A buyer will look at your books before they look at you. Let us make sure they like what they see.
Exit preparation and transaction advisory from a team that has sat on both sides of the table.
- You have a horizon in mind, and the books are not ready for the room they are about to enter.
- You suspect customer concentration is a problem, but it has never been managed down.
- You have heard the phrase quality of earnings and you are not certain yours would survive it.
Why most exits underperform
Three things leave money on the table at exit. Financial fog, where the numbers cannot defend the asking price. Customer concentration that was never managed. And working capital surprises that surface in due diligence, after the price is anchored.
All three are fixable. None of them get fixed in the six months before the deal. They get fixed in the eighteen months before it.
The exit-readiness stack
- Investor-grade financials, produced the same way for long enough that the trend is real.
- Customer concentration analysis, and a plan to bring it into a range a buyer will tolerate.
- Working capital normalization, so there are no surprises in diligence.
- EBITDA quality of earnings preparation.
- Management bench depth, so the business is not entirely you.
- The narrative a buyer underwrites.
How we work with your existing team
If you already have a CPA, an attorney, or an M&A advisor, we complement them. We do not replace them.
We make their work easier and your number bigger, because the financial foundation is in place before they need it.
A note on confidentiality
Most owners exploring an exit have not told their team. We are used to that. We work quietly, and the conversation stays between us until you decide otherwise.
An owner came to us with a goal of selling inside a defined window and books that were accurate but not investor-grade. Customer concentration was higher than a buyer would accept, and working capital would have raised questions in diligence.
Across the months before the process, we addressed all three. When the buyer arrived, the diligence questions already had documented answers, and the conversation moved faster and held its number.
Exit-Oriented and Owner-Led: common questions
How far before a sale should exit preparation start?
Twelve to twenty-four months. Three things cost owners money at exit: financial fog that cannot defend the asking price, customer concentration that was never managed down, and working capital surprises that surface in diligence after the price is anchored. None of them get fixed in the last six months.
What is a quality of earnings review, and would ours survive one?
A buyer’s accountants test whether your reported EBITDA is real and repeatable. It survives when your financials have been produced the same way for long enough that the trend is credible, and when every adjustment is documented before anyone asks. We prepare for that review rather than defend it live.
Will you work with our CPA and M&A advisor?
Yes. We complement them rather than replace them. We put the financial foundation in place before they need it, which makes their work easier and your number bigger.
Can this stay confidential from our team?
Yes. Most owners exploring an exit have not told their staff, and we are used to working quietly. The conversation stays between us until you decide otherwise.
If your business is the thing you have built your life around, the last thing it deserves is a rushed exit.
Book a confidential 30-minute conversation. Every conversation is confidential, and we are used to working quietly.