Contact Us
All operating briefs

OPERATING BRIEF · 12 TO 18 MONTHS BEFORE MARKET

What should a technology company fix 18 months before exit?

Fix the areas buyers will diligence: ARR definitions, revenue recognition, IP assignment, customer concentration, contracts, leadership dependency, technical debt, security posture, and delivery repeatability. The purpose is to remove buyer discounts before the banker takes the company to market.

READING
3 min
BEST FIT
Founder-CEOs, CFOs, boards, and sponsors preparing for a sale or capital raise.
RECOMMENDED START
Investment Banking

What is really happening?

Exit readiness is won before the process. The company needs a buyer-ready operating record, not just a growth story. Every unresolved operating dependency becomes a discount, escrow issue, earnout argument, or diligence delay.

TRIGGER

Use this 12 to 18 months before an exit when the company still has diligence gaps that buyers will price into the multiple.

Questions to resolve before the next move.

  1. Q01

    How do you prepare a technology company for exit?

    Clean the areas buyers will diligence: ARR, revenue recognition, IP, contracts, dependency risk, technical debt, security, and delivery repeatability.

    Related page →
  2. Q02

    How is transaction advisory different from an investment banker?

    Transaction advisory makes the company buyer-ready before the banker manages the market process.

    Related page →
  3. Q03

    What belongs in the exit-readiness scorecard?

    Finance hygiene, customer concentration, founder dependency, data-room quality, IP assignment, technical debt, security posture, and buyer-objection readiness.

    Related page →

Relevant results.

  • Successful PE exit
  • 22% EBITDA margins maintained through growth
  • Exit Readiness Scorecard shipped as an operator resource
Successful PE exit
Justin Leader Founder Human Renaissance

Turn the brief into an operating mandate

A 14-day diagnostic converts the scenario into owners, cadence, and board-ready next actions.

Request a Turnaround Assessment