Before any serious exit discussion, I run a simple internal audit.

Red.

Yellow.

Green.

Four categories.

  • Financial clarity.
  • Customer concentration.
  • Leadership depth.

Process documentation.

If a company is green across all four, the market responds strongly.

If it is yellow, multiples compress slightly.

If it is red in multiple categories, timing should shift toward preparation, not listing.

This is not about criticism.

It is about sequencing.

Owners who rush to market while still in red often regret it.

Owners who intentionally move toward green capture premium pricing.

If you would like to run this audit confidentially, we can do so in a Readiness Review.

You may already be closer to green than you think.

If not, that simply defines the roadmap.

Preparation precedes leverage.