MOST FOUNDERS DON’T GET TO
CHOOSE HOW THEIR STORY ENDS.
They wait too long. Or sell too early. Or walk into a process thinking they’re ready. Then they find out, painfully, that they’re not.
I’ve seen it happen to smart people. Hell, it almost happened to me.
This assessment exists because I don’t want that for you. I want you to exit on your terms, with your eyes open, knowing exactly what you’re walking into.
TWO VIEWS. THREE REPORTS.
ONE COMPLETE PICTURE.
When you say yes to the assessment, you get three deep-dive reports plus a 90-minute private debrief with me.
One view of your business.
One view of you.
Together they answer the only question that matters: are you actually ready to exit?
BUSINESS READINESS
An objective, data-driven score across the 8 key drivers acquirers evaluate. See exactly where your business stands, and where it’s leaving money on the table.
FOUNDER READINESS
Two reports that turn the lens on you. PreScore™ surfaces the identity, purpose, and relationship factors that derail founders after the sale, before they derail you. Freedom Score maps the gap between what you’ll net and what you’ll need to sustain your lifestyle, then builds a roadmap to financial freedom.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS.
PHASE I: THE STRATEGY CALL
Free. 30 minutes. No pressure.
It starts with a free 30-minute Exit Readiness Strategy Call. We’ll talk through where you are, what you’re thinking about, and whether the full assessment is the right next move for you. I’ll walk you through the three reports, answer your questions, and give you an honest read. If we’re not a fit, I’ll tell you. No pressure to move forward. Many founders use this call to get clarity and then go execute on their own. If we are a fit, we’ll schedule the assessment.
You leave with clarity on whether this is the right next move.
PHASE II: THE EXIT READINESS ASSESSMENT
$5,000. Three reports. One 90-minute private debrief.
The assessment delivers all three reports, Value Builder Score™, PreScore™, and Freedom Score, followed by a 90-minute private debrief where we walk through what the data actually means. I translate the reports into plain language. I rank your specific gaps by impact. I give you an honest assessment of your exit timeline and the realistic range of outcomes for a business like yours.
You leave with a prioritized 12-24 month action plan specific to your business.
PHASE III: YOUR EXIT ROADMAP
Optional. As deep as you want to go.
When you come out of the debrief, you have everything you need to execute on your own. Some founders do exactly that. For founders who want a hand on the wheel through implementation, ongoing advisory is available. We’d talk about that at the end of the debrief, if it makes sense. Never a hard sell. Always your call.
You leave with a roadmap. Not a theory. A plan to exit on YOUR terms.
WHY ME? BECAUSE I’VE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE.
We have advised on over $1 billion in founder wealth creation exits, including more than 30 middle market exits. Not from theory. From scars. That work came from running Binary Tree for 26 years. Not a smooth 26 years:
- Two near-bankruptcies, and the lessons that came with surviving them.
- Two CEOs who betrayed my trust, and nearly killed the company before I rebuilt it.
- Rebuilt both times with an 8-person skeleton crew.
- Grew to $40M+ in revenue before selling to Quest Software.
I also couldn’t run more than a mile when I turned 40. Eleven years later, I finished the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. I’ve summited Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro. Returning to Denali and Everest soon. Unfinished business.
My job is to help you spot the warning signs I missed and build something you can actually finish.
THE INVESTMENT:
The Exit Readiness Strategy Call is free. 30 minutes. No pressure to move forward. If we both decide the full Exit Readiness Assessment is the right next move, the investment is $5,000. Three reports. One 90-minute private debrief. A prioritized 12-24 month action plan specific to your business.
On a $10M business, moving just one Value Builder driver by half a turn can add $500K to $1M in enterprise value. The math takes care of itself.
✓ Value Builder Score™ Report
✓ PreScore™ Personal Readiness Report
✓ Freedom Score Financial Readiness Report
✓ 90-minute private debrief with Steven
✓ Prioritized 12-24 month action plan
✓ Honest assessment of your exit timeline
If you leave the 90-minute debrief without at least three specific, actionable insights you couldn’t have gotten anywhere else, I’ll personally follow up with additional recommendations at no charge. This work is built on trust, not transactions.
WHAT FOUNDERS SAY
“Steven’s past experience and insights for formalizing our growth plans have proved invaluable as we scale our business.”
Tim Duggan, Co-Founder & CEO, ClipTraining
“We had plans of expanding internationally and Steven’s in-depth experience and vast network in Europe was extremely helpful to our leadership team.”
Michael Kriss, Co-Founder & COO, OYOBox
“Steven has been a great resource to me personally and certainly to Avenue7Media by bringing his SaaS and Tech-Enabled Services knowledge to us.”
Jason Boyce, Founder & CEO, Avenue7Media
THIS IS FOR YOU IF…
You're a founder of a $5M-$50M company, 10+ years in.
You own your cap table. No VC or PE making decisions for you.
60% or more of your net worth is locked in this business.
And you’re awake to the risk. You want a way out that protects what you’ve built.
You're 2 to 7 years from a potential exit.
You want clarity, optionality, and control over what happens next. You’d rather start preparing now than scramble later.
THIS IS NOT FOR YOU IF…
× You want theory instead of lived experience.
× You’re early-stage (under $5M revenue) or VC/PE-backed without decision-making autonomy.
× You can’t handle direct, honest feedback. The reports don’t sugarcoat. Neither do I.
FAQ
What if I’m not sure I’m actually ready to exit?
That’s exactly when this matters most. Most of my best clients started working with me 3 to 5 years before they thought they would sell. By the time you’re ready to exit, it’s already too late to fix the things that matter most for valuation. The earlier you start, the more options you have.
How is this different from a business valuation?
A valuation tells you a number. The Exit Readiness Assessment tells you what’s driving that number, what’s killing it, and specifically how to fix it. It’s the difference between knowing your blood pressure and knowing why it’s high and what to do about it.
What if I just want a number, not a roadmap?
Then the assessment isn’t for you. There are plenty of brokers who’ll give you a number. I work with founders who want clarity on the gap between where they are and where they want to be, and a plan to close that gap.
Do I have to commit to ongoing advisory afterward?
No. Some founders take the action plan and execute on their own. Others want a hand on the wheel through implementation. Both work. We’d talk about it at the end of the debrief if it makes sense. Never a hard sell.
What if I’m not a fit?
I’ll tell you on the Strategy Call. Directly. You won’t have to wonder. If we’re not a fit, I’ll point you toward the right resource.