Our Process

A Clear Path from Owner to Ex-Owner

Selling the business you built should not feel like flying blind. Our four-phase process gives you visibility, leverage, and a financial advocate at every step — from the first conversation to the wire hitting your account.

Schedule a Discovery Call Take the Exit Readiness Assessment

What to Expect

Four Phases. One Outcome.

Most exits fail or underperform because the seller is not prepared. We work the problem in a deliberate sequence — starting with where you are today and ending with the highest-value version of your business in the hands of the right buyer.

A typical engagement runs 3 to 5 years end-to-end, though we have taken clients from Phase 1 to closed in under 18 months when the business was further along than they realized.

Phase 01

Discovery Call

Understand what you want, before we tell you what is possible.

Every successful exit starts with a clear answer to one question: what does winning look like for you personally? Not what the market says, not what your CPA says — what you want.

In our 60-minute Discovery Call we cover:

You leave the call with a clear picture of how prepared you actually are and what the next 6 to 24 months should look like. We leave with what we need to scope a real engagement.

Your business at a glance — revenue, EBITDA, ownership structure, customer concentration
Your timeline — are we talking 12 months or 5 years
Your number — the after-tax outcome that lets you walk away on your terms
Your non-negotiables — earn-outs, employees, legacy, post-close role
Where you are on exit-readiness today, candidly

Deliverable: Written Discovery Summary and recommended next phase

Timeline: 1 week

Cost: No charge

Phase 02

Exit Readiness Audit

A full diagnostic of what your business is worth, what is holding it back, and what to fix first.

Most owners overestimate their multiple by 30 to 50 percent. Not because they are wrong about the business — because they are missing the buyer perspective. The Exit Readiness Audit closes that gap.

Over 4 to 6 weeks, we conduct a deep review across four dimensions:

You receive a written audit, a defensible valuation range, and a prioritized 90-day action plan covering the highest-leverage fixes. No buzzwords, no potential — just what is actually in the way.

Financial Health — quality of earnings, working capital trends, customer profitability, recurring vs. one-time revenue
Operational Risk — owner dependency, key-person risk, documented processes, systems and tooling
Value Drivers — recurring revenue, customer concentration, contract quality, gross margin defensibility
Deal Killers — unresolved litigation, related-party transactions, missing financials, IP and licensing gaps

Deliverable: Exit Readiness Audit Report, valuation range, prioritized action plan

Timeline: 4 to 6 weeks

Cost: Fixed-fee engagement

Phase 03

Value Building Phase

Fix the things that depress your multiple. Grow the things that lift it.

This is where most of the money is made — or left on the table. We work alongside you and your team for 12 to 36 months to systematically close the gaps the Audit surfaced and grow into a more valuable business.

Typical workstreams include:

We are in the trenches — not on the sidelines. You get a fractional Chief Value Officer who reports to you, holds the team accountable to the action plan, and re-runs the Audit on a rolling basis so you can see your multiple climb.

EBITDA growth — margin expansion, pricing audits, cost rationalization, customer profitability
Owner decoupling — building the management layer so the business runs without you in every meeting
Recurring revenue — converting one-time work to contracts, retainers, or subscriptions where it makes sense
Customer concentration — diversifying the top of the revenue stack
Financial discipline — clean books, monthly close on a calendar, GAAP-aligned reporting
Process documentation — playbooks for the work that lives in your head

Deliverable: Quarterly value progression reports, updated valuation, revised exit timeline

Timeline: 12 to 36 months (varies by starting position)

Cost: Monthly retainer plus value-share at exit

Phase 04

Transaction Support

From first LOI to funded close — managing the financial side so the deal you signed is the deal you get.

This is where deals are won or lost. Most sellers go into transaction with their attorney, their CPA, and a broker whose paycheck comes when the deal closes — regardless of price. We sit on your side of the table, full-time, until the wire clears.

What we run:

You signed an LOI for X dollars. Our job is to make sure that X dollars is what hits your account at close — and that the next 18 months of earn-out, transition, and post-close obligations are structured so you actually collect the rest.

Buyer outreach strategy — coordinating with your investment banker or M&A advisor on positioning, target lists, and process design
CIM review — making sure your story is told in the buyer language, with the financials to back it up
Quality of Earnings prep and defense — pre-empting the QoE provider adjustments and protecting your EBITDA
Management presentations — coaching you through the buyer pitch and Q and A
Negotiation support — purchase price, earn-outs, working capital pegs, escrow, indemnification caps
Due diligence quarterback — managing the data room, controlling information flow, keeping diligence on schedule
Closing mechanics — purchase price true-ups, working capital settlements, escrow releases

Deliverable: Wire transfer at funded close

Timeline: 3 to 9 months from LOI

Cost: Success fee on transaction value

Ready to See Where You Stand?

The Exit Readiness Assessment takes about 4 minutes and gives you an honest read on where you are today — no sales call required.

Take the Exit Readiness Assessment Schedule a Discovery Call