What your business is worth today and what it will sell for are two different numbers.
The gap between them is the most valuable figure in any exit — and the one owners discover too late. Closing it is the work, and it takes 12 to 18 months. Here's an honest read on where you stand.
Why two businesses with the same earnings sell for different money
A company clearing two million in earnings doesn't sell for twice one clearing a million. It often sells for several times more. The reason is the multiple. Scale, clean records, recurring revenue, and independence from the owner all lift the multiple a buyer will pay — not just the earnings the multiple gets applied to.
That's why preparation is where the real money is made. A difference of $200,000 in your defensible earnings, at a 5× multiple, is a million dollars at closing. The same business, sold reactively the day a buyer appears versus sold after eighteen months of preparation, can carry a materially different price. The earnings barely changed. The readiness did.
Illustrative. Multiples vary by industry and company. The point is the shape: value compounds as a business gets bigger, cleaner, and less dependent on its owner.
Where do you stand?
Answer honestly — this is for you, not for a buyer. Nothing is stored or sent.
These seven questions are the surface. The readiness assessment I run with the owners I work with goes a great deal deeper — and turns a list of gaps into a plan with a timeline.