Ep 278: Readiness 360 for Exit Planning

73% of business owners who say they're ready to sell are missing at least one of the two numbers required to know if a sale will actually work. In this episode, David breaks down a new data study of 10,548 business owner assessments and lays out the Readiness 360 — the three questions every owner has to answer honestly before they sit across from a buyer. Are you personally ready to let go? Is your business actually ready to be sold? And does the math even work?What You'll LearnThe two numbers every owner needs before they can know if a sale will work — and why 73% of owners are missing at least oneWhy even owners who did the homework still get bad news: 1 in 5 discover their business is worth less than they needThe “pushed vs. pulled” problem — why burnout and stress are driving more exits than actual planningWhy 25% of owners can't name a single thing they're excited about after the sale, and what that means for a dealThe eight drivers that determine whether your business survives buyer diligence — separate from how much cash it generatesTimestamps0:00 — Cold open: You've decided to sell. Here's why you're not ready.0:45 — Intro: framing the Readiness 3602:30 — Segment 1: Are you financially ready? The two numbers9:30 — Mid-episode: the Sellability Score10:00 — Segment 2: Are you personally ready? Pushed vs. pulled16:30 — Segment 3: Is your business ready to be sold?21:30 — Wrap-up: putting the 360 together24:00 — Where to start: Sellability Score and PREScoreKey Takeaway“Wanting to sell is not the same as being ready to sell.”Only 27% of business owners have both a minimum number and a recent valuation — the two things required to know whether a sale will fund the life they want afterward. And even among owners who have both, roughly 1 in 5 find out the business is worth less than they need. Readiness isn't a feeling. It's a diagnosis, and the earlier you run it, the more options you have.Ready to Find Out Where You Stand?Start with the free Sellability Score — a 15-minute assessment that shows you where your business stands on the eight drivers that determine what it's worth:weeklywealthpodcast.com/sellabilityscoreWant to go deeper on personal readiness? The PREScore assessment measures whether you — not just the business — are ready for what comes next:weeklywealthpodcast.com/prescore