THE DIAGNOSTIC
EVERY ENGAGEMENT
STARTS WITH THE READ.
A four-week, fixed-fee diagnostic. Full access to the financials, the data, and the team. Nothing gets recommended before the numbers get read.
WHAT ED ACTUALLY DOES.
Figures out why growth got expensive. Which customers pay for themselves, and which ones the brand is buying.
Fixes the cash and inventory timing that makes a growing brand feel broke.
Determines where the next stage of growth comes from and what it will take to get there.
Shows what each channel is really worth. Which ones make money, and which ones just make revenue.
Breaks the promo cycle, so hitting the number doesn't depend on the discount.
Gets the books, the margin story, and the growth into the shape an investor or buyer needs to see.
WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH.
01
A written assessment across finance, operations, and marketing.
02
A clear direction: where the real problems are, what matters most, where to start.
03
A recommendation on engagement structure — if both sides want to continue.
FIXED FEE, SCOPED TO THE SIZE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE BUSINESS.
WHERE THE REAL WORK STARTS.
The Read is the beginning. It tells both what the engagement should be. Then comes the core of the practice, an operator inside the business, committed to the next stage of growth.
EMBEDDED OPERATOR
Ed working inside the business, typically a couple of days a week. He is in the working meetings, operating across the functions, and accountable for the outcomes. He is the person the founder talks things through with before a decision is ready for the rest of the team. Best suited for brands past $15M. There’s a 90-day initial commitment with a mutual checkpoint, and most engagements run six to nine months. The retainer is set in The Read.
ADVISORY
Ed is a senior commercial voice on a defined session cadence, without day-to-day involvement. Sessions track progress against The Read's direction. For brands from $5M and above. The cadence and fee are scoped in The Read.
Ed is not an advisor who recommends something and departs. He’s an operator with accountability for what happens next and the desire to see it through with you.
THE FIRST 120 DAYS.
What working together actually looks like, from yes to the first checkpoint.
MONTH 01 — THE READ
The diagnostic above. It ends with the assessment, the direction, and a recommendation. Your time is only a few hours a week.
MONTHS 02–03 — THE WORK
The engagement opens on the top priority The Read diagnoses. A working cadence gets set, and Ed is in the business on a defined rhythm.
MONTH 04 — THE CHECKPOINT
Ninety days into the engagement, after we have real numbers to look at, an honest conversation about whether this is working for both sides.
Two natural places to stop are built in on purpose. The Read stands alone if that's all the business needs, and the checkpoint is an intentional decision, not a formality.
THE READ IS ALSO A MUTUAL TEST.
You see how Ed works before committing to anything longer. Ed assesses whether this is a business he can genuinely help. Nobody gets locked into something that won’t work.