Exit readiness is not a deck. It is a business that can survive institutional scrutiny. We build that readiness over time, not in the final 90 days.
No cost. 15 minutes. No obligation.
Most owners treat exit as an event that happens when they decide to sell. By then, the work that would have maximized the multiple is already too late to do. Exit readiness means the business can survive institutional due diligence: clean financials, defensible earnings, transferable operations, and the documentation a buyer and lender require.
The numbers have to hold up to institutional due diligence. Built on private equity experience scaling portfolio companies from approximately $50M to $500M and beyond.KEYSTONE CONSULTING TEAM
An assessment of whether the business can survive institutional due diligence, with a prioritized list of what to fix before a buyer looks.
Work to make reported earnings defensible, so a buyer cannot reprice the deal by questioning how the numbers were built.
Support on transaction packaging, deal structuring, sources and uses, and the documentation a buyer and lender require, drawing on 100+ middle-market transactions.
Run a diligence-readiness assessment to find what a buyer would question, from financials to operations to owner dependence.
Prioritize and close the gaps that would reprice or kill a deal, from clean financials to transferable operations.
Make reported earnings defensible so the multiple holds under buyer scrutiny.
Support transaction packaging, structuring, and documentation through to close.
The measurable shift each engagement is built to produce.
Exit readiness is where every other discipline pays off. Clean financials, defensible earnings, capital allocation discipline, and reduced owner dependence all converge on the multiple a buyer will pay. The work done in the 12 to 36 months before a sale is what separates a strong exit from a discounted one.
Exit readiness is the KEX Index, the dimension that asks how prepared the business is for a transition, and it draws on every other index. It is built on private equity experience scaling portfolio companies through exit and the 100+ transactions Bob has led. See SBA exit planning guidance for broader context.
This work directly informs the KRI Keystone Replicability Index™, KEV Keystone Enterprise Value Index™, KCE Keystone Cash Efficiency Index™, KODI Keystone Owner Dependence Index™, KEX Keystone Exit Readiness Index™.
Exit and recapitalization readiness for businesses approaching a transition.
See the anglePractice transitions, succession, and sales where provider dependence is the central issue.
See the angleFirm transfers where book transferability and partner structure drive value.
See the angleIdeally 12 to 36 months. The work that maximizes a multiple, clean financials, defensible earnings, reduced owner dependence, cannot be done in the final quarter. The earlier you start, the higher the multiple.
It means a buyer can trace and trust your reported earnings and cannot reprice the deal by questioning how the numbers were built. It is the difference between a multiple that holds and one that erodes in diligence.
We prepare the business and support transaction packaging, structuring, and documentation. If a broker or investment banker is the right path, we coordinate with them. We are not a broker.
The documentation, reporting, and metrics that translate to enterprise value when you are ready to sell or tra
Explore serviceMonthly CFO advisory, quarterly strategy sessions, and direct accountability. We operate as part of your leade
Explore serviceRetained earnings, owner draws, and reinvestment aligned to one plan, because business decisions and personal
Explore serviceThe Keystone Value Creation Assessment™ audits your last 12 to 36 months and gives you a written summary whether you engage us or not. If there is not a clear opportunity to create value, we will tell you directly.