Exit Readiness Program · Stage 1
Know exactly what your business is worth today.
A fixed-fee, independent assessment that replaces guesswork with a valuation range, a scored view of your value drivers, and a clear plan for what to fix first.
Why start here
Decisions about your business deserve better than a rule of thumb.
Most owners carry a number in their heads that no buyer, lender or appraiser has ever tested. We review your business the way an experienced buyer and lender would, before either of them ever sees it, so you know what it is worth, what is holding that value back, and which improvements will move it most.
The Business Audit is the foundation of the Exit Readiness Program. It sets the baseline that Annual Value Monitoring tracks every quarter, and it commits you to nothing beyond the audit itself.
- Best for
- Owners who want clarity on value, risk and readiness before making a decision.
- Timeline
- Two to three weeks from receipt of your documents.
- Fee
- $5,000 flat fee. Half at signing, half on delivery.
- If we sell your business
- 100% of the fee credited toward our commission.
Scope and deliverables
A complete, independent assessment of your business.
What we review
- Financial performance review and normalisation of earnings
- Operational structure analysis
- Market positioning review
- Risk and liability scan
- Owner dependency assessment
- Value driver scoring
- Exit readiness evaluation
Written audit report
A comprehensive written assessment covering every area of review, in plain language you can act on.
Estimated valuation range
A market-based range built from your financial and operational data, with the reasoning shown.
Value driver scorecard
The factors buyers pay for, scored one by one, so you can see your strengths and your exposure at a glance.
Risk and improvement roadmap
A prioritised list of the risks we found and the improvements we recommend, in the order that matters.
90-minute review meeting
A virtual or in-person session to walk through the findings with you and answer every question.
Two to three weeks
From the day we receive your complete document package to the day your deliverables arrive.
How the audit runs
Straightforward from signature to review.
Engage
Sign a short services agreement and pay half the flat fee. You receive login details for our secure document portal.
Upload your documents
Send the items on our intake list through the portal. We confirm in writing when your package is complete, and the clock starts.
Independent analysis
We normalise your financials, score your value drivers and assess risk, owner dependency and readiness. If we need anything else, we ask.
Deliverables and review
Your report, valuation range, scorecard and roadmap arrive together, followed by a 90-minute review meeting. The balance of the fee is due on delivery.
What we will ask you for
- Three years of financial statements and business tax returns
- Year-to-date P&L and balance sheet
- Receivables aging and payables schedule
- Organisational documents and ownership summary
- Employee and contractor roster, with short bios for key people
- Top customer and vendor contracts, leases and restrictive agreements
- Intellectual property, insurance, debt and any pending claims
Everything is exchanged through a secure portal and held in confidence. We may waive items that are not relevant to your business.
Stage 2 · Annual Value Monitoring
Keep your audit current all year.
Turn your audit into a baseline and track it every quarter on a secure dashboard, with review meetings and a refreshed valuation at year end.
Your investment works twice
Every dollar you spend on readiness counts toward your sale.
If you later engage The Exit Strategy Co. to sell your business and the sale closes, 100% of the fees you paid for the Business Audit and Annual Value Monitoring are credited against our commission. The work you do to understand and grow your value is never wasted, and the advisor who knows your business best is already in place when you are ready.
The credit is subject to a separate written listing engagement, applies only to commission owed to The Exit Strategy Co., has no cash value, and cannot exceed the commission owed.
Independent, and clear about what it is.
The audit and dashboard are planning tools built on the information you provide and on market data. They are not a certified appraisal, an audited financial statement, or legal, tax or investment advice. What they give you is an experienced, practical view of your business from people who have bought, built and sold companies of their own.
Common questions
Before you book.
Do I have to sell my business?
How does the audit fit the Exit Readiness Program?
What if I do not have every document on the list?
How is my information protected?
Start with clarity
Find out what your business is worth, and what would make it worth more.
A fixed fee, a defined scope, and results in two to three weeks.