Business Valuation & Exit
Know what it is worth. Then build the business a buyer will pay for.
Most owners exit by accident: a health scare, a burnout, an offer that arrives before the business is ready. We start with a supported Estimate of Value, find the gap between today and your exit goal, then do the work that closes it: a business that runs without you, with the numbers to prove it.
Why prepare before you are ready
Most businesses never sell. The ones that do were built for it.
A buyer is not buying your hard work. They are buying earnings that will keep arriving after you leave. Businesses fail to sell because they depend on the owner, or because the records, the team and the systems a buyer expects are not there yet. Preparation turns an operation into an asset, and it pays whether or not you ever sell.
More profit, less of you
Preparation pays either way
The work that raises what a buyer would pay is the same work that gives you higher margins, steadier sales and a business that needs less of your time. If you never sell, you still win.
Control
You decide when, how and to whom
Start early and you choose the timing, the buyer and the terms. Wait for the offer and the buyer chooses for you. Preparing does not mean leaving; it means having the option.
Evidence
A number you can stand behind
A supported Estimate of Value, a readiness assessment and a record of improved performance give a buyer confidence and give you negotiating strength. The outcome still depends on the buyer, the market and the deal.
Valuation
What is your business actually worth?
Whether you are thinking of selling, scaling, or just want a baseline, the number matters. We are certified in the Value Builder System. We assess financial and operational performance, apply industry transaction benchmarks and the valuation method that fits your business (seller’s discretionary earnings, adjusted EBITDA or revenue multiples), and prepare an advisory Estimate of Value. We explain the method, the inputs, the adjustments and the assumptions, so you understand the number, not just receive it.
Then it becomes a scoreboard. Re-score the eight drivers each year and watch the value move as the business changes.
The Value Builder System scores
- Financial performance. Revenue and profit history, and how reliable they are
- Growth potential. How much more the business could do, and how fast
- Customer satisfaction. Whether customers come back and refer
- Plus five more drivers. The other five core domains that decide what a buyer would pay
The outcome is a clear, objective picture of the strengths and weaknesses that set the value, and a list of the moves that raise it.
The Estimate of Value is a planning tool, not a promised sale price, and it does not replace a formal valuation by a Chartered Business Valuator when the purpose calls for one.
How we work together
Analysis connected to execution
A valuation on its own tells you the number. We connect it to the work that moves the number, and then help you and your team do that work on the business performance coaching cycle.
1 · Assess
Establish your starting point
Review financials and operations, use the Value Builder System, and clarify your exit date, target proceeds and how involved you want to be after the sale. Output: an Estimate of Value with explained inputs, and a prioritised sale-readiness assessment.
2 · Plan
Close the gap on purpose
Compare your expectations with the assessment and pick the changes that matter most: margins, sales consistency, customer concentration, management capability, operating systems, financial visibility. Output: a 90-day plan tied to your exit goal and your capacity.
3 · Implement
Build the business behind the number
Coach the owner and the team, transfer what depends on you to people and repeatable processes, track results in weekly and quarterly reviews. Output: completed improvements, performance trends and organised supporting records.
4 · Prepare the handoff
Hand the transaction team a business that makes sense
Coordinate the business information with your appointed advisers and support the operational transition. Output: a clearer business story and preparation materials for the people who run the sale.
Timeline
One to five years is ideal
Start while there is time to make improvements and show a record of them. A 90-day plan is one improvement cycle, not sale readiness. Selling now? Involve a transaction adviser early and we focus on the urgent gaps.
Where it lives
Elite MasterMIND or one-on-one
Build-to-sell owners join Elite MasterMIND for the community and the group financial review, or 1:1 Business Performance Coaching for the privacy and the team involvement.
What buyers pay for
Four things every serious buyer looks for
Earnings
Profit that holds up
A healthy profit figure is more useful when the team, the customers and the systems can sustain it after you are gone. We connect the earnings story to the way the business actually runs.
Independence
A business that works without you
Clear roles, delegated decisions, trained managers and documented processes. The aim is a business that can operate through a change of ownership. That is what every Avid program builds, which is why exit planning uses the same system.
Customers
Revenue that is not one phone call away
Customers who come back and refer, spread across enough accounts that no single one can sink the year, with relationships that belong to the business rather than to you.
Records
Evidence of what has changed
Profitability, sales, customer concentration and team capability tracked over time, with records organised so a buyer can see the improvement instead of taking your word for it.
Illustrative example, not a forecast
An owner wants to sell, but personally handles every estimate, every major customer and every production problem. Together we build an estimating process, develop a capable team lead, transfer the customer knowledge and start tracking margins. A buyer can then assess a functioning operation with documented responsibilities, rather than relying on the seller’s promises.
Where the other professionals fit
We prepare the business. The specialists run the deal.
Preparing for a sale takes a team. Our part is the business performance and implementation work that makes the business ready. Compare the actual scope, deliverables and implementation support when you choose whom to engage.
CBV
Chartered Business Valuator
An independent formal valuation when the purpose calls for it: a transaction, a change of ownership, a tax matter or a dispute.
Accountant and tax adviser
Reporting, tax and net proceeds
Financial reporting, tax planning and the effect of the deal structure on what you actually keep.
Lawyer
Structure, contracts and closing
Legal structure, contracts, obligations and the closing documentation.
Broker or M&A adviser
The sale mandate
Buyer outreach, offers and the transaction negotiation under an agreed mandate. We do not sell your business for you; we can point you to trusted professionals who do.
Avid
The gap between the business you own and the business you want to sell
Business performance and implementation work that supports readiness for sale, delivered with your accountant, lawyer, CBV and broker or M&A adviser each covering their own specialist work. We do not guarantee a sale, a buyer, a price or an increase in value. Transaction, tax and legal work belongs with the appropriately engaged specialists.
Questions owners ask
Before you decide
Why prepare my business for sale now if I am not ready to sell?
Because the preparation makes the business more efficient, more scalable and more valuable, and it reduces how much of your time it demands in the meantime. Owners who prepare early get the option to sell on their terms. Owners who wait get the terms of whoever shows up.
What if I am not ready to step away?
You do not have to leave. Preparing gives you control over when, how and to whom you sell, and the improvements raise profit and independence while you stay on. Many owners prepare the business, then decide they want to keep it.
What does the Estimate of Value involve?
We assess financial and operational performance with the Value Builder System, apply industry transaction benchmarks and the valuation method that fits your business, and prepare an advisory Estimate of Value with the method, inputs, adjustments and assumptions explained. It is a planning tool, not a promised sale price, and it does not replace a formal valuation by a Chartered Business Valuator when the purpose calls for one.
How long does it take to prepare a business for sale?
It depends on where the business is today and what your exit goal is. One to five years is ideal, because it leaves time to make the improvements and to show a record of them. A 90-day plan is one improvement cycle, not sale readiness. If you need to sell now, involve a transaction adviser early and we focus on the urgent gaps.
My business depends heavily on me. Is that a problem?
It is the most common one, and it is fixable. We help clarify roles, delegate decisions, train managers and document the key processes, so the business can operate through a change of ownership. Buyers pay for a business that runs without the owner.
Will you find a buyer for my business?
No. We prepare the business; a broker or M&A adviser runs the sale under their own mandate, with your accountant, lawyer and CBV covering their specialist work. We will tell you what makes the business attractive to buyers and can refer you to trusted professionals for the transaction itself.
What does it cost?
The valuation and the preparation work are scoped to your business, your timeline and your capacity, and confirmed in your engagement before anything starts. Build-to-sell owners usually work with us through Elite MasterMIND or 1:1 Business Performance Coaching. The first conversation is free and takes about thirty minutes.
Want to know the number? Start with a conversation.
Thirty minutes. We will ask about your exit date, your required proceeds and what happens when you step away, then tell you whether preparation or an immediate transaction is the main need.
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