Exit Readiness Starts Three Years Before the Sale
Buyers pay for businesses that run without their founders. Exit readiness starts long before the sale process.
By Claire Beaumont, Partner, finance and capital , 1 min read
Buyers pay for businesses that run without their founders. Exit readiness starts long before a sale process. Buyers pay for businesses that run without their founders. Exit readiness starts long before the sale process.
What buyers look for
Recurring revenue, clean monthly reporting, documented processes and a leadership team that can run the business without the owner. Each of these takes years to build and is very hard to fake in due diligence.
A three-year path
Year one: reporting and contracts. Year two: leadership team and processes. Year three: growth proof and a clean data room. Even if you never sell, the business becomes easier to run.
How we apply this with clients
In client work this usually becomes one priority on the quarterly plan, with a named owner and a measure the leadership team reviews every month. Our finance partners start with a short diagnostic of where the business is today, then agree the smallest change that will make a visible difference within ninety days.
Key takeaways
- Build recurring revenue and clean reporting first.
- Develop a leadership team that runs without you.
- Start three years before any planned sale.
Want to apply this in your business? Book a discovery call with a Maia Lafortezza partner.
Claire Beaumont
Claire Beaumont leads the firm's finance and capital practice. A chartered accountant and former chief financial officer of two founder-led companies, she has guided clients through capital raises, refinancings and sale processes. She advises leadership teams on cash forecasting, unit economics, board reporting and exit readiness, and writes the blog's finance coverage from the New York office.
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