How it works | Methodology
Going from employee to founder should not be done with a leap of faith. It must be planned and strategic. This is the system behind what is taught in our programs, coaching, and advising. Built over 30 years of business transformations and used by founder, Mark R Cooley, to make the same successful transition himself from employee to founder.
- 7Steps in DELIVER OS
- 16ATLAS-ESI Profiles
- 30Years of Transformations
01 / 05 · Diagnosis
ATLAS-ESI™
Know how you actually execute. A behavioral diagnostic that measures vision, agency, agility and systems thinking, then reads the results against the stage you are actually in. It shows readiness gaps and friction before they stall progress.
- VisionHow far ahead you see, and whether direction survives daily reality.
- AgencyWhere your drive comes from. Momentum that does not wait for permission.
- AgilityHow you take the hits. Recovery speed and willingness to revise.
- Systems ThinkingWhether the business runs on you, or runs on design.
Four types. Sixteen profiles.
Scored against the stage you are actually in, not one universal bar.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND ATLAS-ESI™
A clear distinction: the framework is grounded in established science; the assessment itself is still undergoing formal validation. This explains the why, not the proprietary scoring engine.
Research lineage · 1946 to today
Behavioral readiness is a meaningful predictor of whether change succeeds. Change research repeatedly points to the people leading and executing, not strategy or technology alone, as decisive. ATLAS-ESI™ applies this premise to make behavioral readiness visible.
Sources: Kotter, Leading Change (1996); Prosci / ADKAR research; Higgs & Rowland on leadership behavior and change success.
The Mirror builds accurate self-awareness. The Lens turns the same framework outward so you can read others and adapt how you engage. Emotional intelligence connects the two views, and the space between stimulus and response underpins deliberate agency and adaptability.
Sources: Goleman (1995, 1998); Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee (2002); Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (1946).
People differ in the time horizon they naturally work within and in how clearly they picture a future state. Research on strategic orientation, organizational time-span and future-self continuity explains how those differences shape decisions and long-term action.
Sources: Venkatraman (1989); Jaques, Requisite Organization (1989); Hershfield and colleagues on future-self continuity.
Agency draws on locus of control and self-efficacy: whether you attribute outcomes to your own actions, and whether you believe you can produce effects. These constructs connect to initiative, persistence, performance and entrepreneurship. Autonomous motivation adds another layer.
Sources: Rotter on locus of control; Bandura (1997); Deci & Ryan; Rauch & Frese’s entrepreneurship meta-analysis (2007).
Agility is the speed and quality of recovery from disruption. Psychological flexibility describes the ability to shift perspective and respond to changing demands without being trapped in rigid patterns. Mindset research informs the view that the capacity for change can develop.
Sources: Bond and colleagues on workplace flexibility; Hayes and colleagues on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Dweck, Mindset (2006).
Events and individual actions are only part of the picture. Systems thinking examines the structures and feedback loops that produce them, and explains why durable change depends on finding structural leverage rather than repeatedly treating symptoms.
Sources: Meadows, Thinking in Systems (2008); Senge, The Fifth Discipline (1990).
A first-time founder and the owner of an established business face different demands. ATLAS-ESI™ reads your results against the stage you are actually in rather than one universal bar, reflecting research showing that what an owner needs to do well changes as a business matures.
Sources: Churchill & Lewis, The Five Stages of Small Business Growth (1983); Greiner, Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow (1972).
Validity · an honest account
The underlying constructs are established. The assessment itself is in active validation: ongoing analysis examines item performance, internal consistency and how distinct the dimensions are, and independent psychometric review is on the roadmap as the sample grows. ATLAS-ESI™ is not yet a fully validated instrument with a published technical manual. Scoring and construction remain proprietary to Ruby Sky LLC.
Research foundation and instrument validation are distinct claims. Validation questions: contact@futurestatefound.com
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
From Employee to Founder
Each month through January 2027, we select at least one person to receive a Future State Fellowship: a full founding year in the Prevail Launch Program, the Starter Kit, and a $500 completion award. Nearly $3,000 in value. No purchase necessary. You apply, we read every application, and we choose based on need, readiness and fit. Every applicant hears from us and gets first access when Prevail opens. Cycle 1 closes Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm Arizona time. Recipients are selected, not drawn. Offer Terms and Terms and Conditions apply.