Exit readiness isn't about rushing to market. It's about making your business look exactly how a serious buyer wants to see it.
Exit readiness isn't about rushing to market. It's about making your business look exactly how a serious buyer wants to see it — clean financials, defensible revenue, documented processes, and a management team that doesn't depend on you being in the building every day.
Most founders think their business is ready because it's profitable and growing. But buyers evaluate differently. They're looking for predictable cash flows, scalable operations, and minimal execution risk. The gap between "good business" and "ready for sale" is often larger than owners expect.
Businesses that complete exit readiness preparation before going to market typically see:
Our exit readiness assessment covers seven critical areas that buyers focus on during due diligence.
Clean, audited financials with clear EBITDA normalization. Buyers want to understand exactly what they're buying and what the normalized cash flow looks like without owner-specific expenses.
Revenue diversification across customer base and contract terms that provide predictable future cash flows. High customer concentration is one of the fastest ways to kill a deal.
A management team that can operate without the owner and documented processes that don't depend on institutional knowledge. Buyers want to see the business can run without you.
Understanding the predictability and defensibility of revenue streams. Buyers pay premiums for recurring revenue and discount heavily for lumpy, project-based income.
Clean working capital analysis and understanding of ongoing capital requirements. Unexpected working capital adjustments at closing are a common source of deal friction.
Documentation of compliance status and identification of any legal or regulatory risks. Unknown liabilities discovered in diligence can derail transactions.
Proper documentation of intellectual property, technology assets, and data security practices. Technology businesses especially need clean IP ownership and cybersecurity protocols.
Systematic evaluation and improvement across all dimensions that impact buyer perception and valuation.
Comprehensive evaluation across all seven dimensions with specific recommendations for improvement. We identify what needs to be fixed and prioritize by impact on valuation.
Guidance on addressing identified issues, connecting you with specialists when needed (accounting, legal, HR), and tracking progress against readiness objectives.
Final validation that critical issues have been addressed and the business is positioned for maximum buyer appeal when the time comes to go to market.
Founders who prepare before going to market see materially better outcomes — higher valuations, better terms, faster closes, and fewer surprises in diligence. The work isn't glamorous, but the results are.
"The exit readiness process revealed issues we never would have thought of. By the time we went to market, we were bulletproof in diligence. It absolutely made a difference in our valuation."
— CEO, Technology Services
$22M Exit to Strategic Buyer
Get an objective assessment of where you stand and what you can do to improve your position before going to market.
Request an Exit Readiness Assessment