How the work is structured
Two frameworks. Both end in a decision, and both allow the decision to be no.
Every engagement runs on a structure rather than on instinct. One framework for deciding whether to buy. One for deciding whether to multiply. Seven stages each, deliberately parallel — same discipline, different question.
Side by side
| Decision Framework (buy) | Scale Framework (multiply) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Investor Fit | Unit Proof |
| 2 | Opportunity Fit | Operator Dependency |
| 3 | Unit Economics | Second-Layer Economics |
| 4 | Market & Location Reality | Transferability |
| 5 | Operator & Franchisor Risk | Capital & Cash Cycle |
| 6 | Downside & Exit | Downside & Unwind |
| 7 | Decision | Scale Decision |
Stages six and seven line up exactly on both, because the principle does not change: the goal is not the best-case outcome. It is the one you can survive if the assumptions are wrong.
The verdicts
Decision Framework
ProceedRenegotiateInvestigate furtherWalk away
Scale Framework
Scale nowFix firstScale differentlyDon't scale
Two of the four are the ones that earn the fee.