Edge Assessment
Diagnose a business like a buyer before prescribing branding or growth strategy.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 7
- Confidence
- 98%
The Edge Assessment is a detailed pre-strategy diagnosis that examines a company as though the assessor were considering buying it. Before proposing branding or marketing work, the team studies the state and structure of the business, including revenue run rate, profitability goals, staffing, hiring needs, untapped resources, and potential growth levers. The assessment stands on its own and does not guarantee a subsequent consulting engagement. Its purpose is to replace generic recommendations with an owner-level understanding of the company. Jasmine's team also adapted it for mastermind onboarding, requiring each founder to complete several hours of input before a one-to-one discussion centered on the most consequential opportunities and strategies.
Origin
Jasmine's team developed the Edge Assessment for large organizations seeking branding and marketing consulting. They charge $25,000 for the diagnosis alone and later required mastermind founders to complete it so the team could understand each company as if they might buy it.
Core principles
- 01Diagnose the business before prescribing strategy.
- 02Examine a company with an owner's level of care.
- 03Branding and marketing depend on operational and financial context.
- 04A paid assessment creates value independently of implementation.
- 05Prioritize the greatest growth lever rather than a generic playbook.
How to run it
- 1
Set the assessment boundary
Explain that the assessment is a diagnostic engagement and does not automatically commit either side to implementation.
Pro tip Price and position the diagnosis as a valuable standalone deliverable.
Watch out Do not imply that paying for an assessment guarantees a larger engagement.
- 2
Collect owner-level information
Gather enough operational, financial, team, market, and strategic information to understand the company as a potential owner would.
Pro tip Use structured questions that require evidence rather than brief impressions.
Watch out A superficial questionnaire will produce superficial strategy.
- 3
Analyze economics and capacity
Review the revenue run rate, current profitability, desired profitability, team structure, and hiring needs.
Pro tip Compare stated goals with the organization's actual capacity to execute.
Watch out Do not recommend growth that worsens already fragile economics.
- 4
Inventory latent advantages
Identify underused assets, relationships, intellectual property, audience access, or operational capabilities.
Pro tip Look for resources the founder considers ordinary but competitors would value.
Watch out Do not assume every unused asset deserves investment.
- 5
Find the greatest lever
Select the constraint or opportunity most likely to create disproportionate progress if addressed.
Pro tip Favor a lever that improves several connected parts of the business.
Watch out Avoid producing an undifferentiated list of dozens of priorities.
- 6
Review with the founder
Discuss the diagnosis one-to-one, align on goals, and translate the highest-leverage findings into strategic options.
Pro tip Use the conversation to test assumptions and uncover missing context.
Watch out Do not present uncertain inferences as settled facts.
- 7
Choose the next engagement
Decide whether the assessor should support implementation, refer the company elsewhere, or stop after delivering the findings.
Pro tip Base the decision on fit and expected impact, not sunk effort.
Watch out Do not accept work the diagnosis shows your team is poorly suited to deliver.
In the wild
Before the second mastermind cohort began, every seven-figure founder spent roughly three or four hours completing an Edge Assessment. Jasmine and her team reviewed each business for growth levers, untapped resources, team structure, run rate, and profitability goals. Jasmine then met each founder individually to discuss the diagnosis and possible strategies.
→ The mastermind began with company-specific context and prioritized growth opportunities instead of generic advice.
Common mistakes
Prescribing before diagnosing
Branding and marketing recommendations can be actively harmful when the underlying economics, team, or operational constraints remain unknown.
Treating the assessment as a sales form
The process should create genuine diagnostic value even when no larger engagement follows.
Listing every possible improvement
A useful assessment distinguishes the greatest leverage point from lower-priority opportunities.
Is it for you?
Best for
Established companies requiring a rigorous diagnosis before entering a consulting engagement or growth program.
Not ideal for
Very early ventures without enough operating history, financial information, or organizational complexity to assess.
From the transcript
“We need to understand the state of the business, so that we could speak clearly to the branding and marketing of it.”
“And we charge $25,000 for this assessment. And it's just the assessment we won't even agree to take on the client, but we need to…”
“I look at it as if I'm going to buy this business because if I am brought on to consult for branding strategy and marketing…”
From the episode
My Raw and Real Q2 Business Review