Business exit
Selling, handing on or winding down.
A thoughtful exit often starts years before a sale. Understand what makes a business transferable, and where to focus first.
Exit readiness
What buyers and successors look at.
- Owner dependency
- How much of the business relies on you personally — relationships, decisions, knowledge — and how easily that can transfer.
- Documented procedures
- Whether the way the business runs is written down well enough for someone else to follow.
- Key staff
- Whether people other than you can manage daily operations, and how secure those roles are through a change of ownership.
- Concentration
- How reliant the business is on a small number of customers or suppliers — a common concern for buyers.
- Financial records
- How clear, current and separate your business records are. Buyers and their advisers will ask early.
- Timing and successor
- When you would like to step back, and whether a family member, employee or outside buyer is a realistic successor.
The assessment
A readiness review, not a valuation.
Our business exit assessment will take you through each area as a separate step, then summarise owner dependency, documentation readiness, operational risks, preparation tasks and questions for a broker or accountant. It uses ranges, not confidential figures.
Official guidance