Your team deserves a plan for what happens next — whether that's 2 years from now or 10. We help owners of $2M–$20M businesses in construction, manufacturing, and professional services build companies that protect their people, run without a single point of failure, and are worth what they've earned.
Let's Start a Conversation“If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”
— Yogi Berra
In most businesses this size, the owner is the keystone. That's not a failure — it's how businesses get built. But it's a risk your team is carrying whether they know it or not.
Every decision runs through you. Your team waits. Your phone never stops. You haven't had an uninterrupted week off in years — and you know it can't keep going like this.
Your top clients know your name, not your company's. If you stepped away tomorrow, how many of those relationships survive the handoff? That's not a rhetorical question — it's a valuation question.
A competitor down the road just got acquired. Your buddy in the same trade got a call from a PE firm last month. You hear rumors about consolidation in your industry — and a voice in the back of your head asks: Why not me? And would I even be ready if they called tomorrow?
It's not the money. It's the people. What happens to the team you built? The ones who showed up early, stayed late, bet on you? That question keeps you from doing anything — and that inaction is the biggest risk of all.
Sound familiar?
Take 2 minutes to find out where your business actually stands.
Take the 7-Question Assessment →MANUFACTURING · MIDWEST · 45 EMPLOYEES · DETAILS ANONYMIZED
A manufacturer with $9M in revenue and 45 employees had hit a ceiling. The owner was the sales engine, the relationship holder, and the quality backstop. He was working 60-hour weeks and couldn't see a path to stepping back. But the thing that really kept him stuck? He couldn't imagine selling without knowing his people would be okay.
His top 10 accounts would only return his calls. We developed a sales structure that the CEO could manage and built a sales process his team could run. Our hands-on coaching upgraded the entire sales process and embedded systems into the pipeline. Read more in an article we wrote on How to build a pipeline that doesn't depend on you →
His books were “good enough” — but they were not forward looking, they only provided a look back. We cleaned up revenue recognition, deployed processes to lower DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) to increase cash throughput, and built gross-profit-by-service-line reporting. Due diligence went from a fire drill to a formality. Read more about What your financials need to look like before a sale →
He was the quality backstop and relied on one seasoned employee for training and onboarding. We documented core processes, developed his #2 and #3, and built a leadership bench that could run the business without him in the building. Read more about How to build a business that runs without you →
The business sold to a strategic acquirer at a 13× multiple. The owner walked away on his terms — not because he was forced out, but because the business was ready.
The 13× multiple was the headline. But the thing he talks about most? That his team kept their jobs, their benefits, and their futures. That's what he built for.
Every buyer — whether it's a PE firm, a strategic acquirer, or a successor — is looking for three things. We help you build all three.
If you're the one closing every deal, your revenue walks out the door when you do. We help you build a sales pipeline and a team that generates revenue without you in the room — so the business has a growth engine a buyer can trust, and you get your time back. Learn more about building a transferable sales process →
If your bank called today and asked for two years of monthly P&Ls and a balance sheet, how fast could you produce them? We help you get to predictable, transparent financials — gross profit by service line, forward-looking projections, and books clean enough that due diligence is a formality, not a fire drill. Learn more about financial readiness →
Documented processes. A leadership bench. Institutional knowledge that lives in the business, not in one person's head. We help you build the operational foundation that lets you sell, step back, or simply stop working 60-hour weeks — while protecting the people who helped you build this. Learn more about reducing owner dependence →
Sound like the kind of help you've been looking for?
Let's Start With a ConversationYou stop being the bottleneck. Your phone stops ringing on Saturday mornings. Your team starts making decisions without needing your permission — and making better ones.
Your financials tell a clear story. You know your margins by service line, your revenue is predictable, and when someone asks what your business is worth, you have a real number. You're ready to prepare your business to sell — not a guess.
Your best clients have relationships with your team, not just with you. Revenue doesn't walk out the door when you do. A buyer looks at your business and sees something they want to pay a premium for.
And the people who helped you build this? They have a future that doesn't depend on you never getting sick, never burning out, and never wanting to do something else with your life.
That's not a fantasy. It's an 18-month plan. And it starts with knowing where you are today.
Buyers in the $2M–$20M range care about three things. If you get these right, you have options. If you don't, even the best broker can't save the deal.
If your best clients would leave when you do, a buyer sees risk — not revenue. This guide breaks down what a transferable pipeline actually looks like.
Read the guide →Your books tell a story. If that story includes surprises, personal expenses, or numbers you can't explain, a buyer walks — or slashes their offer.
Read the guide →Can the business run without you for 30 days? If the honest answer is no, that's 1–2 full turns of EBITDA you're leaving behind.
Read the guide →This is the first question we address, not the last. A well-prepared exit includes planning for your team's continuity. In most well-structured sales — especially when the business has strong leadership and systems — employees are retained. Buyers want the team that built the business. The better prepared you are, the more control you have over those terms.
Most owners overestimate or underestimate — and both cost you. A real valuation looks at EBITDA, growth trajectory, customer concentration, owner dependence, and how transferable the business actually is. We start with an honest number, not a flattering one.
Good. That's actually the best time to do this work. Everything we do — reducing owner dependence, building systems, developing leadership — makes the business better to own right now. You don't have to sell to benefit. Most of our clients start by saying “I'm not selling” and end up with a business they enjoy running again.
Maybe. But not before you know what you're worth and what the business looks like through a buyer's eyes. We can help you evaluate whether an offer is real, whether the timing is right, and what you'd need to do to get a significantly better outcome if you waited.
We don't hand you a binder and wish you luck. As an exit planning consultant, we build the strategic plan, help recruit and develop your team, systematize your operations, and stay in the room until it's done. And we'll tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. If that approach makes you uncomfortable, we're probably a good fit.
Ideally 3–5 years. The businesses that sell at the highest multiples are the ones that planned furthest ahead. But even 12–18 months of focused preparation can dramatically change your outcome — as our manufacturing client's story shows.
Seven questions. Two minutes. No email required. This won't tell you what your business is worth — but it will show you where the risk is and what a buyer would see when they look under the hood.
Tell me a little about where you are. I'll reach out personally — by email or phone, your choice. No automated sequences. No drip campaigns. Just two people who've been in the arena having an honest conversation.