Exit Readiness

When an owner says, “I want to sell in the next year,” what they often mean is, “I’m ready to be done.” Those are not the same thing. A transferable company is not built in the final 12 months before a transaction. It is engineered years earlier — often a [...]

Most owners believe exit is a choice. The data says otherwise. More than half of business exits are not voluntary. They are forced by circumstance. And in the middle market — particularly in founder-led government contractors — the trigger is often one of the five D’s: Death Disability Divorce Distress [...]

Many business owners don’t own businesses. They own jobs with equity risk. The difference between a job and a transferable asset is owner independence. The Hidden Cost of Being Indispensable Owners often wear indispensability as a badge of honor. Buyers see it as risk. If you are: The sole decision-maker [...]

Many owners believe valuation is a formula. In reality, valuation is a risk-adjusted confidence score. For federal government contractors, buyers are not just buying earnings—they are buying compliance posture, sustainability, and predictability. The Myth of EBITDA as the Whole Story EBITDA matters—but it is not decisive. Two businesses with identical [...]

Most business owners think exit planning begins when they’re ready to sell. That assumption quietly destroys value. For U.S. federal government contractors in particular, exit outcomes are determined years before a transaction—often before an owner ever considers one. The real driver of a successful exit is not timing, deal structure, [...]