Run your business as if ownership, leadership, or capital could change at any time—because eventually, it will.
Corvata provides independent, executive-level strategic advisory for federal government contractors. We help owners and leadership teams bring clarity, discipline, and structure to complex organizations where compliance, finance, operations, people, and technology intersect.
Our work is grounded in a single operating philosophy:
Exit readiness—the discipline of building a business that is durable, defensible, and transferable to an external party at any point in time.
Only 20–30% of businesses that go to market actually sell.
50% of business exits are unplanned, triggered by death, disability, divorce, disagreement, or distress.
Two-thirds of owners have no documented exit or succession plan.
Exit readiness is the state of operating a business as if an ownership transition could occur at any time—whether or not an exit is planned.
It is not a short-term transaction mindset and it is not limited to selling a business. Exit readiness is about building an organization that can withstand scrutiny from buyers, lenders, auditors, regulators, and successors without disruption to operations or erosion of value.
An exit-ready business can clearly explain:
- how decisions are made
- how money flows through the organization
- where risk resides
- what assumptions the business depends on
Exit Readiness Is:
- A continuous operating discipline
- A way of making decisions across the enterprise
- A framework for identifying and prioritizing risk
- A method for increasing enterprise value over time
Exit Readiness Is Not:
- A last-minute cleanup effort before a sale
- A valuation exercise
- A promise that a transaction will occur
- A financial statement formatting project
Exit readiness means running the business as if:
- Ownership could change
- Leadership could change
- Capital structure could change
- Oversight could increase
This mindset forces clarity around who makes decisions, how money flows through the organization, where risk is concentrated, and what assumptions the business relies upon. It exposes gaps that are often invisible to owners deeply embedded in day-to-day operations.
Exit readiness is not confined to finance. It spans the entire enterprise:
- Financial Structure — credibility of financials, indirect rates, profitability by contract or service line.
- Compliance Posture — FAR, labor, tax, licensing, registrations, cybersecurity, governance.
- Operations — documented processes, consistency of execution, scalability.
- People — reliance on key individuals, incentives, succession exposure.
- Technology & Data — system reliability, controls, reporting integrity.
Weakness in any one of these areas can materially impact valuation, deal structure, or risk tolerance.
Most organizations are built around the owner. Decisions live in people’s heads. Processes evolve organically. Controls are informal. Compliance is reactive.
This works—until it doesn’t.
The absence of exit readiness rarely shows up as failure. Instead, it shows up as discounted valuations, deal friction, lost negotiating leverage, extended diligence timelines, and increased buyer protections.
Exit readiness is fundamentally about enterprise value, not just profitability.
Two companies with identical earnings can command very different valuations based on risk concentration, quality of earnings, sustainability of cash flows, and dependence on the owner.
Exit readiness improves value by reducing perceived risk, increasing predictability, improving transparency, and strengthening negotiating position.
Over time, exit readiness becomes a filter for everyday decisions:
- Does this structure reduce risk—or concentrate it?
- Does this policy hold up under scrutiny?
- Does this process scale beyond the owner?
- Does this decision improve transferability—or undermine it?
These decisions compound.
Most business owners will experience an exit event whether they plan for it or not: sale, merger, succession, disability, death, or forced restructuring.
Exit readiness provides optionality. It allows owners to choose timing, control terms, preserve value, and reduce personal stress.
Corvata exists to help organizations think and operate at this level. We do not replace internal staff or transactional providers. We sit above day-to-day execution and evaluate the business objectively.
Our focus is not simply whether things are being done—but whether they are done in a way that stands up to scrutiny, aligns with long-term enterprise value, and reduces risk rather than masking it.
How We Work (Overview)
Assessment before advice. Strategy before spend.
Every engagement begins with a structured, scored enterprise assessment. From there, we identify gaps and risks, prioritize initiatives, build a sequenced roadmap, and provide ongoing executive-level advisory while plans are executed by your team or vendors.
We guide. You execute.
Corvata works best with:
- Owner-led and executive-managed businesses
- Federal government contractors
- Organizations with existing internal teams and external providers
- Leaders who value objectivity, rigor, and accountability
If you want someone to “do the work,” we are not the right fit. If you want to make sure the right work gets done, we are.
We work with U.S. Federal government contractors who are serious about building resilient, scalable, high-performing businesses. Our ideal clients typically have 5+ employees, $1M or more in annual revenue, and a clear ambition to grow—whether that means strengthening margins, maturing operations, expanding into new markets, or preparing for a future exit.
If you’re serious about building a resilient, scalable, transferable GovCon business, contact us today.