How ready is your business to sell? | Exit Facilitation Team

Answer the next 10 questions using a scale of 1 – 4

1 = Non Existent
4 = Yes in place & up to date

Management Team

Successful businesses usually have a great team. On a scale of 1 – 10 (1 = I need to recruit and re-organise & 10 = we’re firing on all cylinders) how would you rate your own management / leadership team in terms of strengths & weaknesses including any gaps.

1 2 3 4 None

Ownership Structure

Do you personally own or control more than 50% of the issued share capital? Score 10 If less than 50% how confident can you be about the other shareholders will go along with your intentions to sell the business? (1 = bit of a mission to be honest & 10 = they’ll agree with me)

1 2 3 4 None

Business Performance

Trading has been strong over the last 3 years and this year this looks set to continue. (1 = it’s been tough but we’re still here & 10 = we’re on a roll)

1 2 3 4 None

Financials

You’ve got all the numbers anyone could want. Management accounts for the last 3 years, Audited accounts for the last 3 years, Cash forecasts, Sales forecasts, Full P&L forecasts, Industry KPI’s – you name it.
(1 = I just look at the bank to see how we’re doing & 10 = Go ahead, ask me a question, bring it on)

1 2 3 4 None

Cash

How would you describe your cash/debt situation?
(1 = I do have some short & long term loans and use invoice finance 10 = we generate cash and have been funding our own growth)

1 2 3 4 None

Assets

Does the business own a lot of assets – machinery and equipment? If yes,
(1 = we do and they are in need of replacement & 10 = we do and everything is in great nick)
If not, our business can operate without owning many assets – we’re more service driven
(1 = so the barriers to entry into our type of business are low & 10 = it’s our systems and processes that set us apart and make us difficult to copy)

1 2 3 4 None

Market

How would you describe the market you operate in – right now – and looking forward?
(1 = it’s a jungle and my suppliers are now my competition and 10 = the sector is buoyant and I’ve had a few recent approaches)

1 2 3 4 None

Operations

Thinking about all of your business processes – how would you describe them?
(1 = we tend to have lots of bits of paper 10 = we are a fully automated, bolted down ‘tight duck’ of an operation)

1 2 3 4 None

Business Model

What you do as a business is unique isn’t it?
(1 = A lot of people do what we do & 10 = we’ve got patented technology and our customers can’t get the product/service anywhere else – and we have the best team)

1 2 3 4 None

10.

Your future owner

What is the first thing a future owner of your business would do once they’d acquired your business?
(1 = take cost out and centralise administrative functions & 10 = they’ll reverse our operation into their own and change how they run their own operation)

1 2 3 4 None