Know your numbers
Track monthly revenue, gross margin, owner’s discretionary earnings, and cash runway. Clean books are the foundation of every good decision — and every sale.
Document the work
Write simple SOPs for anything done more than twice a month. A checklist in a shared doc is enough to start.
Delegate the right things
Hand off tasks that are repeatable and below your skill level first. Keep decisions about strategy, key relationships, and hiring for now.
Reduce concentration risk
Buyers discount businesses where one customer, supplier, or the owner is a single point of failure. Diversify where you can.
Grow recurring revenue
Retainers, subscriptions, and service contracts make revenue more predictable and typically raise valuation.
Plan the exit early
Options include selling to a third party, a management buyout, family succession, or an ESOP. Starting two to three years ahead gives you time to fix weaknesses.