Most owners sign before they're ready
Our eight-dimension readiness assessment for your business exit strategy reveals your actual timeline before you engage with a buyer, ensuring thorough exit preparation assessment and M&A readiness.
Why this matters
You
Solution
Buyer
- First business exit.
- Never negotiated with serious buyers.
- Never managed due diligence.
- Zero experience.
- Zero knowledge of red flags.
Buyer
Solution
Buyer
- Acquired dozens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of businesses.
- Have acquisition teams.
- Have templates.
- Know every red flag.
- Have institutional knowledge spanning decades and billions in transaction value.
Costs
Solution
Solution
- That imbalance costs unprepared sellers millions in preventable losses.
- Price cuts.
- Tax inefficiency.
- Operational distraction.
- Team attrition.
- Emotional toll.
- Lost years.
Solution
Solution
Solution
- We orchestrate specialist advisors (tax, operations, legal, accounting).
- You coordinate and execute on your timeline,
- not a buyer's.
- Then you approach the market from a position of strength.
Eight dimensions determine your exit readiness.
Financial statements quality
Financial statements quality
Financial statements quality
Are your books audit-ready?
Management independence
Financial statements quality
Financial statements quality
Does the business function without you?
Customer concentration
Financial statements quality
Customer concentration
Is revenue diversified or at risk?
Tax optimization
Financial statements quality
Customer concentration
Is your structure optimized for this sale?
Compliance & legal
Working capital & assets
Operations documentation
Are there undisclosed liabilities?
Operations documentation
Working capital & assets
Operations documentation
Can your team execute without you?
Working capital & assets
Working capital & assets
Working capital & assets
Is efficiency optimal?
Personal & family
Working capital & assets
Working capital & assets
Are you truly ready?
Two paths forward
Score 7-8 on readiness assessment.
You're ready (20% of owners).
Timeline: 4-6 months to close. We orchestrate buyer outreach, competitive bids, final negotiations, and closing. You maintain leverage throughout.
Score 3-6 on readiness assessment.
You need preparation (80% of owners)
Timeline: 6-24 months preparation THEN close. We orchestrate specialist advisors (tax, operations, legal, accounting). You coordinate and execute on your timeline, not a buyer's. Then you approach the market from a position of strength.
True cost of unprepared exits
Professionals with skin in the game
Agile and nimble advisors who've lived exits themselves, not career service employees:
- Accountants - Assurance, quality of earnings, tax, working capital.
- Entrepreneurs - Built, sold, exited businesses similar to yours
- Executives - Leadership and functional experts
- Intermediaries - Investment Bankers, advsiors and busienss brokers aligned with your deal size.
- Lawyers - Tax, mergers, aquistions specialist.
- Lenders - Acquisition financing, buyer lending requirements.
- Risk & Insurance - Reps & warranties, earnout and tax planning.
- Wealth Managers - Wealth preservation, tax, philantrophy and retirement planning.
Your advisory team
Key difference:
- You interview, select your advisors.
- Shaughnesy coordinates, orchestrates, quarterbacks.
- Your team, aligned on your succesfull outcome.