Why take this assessment?
When your team misses targets, execution relies too heavily on you, or your people are unaligned, this assessment instantly reveals the hidden bottlenecks and growth opportunities.
What you'll get:
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Instant insights - most CEOs uncover blind spots while answering
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If your AR > €250k: Personalized written feedback with tailored growth recommendations
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If your AR > €500k: A free 40-min mentor session to review your results in depth and get actionable advice for scaling faster
All your answers remain strictly confidential - for 6+ years we’ve been mentoring founders on sensitive topics, and confidentiality is part of our DNA.
About the BACKBONE Assessment
The Business Backbone Assessment is built on the principles of BACKBONE Company OS - shaped by thousands of mentoring sessions with CEOs and leadership teams across Europe.
What makes it valuable for you?
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Created for scale-ups and growing companies: where growth often slows under complexity
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Focused on what matters: Strategy, Execution, and Team
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Practical from the start: most CEOs spot blind spots and gain clarity while answering.
The Team behind the Assessment
Meet the people who created the Business Backbone Assessment and deliver your tailored feedback and sessions - Cocoon mentors with real, hands-on experience helping founders scale.
Farhad Niyoz
Cocoon CEO, Mentor, Builder - turned guide.
MBA graduate and former tech founder, Farhad has spent 12 years and 5,000+ hours in self-discovery - uncovering how the inner world drives outer results. He bridges business logic with human psychology - the real levers of performance.
What it means for you: business systems rooted in logic, designed around human nature.
Madara Mazkalne
Cocoon mentor, Business growth architect, Sales strategist
With 20+ years in finance, consulting, and tech, Madara combines strategy with human development. She’s built sales systems, guided teams through growth, and helped leaders turn ideas into execution.
What it means for you: guidance from someone who’s walked both the operational path (processes, KPIs, strategy) and the developmental path (mindset, leadership).
Martins Bicevskis
Cocoon mentor, Supervisory board member, C-suite advisor
Martins has led organisations with teams in the hundreds and guided CEOs through IPO scaling, change management, and high-stakes org design.
What it means for you: strategic insights on where your org needs to go - and clarity on how to get there from someone who’s guided CEOs through IPO and beyond.
How long does it take?
15-20 minutes to fill the assessment.
What happens after I submit?
You’ll get written recommendations if AR > €250k.
Plus a free session if AR > €500k.
Will the session turn into a sales pitch?
Your session will focus on uncovering insights to solve your key challenges. If there’s a strong fit, we’ll take 12–15 minutes to see whether our growth programs can meaningfully accelerate your scaling. Either way, you’ll leave with clarity and actionable advice.
15-20 minutes now can save months of wasted effort later
Most scaling challenges don’t come from the market - they come from internal complexity.
Behind that complexity are three universal growth drivers: Strategy, Execution, and Team - and how they work together.
We’ve built these principles into the Backbone Assessment so you can quickly spot hidden blockers and uncover your biggest growth opportunities. And right now, it’s free.
Takes just 15-20 minutes. 100% confidential
If you take building your business seriously you should consider Cocoon. I see the largest benefit in Cocoon’s focus on personal development and not just business.
- Henri Nordström, Jobilla CEO, Finland
Martins Bicevskis is a unique person - being honest and with an open mindset to be entirely focused on the discussion to improve the outcome of the initiative he has taken to achieve.
- Margus Rosin, Bigbank CTO, Estonia
Farhad's wealth of experience in both business and life, coupled with his adept ability to listen attentively and pose incisive questions, significantly facilitated my journey of self-discovery and growth.
- Nauris Skride, CEO of Adaptive Media, Latvia
Farhad's experience and insight were very helpful for us in our growth trajectory. He is incredibly generous as a mentor. - Julia Gifford, Truesix CEO, Latvia
I was looking for a clearer vision for my company. Our results astounded me - we uncovered so much about our current challenges and possible steps towards better alignment.
- Toomas Pihl, Agrello CEO, Estonia
Farhad is very good at getting to the root of the problem with his direct questions and comments.
- Michael Henriksen, Wavepiston CEO, Denmark
While I often rely on my gut feeling to make choices, Martins has taught me how to substantiate those decisions, which has given me greater confidence. I now have the words to articulate the strong feelings behind my actions and decisions. Martins has been a mirror for me - challenging me, confronting me, and offering alternative perspectives. I genuinely enjoy our sessions.
- Selma Stevense-Bakker, Managing Director of Jobilla Benelux, Netherlands
My company and I needed a change for better results. I have brought many learnings from Cocoon back to my company.
- Indrek Jaal, Globalreader CEO, Estonia
Participation in Cocoon Program has helped me to solve challenges in my business and also on a personal level. - Matiss Neimanis, BuildIT CEO, Latvia
I believe that most challenges in our life and business are directly related to the challenges, limitations, or barriers in ourselves. Cocoon helped me to understand the root cause of my challenges and remove the barriers and limitations that are causing them. At the end of the program, I am a better leader but, more importantly, a better and happier person.
- Mattias Lepp, CEO of Click and Grow, Estonia
Farhad has the ability to look at your challenges from a completely different angle to what you would expect. - Marek Alliksoo, Skycrop CEO, Estonia
I highly recommend Martins Bicevskis as a mentor; his expertise spans various domains, and his guidance has been akin to a catalyst for positive change.
- Kaspars Sirmais, Co-founder of Amit Baltic, Latvia
Farhad has a unique ability to navigate both the business side and the personal side of decision-making. His approach has challenged me to think more critically and make more informed decisions, which has been invaluable for both my personal and professional growth.
- Martins Bratuskins, Co-founder of Monetizr, USA / Latvia
The Cocoon program empowered me to embrace the CEO role authentically and overcome fears, including that of a co-founder potentially leaving.
- Uku Püttsepp, Degritter CEO, Estonia
Cocoon group mentoring has been ridiculously effective for me. Every session I discovered many unknown unknowns about myself and got deep insights from multiple perspectives that boosted the process of solving my personal and business challenges.
- Ranno Käomägi, CEO of Remato, Estonia
Free, confidential & no obligation.