From Ron’s articles in Forbes Business Council and Fast Company Executive Board.
The Map
Question 1 of 13
Could your business run 90 days without you, and could you prove it with an org chart and named backups?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Does it run without you?
No is a fine answer. It’s what your result is built from. No financials, and one email at the end shows your result.
Question 2 of 13
Does someone besides you hold the key licenses, the bonding, and the top customer relationships?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Does it run without you?
Question 3 of 13
Is your biggest customer under 25% of your revenue?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Will the revenue still be here after I buy?
Question 4 of 13
Are your top customers on signed agreements, with renewal dates spread out instead of stacked?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Will the revenue still be here after I buy?
Question 5 of 13
Have your financials ever been cleaned up the way a buyer’s accountant would (add-backs proven, one-time items separated)?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Can I verify your earnings without trusting you?
Question 6 of 13
Could you hand over three years of financials tomorrow without a scramble?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Can I verify your earnings without trusting you?
Question 7 of 13
If you were out for 90 days starting tomorrow, with no warning, could someone else sign checks, run payroll, and talk to your bank?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: If you were gone tomorrow, does it survive?
Question 8 of 13
Do you know what you’d actually keep after tax, under your current setup?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Do you know your number and your terms?
Question 9 of 13
Do you know your floor: the lowest number you’d take if the wrong things happened at the wrong table?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Do you know your number and your terms?
Question 10 of 13
Can you name the three most likely buyers of your business, by type and by name?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Who would actually buy it?
Question 11 of 13
Do you know who bought your closest competitor, and what that buyer is doing now?
Say yes only if you could prove it today, on paper.
A buyer’s question: Who would actually buy it?
Two more, not scored
Roughly how big is the business, by annual revenue?
A range, not a number. It only picks which version of the result fits you.
Last one, not scored
Where are you with the idea of selling, if at all?
There is no wrong answer here. Most of this work pays off whether you ever sell or not, so ‘not planning to sell’ is a real and common place to start.
You answered all 13 questions.
Your stage, your Buyer-Ready Score, your weakest spot and your first move are ready. Enter your email and your result appears right here, in plain English.
Why it is free: the Map shows you where a buyer would look. Turning that into your own number is the paid step, and only if you want it.
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Educational estimates only. Not an appraisal, valuation opinion, or tax, legal or investment advice. Your results depend on the numbers you enter and on facts we do not see. Talk to your own CPA and attorney before you act.
Educational estimates only. Not an appraisal, valuation opinion, or tax, legal or investment advice. This report is generated from the information you provide and from general ranges we have seen in lower middle market businesses. It has not been prepared by a licensed appraiser, it does not follow any appraisal standard, and it is not a substitute for a formal valuation, a quality-of-earnings review, or the advice of your own CPA, attorney, or financial advisor. Figures shown are illustrative and will differ, sometimes materially, from any price an actual buyer offers or any value a professional assigns. Nothing here is an offer to buy or sell a business or a security, and nothing here creates an advisory relationship. You are responsible for your own decisions. Before you act on anything in this report, have your own professional advisors review your specific situation.
Who built the Map
Built by someone who grew up in a shop like yours.
Ron Smith, CM&AA®, grew up in his family’s HVAC business. A decade on Wall Street, then 15 years in family-business advisory, on the owner’s side of the table. Every question in the Map is something a buyer’s team checks on site. He wrote Buyer-Ready so you can check it first.
