How it works
Every assessment we run maps to the same four pillars, in the same order, whichever side of a deal you are on. That consistency is the point: it makes findings comparable, and it means nothing gets skipped because it was uncomfortable.
The four pillars
What we look at
1. Finance & Performance
Financial controls, management information, KPIs, reporting, cash discipline and profit visibility — whether a buyer's accountant can rely on your numbers.
2. Commercial
Customers, concentration, contracts, pipeline, revenue quality, retention and pricing — where revenue really comes from, and how repeatable it is.
3. Operations
Processes, systems, capacity, quality, plant and machinery, CAPEX, supply chain and owner dependency — whether the business runs, or you do.
4. People
Leadership, management structure, employment and TUPE exposure, key-person dependency, retention and succession — who stays after completion.
Two modes
Never blurred, never both at once
Readiness and value
Seller-side
You are thinking about selling, passing the business on, or stepping back — in a year or in five. We test the business the way a buyer will, and hand you the findings while there is still time to act on them.
- The findings belong to you, and only you
- Framed around what a buyer will discount, and by roughly how much
- Fix lists sequenced by lead time — what needs eighteen months, what needs a fortnight
- We can stay involved through the process, or hand over and step away
Forensic diligence
Buyer-side
You are acquiring, and you need to know what you are actually buying. We cover the operational, commercial and people ground your accountant and solicitor do not reach.
- Independent and evidence-led — we have no stake in the deal completing
- Red flags graded by severity and deal impact, not padded
- Findings packs your lender or investment committee can use directly
- Optional 100-day integration plan built from what we actually found
The engagement
What actually happens
An honest first conversation
Twenty minutes, free, no pitch. What you are trying to do, roughly when, and whether we are the right people for it. We say so when we are not.
Scoping
We agree what is in scope, what it costs and how long it takes, in writing, before anything starts. No open-ended engagements.
On site
We come to you. We walk the floor, talk to your people, and look at the systems as they are actually used rather than as documented.
Findings
Written up in plain English, prioritised, with the value implication of each item spelled out. Reports are dated and version-controlled — we do not quietly revise history.
What happens next is your call
Some owners take the report and run with it themselves. Some want us alongside them for the next eighteen months. Both are fine.
Not sure where you stand?
Take the free Exit-Ready Scorecard. Fifteen questions, about four minutes, and an honest read on how sale-ready your business really is.