Financial Cleanup
Numbers buyers can trust
Financial statements are clean enough to explain earnings and add-backs.
Business Systems Inspection
12-Month Sale Readiness Inspection
A focused paid diagnostic when the self-assessment or Field Guide shows enough pain that the next move deserves custom evidence, not another guess.
Starts around $2,500. Order directly when the problem is clear; contact first when the scope is fuzzy.
If I had to sell within a year, what would hurt me first?
First consulting layer
Use the Inspection when the next decision is expensive enough to deserve evidence.
The 12-Month Sale Readiness Inspection typically starts around $2,500. It focuses on one problem area through interview, evidence review, and practical operating context before recommending a Field Visit, 90-Day Buildout, or a smaller internal fix.
If you arrived through the side door, start with the free 12-Month Sale Readiness Self-Assessment. If you want a lower-cost working resource first, use the 12-Month Sale Readiness Field Guide.
- Focused intakeWe review the self-assessment, the visible pain, and what decision you are trying to make.
- Evidence requestWe ask for practical records, reports, examples, and numbers that show how the issue works in real life.
- Inspection reportYou receive a written recommendation for the next practical move and whether deeper work is worth it.
Trust check
This Inspection is not for you if you only want general education or a rubber stamp.
The Inspection works when the owner is willing to share enough real evidence for the recommendation to mean something.
What can be clearer in 30-90 days
12-Month Sale Readiness Inspection should make the next practical step easier to choose.
Diagnostic review means SweetSpot checks the issue against your records, interviews, and operating context so the next move can be internal action, a Field Visit, or a 90-Day Buildout.
- First 30 days: pull financial cleanup notes, customer concentration, contract records, owner-held relationships, key employee risk, and diligence files.
- Days 30-60: inspect which buyer-facing issue should be cleaned up first instead of trying to polish every part of the business at once.
- Days 60-90: choose one diligence packet, customer-risk review, or owner-dependency cleanup step before a broker process or buyer conversation adds pressure.
What we inspect
The Inspection looks at the actual operating pattern, not just the owner's best guess.
For this owner situation, the most useful questions are usually hiding in the specific capabilities below. The goal is to determine whether the visible pain is the real issue or a symptom coming from somewhere nearby.
Owner Dependency
Whether the business survives transition
Customers, vendors, employees, and managers can operate without everything routing through the owner.
Customer and Revenue Quality
What buyers will believe
Customer concentration, recurring work, contract quality, and revenue durability are visible.
Operations and Systems
Whether delivery is repeatable
Key processes are documented enough for buyers to understand.
People and Retention
Whether the team stays
Key employees are identified and retention risk is understood.
Diligence Readiness
Whether records survive scrutiny
Contracts, leases, licenses, equipment records, customer files, HR documents, and legal issues are organized.
Start the Inspection
Two practical paths.
Starts around $2,500. Order directly when the problem is clear; contact first when the scope is fuzzy.
Order the 12-Month Sale Readiness Inspection
$2,500 starting point through Stripe
Use this path when the problem and scope are clear enough to begin the focused diagnostic.
Contact Us About the Scope
Best when the problem is still fuzzy
Send the assessment context and the plain-language version of what feels stuck. This is the right path when you are not sure whether the owner situation, scope, or timing is correct.
Send Context and Schedule a CallWhy custom review matters
The symptom and the cause are often not in the same place.
A small business may look like it has a 12-month sale readiness problem when the real blocker is cash visibility, capacity, owner bandwidth, management depth, pricing, customer mix, or handoffs. The Inspection is built to find that connection before a larger fix is sold.
Inspection FAQ
12-Month Sale Readiness Inspection FAQ
How do I prepare my small business to sell in 12 months?
Start with financial cleanup, customer and contract documentation, owner dependency, key employee risk, and buyer-facing operating evidence.
Start with the right path
What reduces small business sale value?
Messy books, owner dependence, customer concentration, weak contracts, employee risk, inconsistent margins, and late diligence surprises all hurt value.
Start with the right path
Should I go to market before cleaning up the business?
Sometimes timing requires it, but cleanup before buyer review usually improves credibility, price, and terms.
Start with the right path
Is this the same as hiring a broker?
No. Sale readiness is about preparing the business before or alongside a sale process.
Start with the right path
What happens after the self-assessment?
Use the result to choose the most urgent cleanup area, buy the Field Guide, or order an Inspection if the sale timeline is real.
Start with the right path
What is the 12-Month Sale Readiness Inspection?
It is a focused Business Systems Inspection for the 12-Month Sale Readiness owner situation. It digs into one problem area using interviews, evidence, and operating context.
Start with the right path
What does the Inspection cost?
The Inspection starts around $2,500. Final scope depends on company complexity and the amount of review needed.
Start with the right path
Is the Inspection remote or on-site?
The first Inspection layer is usually remote. If the problem is broader or tangled across the business, the next recommendation may be a Field Visit.
Start with the right path
Do I need to buy the Field Guide first?
No. The Field Guide is the lower-cost working step. The Inspection is appropriate when the issue is important enough to deserve custom review.
Start with the right path
What do I receive after the Inspection?
You receive a written inspection report with the issue map, evidence reviewed, likely root causes, recommended next actions, and whether deeper work is worth it.
Start with the right path
Contact first
Send the context before we scope the Inspection.
Use this when you are not sure whether the right next step is a Field Guide, Inspection, Field Visit, or 90-Day Buildout.