Whatever your score, this is the part that matters
A checklist can tell you how tidy your business looks on paper. It cannot tell you what a buyer will actually pay, whether someone is looking for exactly your business right now, or what a professional can see that you can't. Only a conversation does that. A high score means you may be closer to a strong sale than you think. A low score means there is value to be built, and knowing where to start is worth its weight. Either way, the move is the same: talk to a broker. It's free, it's confidential, and it turns a score into a plan.
A checklist tells you half the story
This tool is genuinely useful, it points at the levers buyers care about, and working on them lifts your value. But treat it as a starting point, not a verdict. Two businesses with the same score can be worth very different amounts, and a business that scores poorly on paper can still be exactly what a particular buyer is hunting for today. Markets, buyer appetite and timing move in ways no self assessment can capture.
That is the real reason to talk to a broker regardless of your number. A good broker may already have buyers circling your sector. They may see an angle on your business you are too close to notice. They know what is selling right now and for how much, which no checklist can. And if the honest answer is that you are a year or two from ready, they will tell you that too, and help you plan the run up so those years build value instead of drifting. Planning your exit with a professional is not a step you take once you are ready. It is how you get ready.
What the score bands mean
If you scored well, you may be closer to a sale ready position than most owners, and the priority is to understand your number and test the market's appetite before your circumstances or the cycle change. If you landed in the middle, you have a saleable business with clear, fixable gaps, and a focused twelve to twenty four month plan can lift both the price and the certainty of a sale. If you scored low, that is not bad news, it is a map, every point on this checklist is buildable, and the owners who start early are the ones who sell well. In all three cases the next step is the same conversation.
Common questions
How do I know if my business is ready to sell?
Run through the nine areas a buyer assesses: whether the business runs without you, whether the financials are clean, customer concentration, recurring versus one off revenue, your team, plant and equipment, licences and compliance, systems and documentation, and whether there is a credible growth story. Most businesses fall short on two or three of those, and most of those gaps are closeable in twelve to twenty four months.
What is the single biggest thing that reduces what a business sells for?
Owner dependence. If you hold the customer relationships, quote the work, solve the problems and make every decision, a buyer is not purchasing a business, they are purchasing a job that depends on someone who is leaving. Buyers discount heavily for it and it is the most common issue across every sector.
How long does it take to get a business ready for sale?
Twelve to twenty four months for most, longer if there is significant work on owner dependence or customer concentration. That is why finding out early matters more than finding out accurately. Two years of targeted work on the right two or three issues is frequently worth more than anything achieved in the negotiation itself.
Does customer concentration really matter that much?
Yes. If one customer is more than about twenty five percent of revenue, buyers get uneasy. Over forty percent and it materially affects the price, because the buyer is assessing what happens if that customer leaves after settlement. Broadening the base takes time, which is exactly why it is worth identifying well before you go to market.
Can you tell me what to fix first?
That is what the appraisal conversation is for. It is free, confidential and carries no obligation, and it covers where your business currently sits against what buyers assess, what they would question, and which two or three things would move the number most in the time you have.