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BUSINESS PLANNING

Exit Readiness Assessment

Find out what a buyer will discount you for — while you still have time to fix it.

CRE Resources, LLC  ·  Licensed NJ & PA  ·  IBBA & ICSC Member
Who this is for Owners who are eighteen months to five years from selling and want the value gap closed before they go to market.

The problem this solves

The difference between a business that sells at a strong multiple and one that sells at a weak one is rarely the industry. It is usually four or five specific, fixable things that nobody told the owner about until a buyer's diligence team found them.

Customer concentration. Financials that will not survive a quality-of-earnings review. A lease with eighteen months left and no option. Key relationships that live entirely in the owner's head. Records that cannot substantiate the add-backs.

Each of these is negotiable years before a sale and non-negotiable during one.

How the assessment works

It starts with the same normalization and valuation work as a full valuation report, so you have a defensible current-state number. Then it reverses the lens: instead of asking what the business is worth, it asks what a buyer's advisor will find and what they will charge you for it.

Every finding is scored for severity and for how long it takes to fix. The output is not a list of problems — it is a sequenced plan, with the items that move value most per month of effort at the top.

What owners typically find

Most assessments surface two or three items that are cheap to fix and materially valuable, and one that will take real time. Knowing which is which is the entire point of doing this early rather than during a live deal.

Planning to sell through CRE Resources? The full fee is credited against the listing commission when you engage within eighteen months.

What's Included

  • Current-state valuation range
  • Structured risk scoring across nine categories
  • Buyer-perspective review of financials, records, and contracts
  • Owner-dependence analysis
  • Prioritized fix list with estimated value impact
  • Suggested timeline to market

What You Receive

  • Exit readiness report (PDF)
  • Prioritized action plan
  • One-hour strategy call

How It Works

  1. Short intake call — 20 minutes to confirm scope and price before you commit to anything.
  2. Send your materials — financials, lease, or documents, through a secure link.
  3. Work is performed — 10–14 business days.
  4. Delivery and review call — you get the files and a call to walk through them.