# Test an Investment Decision in the Room

Source: https://ivankamenken.com/test-investment-spread · Last updated 1 November 2026

You have a deal on the table, the spread looks fine, and you have not yet put the assumptions in front of anyone. Ivanka Menken uses the Anchor Seat inside Clarity Shift Mastermind, a 10-month peer group at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST, to put one investment decision in front of eight founders before capital is committed. You leave with a written anchor decision: the spread threshold, the assumptions to question, the walk-away condition and one next commitment.

## A good-looking deal and nobody to question it

- You are comparing a return to a loan rate in your head.
- You have not written the spread threshold before looking at the deal.
- You have no room to question the assumptions.

**THE MOMENT:** The services business is doing well and you have been looking at an investment on the side: a mobile home park, 20% down, a cap rate about three points above the loan interest. The spreadsheet says yes. You built it alone, late at night, and every assumption in it is yours. The seller wants an answer, and you notice you are more excited than certain.

### THE DEAL, AS IT STANDS

- Down payment: 20%
- Cap rate against loan interest: about 3 points apart
- Spread threshold written beforehand: none
- Walk-away condition: none
- People who have questioned the assumptions: none

## A better spreadsheet

In this case, the founder of a services business was weighing a mobile home park investment with a 20% down payment and a 3% spread between the cap rate and the loan interest. The obvious fix was to build a more detailed spreadsheet. It took weekends. It got more precise, and it was still checked by one person: the founder, who wanted the deal to work.

## No line drawn before the deal

Ivanka noticed the founder had no written spread threshold before looking at the deal. The 3% was judged after the fact, against a number that felt right. There was no walk-away condition either, so any deal that looked close enough would pass. The spreadsheet was careful. The decision around it had never been put in front of anyone who could disagree.

## A decision to question, not a number to admire

The real issue was a decision that needed to be questioned in the room before capital was committed. A spread is only as good as the cap rate, the interest rate and the costs that sit underneath it, and those were all the founder’s own guesses.
The reframe: write the threshold and the walk-away line first, then bring the deal to people with no stake in it. The room does not assess the investment. It asks what has to be true, and the founder decides.

> A spread is a question to test in the room, not a number to admire alone.

**The cost of staying stuck:** Staying alone with the spreadsheet costs the founder the chance to test the 3% spread before capital is committed, and the business carries the cost if an assumption is wrong.

## The tool: Anchor Seat

In Clarity Shift Mastermind, one founder takes the Anchor Seat each month and brings one decision to the room. For an investment, the decision is written on one page before the deal is discussed: the spread threshold, the assumptions doing the work, and the condition that ends the conversation.

It is one anchor decision on one page, questioned by eight founders. The spread drawn as two bars, the cap rate above the loan interest, with the written threshold marked across them. Underneath, the assumptions the room tests and the one commitment the founder leaves with.

It replaces a spreadsheet checked only by its author, a threshold chosen after seeing the deal, and a yes given because the seller wanted an answer.

### What goes on the page

1. The deal: one investment, named on one page
2. The down payment: 20%
3. The spread: cap rate against loan interest, about 3 points
4. The threshold: the lowest spread you will accept, written first
5. The assumptions: what has to be true for the spread to last
6. The walk-away: the condition that ends the deal

It sits inside Clarity Shift Mastermind, next to the five-number scorecard every member shares monthly. The room questions the decision. The founder makes it. It is peer advisory, not financial advice, and Ivanka does not assess investments.

## One deal in the Anchor Seat

In the session, the founder took the Anchor Seat with the deal. Ivanka asked four questions: what is the spread, what assumptions are doing the work, what would make you walk away, and what is the one written commitment? The room questioned the cap rate, the interest rate and the costs behind them. The founder wrote a 3% spread threshold, a walk-away condition and one commitment to bring back.

### The questions

- What is the spread, in writing?
- Which assumptions are doing the work?
- What would make you walk away?
- What does the business need from you while this runs?
- What is the one written commitment?

### THE FOUR-STEP LOOP

1. The one thing: One investment alongside the business.
2. The numbers: 20% down, a spread of about 3 points.
3. The story: The spreadsheet says yes, so the deal is safe.
4. The commitment: A written threshold and walk-away line.

Before the next session, the founder checked the costs behind the cap rate, asked the lender for the rate in writing and brought both back to the room against the written threshold.

## Big decisions made on evidence

By month 6, the founder has brought an anchor decision to the room each month, has written spread thresholds for the live one, and shares the five-number scorecard with the room monthly.

**BEFORE**

- The spread was judged after seeing the deal.
- No walk-away condition.
- The spreadsheet was checked by its author.
- Excitement set the pace.

**BY MONTH 6**

- A written threshold before each deal.
- A walk-away line on the page.
- Assumptions questioned by seven peers.
- The five-number scorecard shared monthly.

The container: 10 months of monthly two-hour group sessions with eight founders, plus two 1:1 check-ins each quarter.

## Draw the line before you see the deal

Ivanka Menken chairs Clarity Shift Mastermind for founders of A$1M to A$10M businesses who want a room that asks the hard question before the money moves. Each month one founder takes the Anchor Seat with one decision.
This fits if you have a large decision in front of you, an investment, an acquisition or a big commitment, and nobody to question it. It does not fit if you want a course, a masterclass or financial advice. The decision in front of you is one threshold and one walk-away line. Write them down before you reply to the seller.

> Helps founders lead with clarity and integrity by modelling vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and grounded decision-making. Creates an environment where leaders can openly explore challenges and grow without fear of judgement.
>
> R.W., founder

## Who fits, and who does not

### It fits

- You run an A$1M to A$10M business.
- A large investment or commitment is close.
- You built the numbers alone and want them questioned.
- You will bring the decision to a room and act on what it asks.

### It does not fit

- You want a course or masterclass.
- You want financial advice or an investment assessed for you.
- You want a done-for-you fix.
- You will not share your numbers with a small, vetted group.

### Investment

**AUD $2,000 per month ex GST, 10 months.** The Anchor Seat is part of Clarity Shift Mastermind, a 10-month peer programme at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST. It is not sold separately.

Included:

- 10 monthly two-hour group sessions
- Two 1:1 check-ins each quarter
- The five-number scorecard shared each month
- The Anchor Seat for your biggest decision

- [Apply for Clarity Shift Mastermind, AUD $2,000/mo, 10 months](mailto:ivanka@ivankamenken.com?subject=Clarity%20Shift%20Mastermind%20application)
- [Book a 20-minute intro call](https://theartofservice.zohobookings.com.au/?utm_source=ivankamenken&utm_medium=showcase&utm_campaign=test-investment-spread#/15606000001356030)
- [See the Clarity Shift Mastermind programme](https://ivankamenken.com/clarity-shift-mastermind)

## Questions about Anchor Seat

### Is this financial advice?

No. The Anchor Seat is a coaching and peer-questioning tool. Ivanka Menken does not assess investments, and the spread, the costs and the decision stay yours; check them with your adviser. She chairs the room inside Clarity Shift Mastermind, a peer group of 10 months at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST, where seven other founders question the assumptions.

### What is the Anchor Seat?

Each month one founder brings an anchor decision to the room of eight. The room questions it, tests the assumptions and helps the founder write it down, and the founder leaves with one written commitment. Ivanka Menken chairs it inside Clarity Shift Mastermind, which runs for 10 months at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST, with two 1:1 check-ins each quarter.

### Do I need to be buying a mobile home park?

No. The Anchor Seat applies to any big investment decision where a spread and its assumptions need testing: property, an acquisition, new equipment or a stake in another business. The page stays the same: threshold, assumptions, walk-away, commitment. Ivanka Menken chairs it inside Clarity Shift Mastermind, 10 months at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST.

### How long is Clarity Shift Mastermind?

Clarity Shift Mastermind runs for 10 months at AUD $2,000 per month ex GST: ten monthly two-hour group sessions with eight founders, two 1:1 check-ins each quarter and the five-number scorecard shared each month. Ivanka Menken chairs every session. The Anchor Seat is part of the programme and is not sold separately. Places are by application.


## Put the deal in the Anchor Seat

If a large investment is close and the assumptions have only been checked by you, apply for Clarity Shift Mastermind. The Anchor Seat is inside it, and the 20-minute intro call is where you can see whether the room fits.

- [Apply for Clarity Shift Mastermind, AUD $2,000/mo, 10 months](mailto:ivanka@ivankamenken.com?subject=Clarity%20Shift%20Mastermind%20application)
- [Book a 20-minute intro call](https://theartofservice.zohobookings.com.au/?utm_source=ivankamenken&utm_medium=showcase&utm_campaign=test-investment-spread#/15606000001356030)
- [See the Clarity Shift Mastermind programme](https://ivankamenken.com/clarity-shift-mastermind)
- [See the inventory cash gap early](https://ivankamenken.com/inventory-lead-time-cash)
- [Test a revenue bonus in the room](https://ivankamenken.com/revenue-based-bonus-anchor-seat)
- [Review the margin lift in your numbers](https://ivankamenken.com/margin-lift-review)
- [The Clarity Shift Mastermind](https://ivankamenken.com/clarity-shift-mastermind)

- Every way to work with Ivanka: https://ivankamenken.com/work-with-ivanka