Diagnostics and Foundation
Before anything is built, we establish a baseline. Month 1 maps every owner dependency, scores operational independence, audits your digital and financial footprint, and identifies where the largest valuation discounts sit.
20-30 minutes. A specific picture of where you stand.
View the full program →You cannot improve what has not been measured.
Most SME owners arrive at a sale process believing their business is buyer-ready. Most buyers disagree. The gap between those two views is where your valuation gets discounted - and Month 1 is designed to close it.
What Month 1 actually does
Month 1 is a structured diagnostic. We systematically map every area where your business depends on you personally - decisions, relationships, knowledge, approvals, revenue. We score it against the five dimensions buyers use to calculate owner dependency risk. We audit your digital footprint, financial documentation, and data governance posture against what a due diligence team will request.
The output is not advice. It is a measured, documented picture of exactly where your valuation gap sits and what is driving it.
Why it matters to a buyer
Buyers do not pay for what your business earns. They pay for what it will earn without you. When they cannot answer that question confidently, they build the uncertainty into the offer - typically as a 15–25% valuation discount, an extended earn-out, or a lower multiple.
Month 1 produces the evidence that lets a buyer answer that question in your favor - before they ever open your data room.
The most expensive assumption in exit planning: "A buyer will figure out our value." They will - and they'll price every gap they find. Month 1 ensures you find them first, on your timeline, with the ability to fix them.
Five deliverables. All buyer-grade.
Every output from Month 1 is a structured, documented asset - not a summary call or a slide deck. Each one feeds directly into your Exit Readiness Dossier.
Owner Independence Score
Five-dimension scored assessment across decisions, revenue, operations, documentation, and due diligence readiness. Scored 0–10, with each dimension broken down individually. This is the baseline your entire program improvement is measured against.
Scored report + dimensional breakdownAI Readiness Check
Assessment of which AI tools and automations will deliver the highest valuation return for your specific business - based on your industry, revenue model, team structure, and existing systems. Prevents spending on AI that doesn't move your multiple.
Prioritized AI implementation listMarketing Audit Report
Audit of online presence, reviews, listings, and digital gaps visible to buyers. Buyers search your business before they call. Gaps here - missing reviews, inconsistent listings, weak digital footprint - signal operational looseness and reduce perceived value.
Audit report + prioritized fix listGDPR Compliance Baseline
Data governance assessment covering lawful basis documentation, consent records, and vendor Data Processing Agreements. Not a legal opinion - a structured readiness assessment against the questions a buyer's legal team will ask. GDPR gaps have collapsed deals and cost millions in price reductions.
Compliance gap registerAI Strategy and Roadmap
A prioritized implementation plan for the full six-month program - sequenced by valuation impact, not by what is easiest to build. Highest-ROI automations scheduled first. Each initiative mapped to a specific valuation lever: EBITDA improvement, multiple expansion, or due diligence readiness. This is what you hold at the end of Month 1: a documented, costed, sequenced plan to close your valuation gap.
Full program roadmap + valuation impact mapA documented picture of where the valuation gap sits, what is driving it, and a sequenced plan to close it. You leave Month 1 with a specific dollar estimate of the gap - and the roadmap to close it.
All five deliverables are structured for your Exit Readiness Dossier from day one. Nothing needs to be reformatted or rebuilt for due diligence. It is buyer-ready when it is produced.
What a buyer sees when there is no baseline
When a buyer opens a data room and finds zero documentation, the first question is not 'how do I fix this?' - it is 'how much do I discount for the risk?'
M&A advisor, 18 years lower middle market transactions (Livmo)Month 1 answers the buyer's first question before they ask it. The Owner Independence Score, the GDPR baseline, the marketing audit - these are not internal documents. They are buyer-facing evidence that your business has been assessed, measured, and is on a documented improvement trajectory. That alone shifts negotiating dynamics.
What buyers pay a premium for: Not perfection. Documented awareness and a visible improvement program. A buyer who sees Month 1 outputs knows you understand your gaps and are closing them systematically - which is exactly the operational maturity that commands higher multiples.
How Month 1 runs in practice
Four structured steps over four weeks. Led by ExValu. Your time commitment is specific and predictable.
Intake and Orientation
We send a structured Pre-Work Pack before your first session. This covers your EBITDA history, revenue composition, team structure, key customer relationships, and a preliminary list of processes that depend on you. You complete this at your own pace. No session needed yet - the pack is designed to surface the right topics before we start.
Owner Independence Scoring Session
A structured 90-minute working session - the core diagnostic of Month 1. We work through each of the five dimensions of the Owner Independence Score with you, scoring your business against documented criteria. We ask for specific examples, not summaries. The scoring is guided by ExValu; your role is to answer honestly, not to prepare.
Digital, Financial, and GDPR Audit
ExValu completes the AI Readiness Check, Marketing Audit, and GDPR Compliance Baseline independently using your business information and access to key systems. This work is done by ExValu - you provide read-only access to the tools and platforms we need to assess. Output is a prioritized gap register for each area.
Roadmap Delivery Session
A 60-minute session where we present the AI Strategy and Roadmap - your full six-month implementation plan, sequenced by valuation impact. We walk through each deliverable, confirm priorities, and agree the Month 2 build sequence. You leave this session with a specific dollar estimate of your valuation gap and a documented plan to close it.
Your time commitment
The most common concern is time. Here is the precise picture for Month 1.
| Role | Activity | Total hours | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner / CEO | Pre-Work Pack, Independence Scoring session, access setup, Roadmap Delivery session | 4–5 hrs | Async + 2 video calls |
| Finance Lead | EBITDA documentation, management accounts, provide read-only system access | 1–2 hrs | Async |
| Ops / Admin Lead | Platform access for digital audit (CRM, website, GBP, review platforms) | 30–60 min | Async |
| ExValu | All audit work, scoring, roadmap production, deliverable formatting | Included in program | Independent + sessions |
Access granted to ExValu during the diagnostic phase is read-only and time-limited. No customer personal data is transferred to ExValu systems. ExValu operates as a data processor under a formal Data Processing Agreement. All information provided during Month 1 is stored with role-based access controls and deleted upon engagement close or client request. GDPR compliance is a deliverable of Month 1, not a risk of it.
Estimate your valuation gap - before Month 1 begins
Five inputs. Instant calculation. The same logic ExValu uses in Month 1 - so you arrive knowing what to expect.
Valuation Gap Estimator
Enter your numbers below to see your estimated current valuation, your potential valuation after the Exit Readiness Program, and the gap in dollars. No personal data is collected or stored.
Your Estimated Valuation Gap
High Risk20-30 minutes. A specific picture of where you stand.
This is a directional estimate using published M&A benchmark data. Actual valuation depends on industry, buyer type, and specific business circumstances. Month 1 produces your precise, business-specific gap analysis.
What owners ask before starting Month 1
Two reasons. First, buyers identify last-minute systematisation immediately - they call it "window dressing" and discount it accordingly. What commands a premium is 12–24 months of documented, measurable operational improvement. Month 1 starts that clock.
Second, the improvements Month 1 identifies are not just for buyers. A 30% reduction in owner time spent on daily operations, 2–4 point EBITDA improvement, and revenue you are not currently capturing - these pay back the program cost well before your sale date. You benefit before the exit, and again at the transaction.
That is precisely why Month 1 is built the way it is. The Owner Independence Scoring session surfaces the implicit knowledge and undocumented processes - it does not require you to have documented them first. The AI Readiness Check then identifies the highest-value processes to systematize first, in sequence. You do not need to have the answer; Month 1 produces the answer for you.
Businesses with no documentation typically see the largest valuation uplifts, because the before/after gap is most compelling to buyers.
The Owner Independence Score is your baseline measurement across five dimensions: decisions, revenue, operations, documentation, and due diligence readiness. Each dimension maps directly to a valuation risk factor buyers apply when pricing your business.
High scores = high owner dependence = lower multiple. The program's job is to move each dimension score down systematically - and produce documented evidence of that improvement. A buyer reviewing your program evidence sees measurable, auditable independence improvement across five dimensions. That is what justifies a 7× multiple over a 4× offer.
All information is covered by a formal NDA and a Data Processing Agreement signed before any work begins. ExValu operates as a data processor for any personal data involved. Access granted during the audit phase is read-only and time-limited. Nothing is shared with third parties.
All materials are stored with role-based access controls and deleted from ExValu systems upon engagement close or at your request. GDPR compliance is a deliverable of Month 1 - it governs how we work throughout.
The gap estimate is the difference between your current valuation (based on your Owner Independence Score, EBITDA, and industry multiple benchmarks) and the valuation achievable after completing the Exit Readiness Program - based on the operational improvements the program is designed to deliver.
It is not a guarantee, and it is not a valuation opinion. It is a directional estimate based on published M&A benchmark data - the same data buyers use to apply discounts. Month 1 gives you a business-specific version, not a generic calculator output. We show you the components of the gap, not just the number.
No - and this is a deliberate design decision, not a scheduling constraint. The AI Strategy and Roadmap produced in Month 1 determines the sequence and priorities for every subsequent month. Starting Month 2 without it means building systems that may not address your highest-value gaps first.
The four-week structure of Month 1 is tight by design. Most clients complete it inside three weeks when the Pre-Work Pack is returned promptly.
Ready to see your valuation gap in writing?
Month 1 starts with a free 30-minute diagnostic call. You will leave it with a preliminary Owner Independence Score and a clear picture of your gap.
20-30 minutes. A specific picture of where you stand.
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