FAQ
Questions we get
About the engagement. Questions about getting ready in general are answered free on The Exit Files.
What does an exit preparation engagement include?
A written readiness assessment using the Value Builder suite, a value-gap analysis comparing what you need to net against what the business would likely bring, a written twelve to twenty-four month plan, and quarterly reviews with the assessment re-run at the end.
How long does an engagement last?
Twelve to twenty-four months for a business with genuine gaps in more than one area. Six to twelve months when the business is fundamentally sound and two or three specific items need work. The assessment and plan stages take roughly nine to fourteen weeks combined.
What does it cost?
Engagements are scoped to the business, so the figure comes out of a first conversation rather than off a price list. That conversation is free, and if we think the free readiness score is all you need, we will say so.
Do I have to sell my business afterwards?
No. Some owners complete a plan and keep the business, holding something more valuable and less dependent on them. That is a successful outcome and the engagement is not structured to push you toward a sale.
Do I have to list with a particular broker afterwards?
No. The engagement letter states that you are free to take the business to any broker. It also names every advisor here who also works as a business broker, so the potential conflict is on the table from the start.
Two of your advisors are business brokers. Is that a conflict?
It is a relationship you should know about, which is why it is disclosed on every page. Two advisors also work as business brokers with First Choice Business Brokers, and Exit Path Advisors is not owned by or affiliated with that firm. If you later sell through them, they may earn a brokerage commission. Nothing in the engagement obliges you to use them.
Can I do this myself without hiring anyone?
A good deal of it, yes. Documenting process, delegating decisions, getting the largest customer under contract and taking two weeks genuinely off are things an owner can do alone. The free readiness score and the writing on The Exit Files cover the ground at no cost. What an engagement adds is sequencing, an outside read, and someone accountable for the reviews.
What if the business will not fund what I need?
Then the value-gap analysis says so early, which is the point of doing it in stage two rather than at the end. Sometimes the answer is a longer timeline, sometimes a different plan, and occasionally the honest answer is that a sale on your terms is not achievable inside your window.
Do you work outside Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado?
Most of the practice is in the Mountain West, which is where our read on local buyers and lenders is strongest. Engagements elsewhere are possible but we will tell you where our regional knowledge stops being an advantage.
Is this the same as what a business broker offers for free?
No. A brokerage is paid on a completed sale, so its free assessment is aimed at a listing decision. This is paid work aimed at changing the business over twelve to twenty-four months, and it can conclude that you should not list at all yet.