Your Exit Planning Resource Center

Business Operations 32 min read

Institutionalizing Sales - Building Scalable Processes Beyond the Founder

Transform founder-driven sales into repeatable scalable processes that reduce key person dependency and position your business for stronger buyer interest

Dec 26, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 22 min read

Three Conversations That Can Reduce Exit Friction - Preparing Your Inner Circle for a Business Sale

Learn how proactive stakeholder conversations with partners, employees, and family can help reduce friction during your business exit process

Dec 25, 2025

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Financial Planning and Considerations 21 min read

Finance Team Dynamics - How CFO-Controller Relationships Influence Your Exit Readiness

Learn how CFO-Controller collaboration signals operational maturity to buyers and can affect perception of your company during due diligence

Dec 25, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 23 min read

Turnover Tells the Truth - What Your Attrition Reveals to Buyers

Employee attrition patterns expose organizational health during due diligence. Learn what turnover data reveals and how to prepare your retention narrative.

Dec 24, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 21 min read

Toxic Positivity Is a Red Flag for Acquirers - Why Buyers Distrust Organizations Where Disagreement Is Suppressed

Sophisticated buyers probe for authentic organizational culture during due diligence. Learn why toxic positivity signals dysfunction and what healthy disagreement looks like.

Dec 24, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 22 min read

The Three-Year Exit Runway - Why Serious Exit Preparation Starts Years Before Going to Market

Exit preparation requires years of organizational and financial optimization. Learn the three-year framework that positions your business for maximum options

Dec 24, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 19 min read

The January Effect - Why Q1 Matters for Business Exits

Seasonal M&A patterns suggest Q1 listing timing may improve buyer engagement for lower middle market business owners planning exits

Dec 24, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 22 min read

The HR Audit You Should Run First - Employment Compliance Before Due Diligence

HR audit framework reveals compliance gaps before buyers discover them during due diligence. Protect your valuation with proactive employment documentation review

Dec 24, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 22 min read

The Deal Falls Through - Now What? Recovering When Your Exit Transaction Collapses

Learn how to manage organizational and psychological aftermath of failed exits while preserving future optionality for successful subsequent transactions

Dec 24, 2025

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Due Diligence 22 min read

Technology Due Diligence - What Buyers Really Evaluate in Your Systems

Learn how buyers assess technology during M&A due diligence and discover frameworks to evaluate and strengthen your systems before going to market

Dec 24, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 20 min read

Remote Work Policies as Cultural Signals - What Buyers Learn About Your Management Philosophy During Due Diligence

Your approach to workplace flexibility reveals trust levels and adaptability that sophisticated buyers evaluate when assessing acquisition targets

Dec 24, 2025

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Cultural Fit and Leadership 23 min read

Passive-Aggressive Management Is Visible in Your Financials - How Buyers May Decode Cultural Dysfunction

Learn how passive-aggressive management can create financial patterns that sophisticated buyers investigate during due diligence and how to address issues

Dec 24, 2025

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Due Diligence 22 min read

Customer Satisfaction Metrics - Building Documentation for Business Diligence

Learn which customer satisfaction metrics buyers request during diligence and how to implement NPS and CSAT measurement systems before exit

Dec 24, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 25 min read

When Your Accountant Knows More Than Your CFO - Why External Advisor Dependency Concerns Acquirers

External advisor dependency signals capability gaps that worry buyers. Build internal competence demonstrating organizational self-sufficiency before exit.

Dec 23, 2025

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Cultural Fit and Leadership 23 min read

The Entitlement Culture That Tanks Multiples - How Employee Expectations Erode Business Value

Learn how entitlement culture affects exit valuations and how to restore performance-based accountability before buyers identify risks in due diligence

Dec 22, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 22 min read

The B Player Problem - Why Mediocre Managers Tank Your Company Value

Learn why tolerating mediocre managers signals dysfunction to acquirers and how to identify and address B players before they derail your exit

Dec 22, 2025

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Business Valuation 26 min read

Quality Certifications as M&A Value Drivers - How ISO Standards and Industry Credentials May Influence Valuations

Learn how ISO certifications and quality standards can affect business valuations in M&A transactions and signal operational maturity to buyers

Dec 22, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 28 min read

The Hit by a Bus Audit - Identifying Single Points of Failure Before Buyers Do

A framework for identifying key person dependencies and making informed decisions about which warrant investment versus deal structure solutions

Dec 21, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 25 min read

The Facilities Audit - How Deferred Maintenance Costs Affect Your Business Valuation

Learn how deferred maintenance affects business valuation and discover frameworks for addressing facility condition concerns before your exit

Dec 21, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 33 min read

The Compressed-Timeline Value Sprint - Prioritized Actions for Exit Preparation Under Time Pressure

Framework for business owners facing compressed exit timelines who need focused improvement strategies before sale

Dec 21, 2025

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Exit Strategy, Planning, and Readiness 24 min read

Customer Calls During Due Diligence - What Buyers Really Ask Your Key Accounts

Learn what buyers probe for during customer reference calls and how to prepare key accounts without coaching scripted responses that damage credibility

Dec 21, 2025

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Entrepreneurial Psychology 13 min read

The Five Cognitive Traps That Keep Business Owners From Building Exit-Ready Companies

Understanding temporal discounting, control illusions, identity fusion, succession fantasies, and profit conflation - the psychological patterns that derail exit readiness despite operational competence.

Dec 1, 2025

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