The Pre-Exit Exam

Could you sell your business tomorrow?

These are the questions a buyer's team asks in diligence. Answer them now, then see what your asking price actually puts in your pocket.

Free. No email to start.

18 diligence questions1 number that mattersabout 6 minutes

Exit readiness report Example

58 /100

Getting close

Not yetGetting closeBuyer-ready

Your score

How a buyer sees you

Scored across the six areas a buyer's accountants and lawyers dig into.

Your gaps

What it costs you in the deal

Each weak spot, translated into the terms it turns into: earnouts, escrow, a lower price.

Your number

What you actually keep

Your asking price, backed into rough take-home after fees, taxes, and debt.

Who's on the other side

Talk with an advisor who has been in your seat.

Most founders sell a business once. The buyer's team has done it hundreds of times. I built a business from the ground up and sold it to private equity, so I've been through the diligence requests, the earnout conversations, and the question of what comes after.

Today I run Answering Agent and Sandboxx Fund here in Denver, and I work with a small group of bootstrapped founders getting ready for their own exit. You know your business best. Sometimes you need someone to confirm your gut. Sometimes you need a different lens.

Aden, Sandboxx Advisory

The questions you're probably asking yourself

What is my business actually worth, and what would I keep?
Could it run without me, or am I the business?
Would my best people stay through a sale?
Is my spouse on the same page about what comes next?
Who can I talk to about this who has actually done it?

You can't ask your team, your competitors, or a broker who wants the listing. Start with the exam, and I'll reach out to talk through your results.

Final stepQuestion 19 of 19

Your Number

Last question. What's your number?

What would you want to sell for, and what does that actually put in your pocket? Rough numbers are fine. We'll back it into take-home after fees, taxes, and debt.

Annual net profit Last 12 months, including your own salary added back.

What you'd want to sell for Your gut number. No one's watching.

What you need to live on each year After the sale, from this money alone.

Debt paid off at closing Loans, lines of credit, equipment notes.

Assumptions you can change

Deal fees Broker, legal, accounting

Taxes on the gain Federal plus state

Buyer multiple, low Times profit

Buyer multiple, high Varies a lot by industry

From price to pocket

Your asking price
Deal fees
Taxes
Debt paid at closing
In your pocket

Your ask

times annual profit

Yearly income

at a 4% withdrawal

Buyer range

Price you need

to fund your yearly need

Rough planning math, not tax, legal, or financial advice. Assumes your whole price is taxable gain and all cash at close. Real deals mix in earnouts, escrow, and working capital adjustments. Talk to your CPA before you act on any of it.

Next step

Talk it through with a founder who's been through an exit.

I built a business and sold it to private equity. Whatever your score, a conversation with someone who's been across the table is worth having before you talk to a buyer. Leave your email and I'll reach out personally.

Aden, Sandboxx Advisory