THE READINESS DIAGNOSTIC
Know what a buyer, a lender, or your replacement will find, before they find it.
10 business days · evidence-verified · fixed fee
An instinct is not the same as knowing.
You know the business from the inside. That is not the same as knowing what someone else can verify.
An instinct is not the same as knowing, and it is not something a buyer, a bank, or a general manager can act on. The diagnostic puts the evidence in front of you.
Why this is not a questionnaire.
| A self-assessment questionnaire | An evidence-based assessment | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | What the owner believes about the business | What the owner's documents prove about the business |
| Who supplies the answer | The owner, from memory | The records, the contracts and the financials |
| If a document cannot be produced | The owner still rates the item | The criterion cannot score above 1 |
| Built for | Any business in any industry | Skilled trades, 25 criteria, built around how these businesses actually fail |
| What you are left with | A number | A number, the evidence behind each score, and the order to fix them in |
A buyer's diligence team will not accept your opinion of the business. It is the same test, run early, while you still have time to change the answer.
We get paid the same whether you sell or not.
Most firms that offer to get your business ready are paid at closing. We are paid for the work, by you, at a fixed fee agreed in writing before anything starts. So when the honest answer is that you should not sell yet, we can say it out loud.
WHAT WE EXAMINE
Five dimensions. Twenty-five criteria.
D1 · Financial Performance
Financial statements, margins, cash visibility and the records behind the numbers.
D2 · Operational Efficiency
Documented workflows, repeatable delivery and what happens when the owner is absent.
D3 · Sales Process
The sales process, customer relationships, revenue concentration and how work arrives.
D4 · Management Structure
Decision authority, the management bench, pay structures and accountability.
D5 · Exit & Growth Readiness
The evidence a buyer, lender or incoming leader would need to understand and run the business.
THE RULE
The documents decide.
If a document can't be produced, that criterion can't score above 1. No exceptions, however convincing the conversation. That's what makes the score mean something.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
A finding you can act on.
Evidence-verified scorecard
The 25 criteria, scored against the documents you provide.
Evidence and gap register
What was produced, what is missing, and what each gap means.
Owner-dependency assessment
Where decisions and relationships still rely on you.
Three priority actions
An ordered starting point for the work, rather than a list without direction.
Review call and written report
Walk through the findings with Darren and leave with the report.
HOW IT RUNS
Ten business days. A defined finish.
Day 1 · Start with the evidence
Kickoff, document request and agreement on access.
Day 5 · Examine the gaps
Review the supplied evidence and clarify anything missing.
Day 8 · Assemble the findings
Complete scoring and identify the priorities.
Day 10 · Review together
Walk through your report, the evidence and your next decisions.
One full scope for every client.
WHAT IT COSTS · STANDALONE DIAGNOSTIC
One fixed fee for the whole engagement, quoted in writing after a 20-minute Readiness Review.
No retainers. No hourly billing. No ongoing commitment.
Nothing begins until you have the exact scope and the exact price in writing.
If you don't think the diagnostic was worth what you paid, tell us within 30 days of your review call and we'll refund the full fee. No argument and no questions.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Boundaries that matter.
- We don't broker or take listings.
- We don't value the business.
- We don't take a cut of any sale through the standalone diagnostic.
- We don't do the work for you.
AFTERWARDS
You decide what to do with it.
If you want help fixing what it finds, that's the Readiness Build. Entirely optional.
EXPLORE THE READINESS BUILD