Exit Readiness Checklist
Clean books, clean contracts, clean story — 18 months out.
“Exit readiness is not a document you write in the month before sale. It's a state your business either lives in or doesn't — and getting there takes 18 months of deliberate preparation.”
The Insight
Buyers pay different multiples for different levels of readiness. Everything messy becomes a negotiation discount; everything clean becomes a premium justification. The checklist is the map from 'saleable' to 'enthusiastically buyable' — and the journey between them routinely adds 20-40% to the final number.
01
Clean Books
Three years of audited financials. Every number buyers ask about has a clear answer within an hour.
02
Clean Contracts
03
Clean Story
The Takeaway
Eighteen months of deliberate preparation across three dimensions. The business that arrives at the sale table with clean books, clean contracts, and clean story commands the price it deserves — and not a penny less.
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