Week 4 we synthesize and deliver. Light touch on your time, heavy on observation.
Who needs to be involved from my team?
At minimum, the founder or CEO and one operational leader (head of ops, integrator, etc.). For best results, anyone who runs a function (sales, finance, product) participates in one or two conversations during week 2. Your existing meeting cadence is the access point; no extra meetings get scheduled for us.
Is the $6,500 the only cost?
Yes. Fixed price, paid upfront. No travel costs (we’re remote-first), no software costs (we use yours), no hidden retainer trap. If the engagement converts into a Fractional Operating Partner retainer afterward, that’s a separate proposal at retainer rates.
What happens after the assessment ends?
Three paths. Most clients convert into a Fractional Operating Partner retainer to install the roadmap. Some take the roadmap and execute internally. Some follow up with a Strategic Advisory engagement on a specific issue (capital program, exec hire, M&A). The roadmap is yours either way.