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The 90-Day Exit Readiness Blueprint: What to Prepare NOW for a Smooth sale in 2026

90-Day Exit Readiness Blueprint | Sell Your Business 2026
he clock is ticking. If you’re serious about selling your business in 2025, the next 90 days could be the difference between a premium exit and leaving hundreds of thousands on the table.
Here’s what we’ve learned from selling hundreds of businesses: The owners who get the best outcomes aren’t the ones who rush to market. They’re the ones who take 6-12 months to prepare.
When you’re prepared, you have leverage. When you’re desperate, buyers smell it.
The preparation phase isn’t wasted time—it’s where real value gets created. In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what you need to do in the next 90 days to position your business for maximum value and buyer interest.

Why the Next 90 Days Matter

November through January is the sweet spot for exit planning. You have time to make meaningful operational improvements before spring market activity picks up. Businesses that start prep now will be market-ready by Q2 2025, when buyer activity peaks.
Waiting until spring to start prep? You’ll be playing catch-up while other sellers are already closing deals.

The 5-Part Exit Readiness Blueprint

1. Financial Cleanup (Weeks 1-4)

Buyers want clean financials. Period. This is non-negotiable.
What to do:
  • Reconcile all bank accounts and credit card statements for the past 3 years
  • Ensure all revenue is properly documented (no off-books cash)
  • Categorize expenses accurately—separate one-time costs from recurring operational expenses
  • Document any owner perks (vehicles, travel, meals) that won’t transfer to the buyer
  • Get your CPA to review and certify your financials
Why it matters: A buyer’s first question is always “Are these numbers real?” Clean financials answer that question immediately and build trust. Messy financials raise red flags and kill deals.
Red flag: If your accountant says “we’ll need to restate your financials,” you’ve got work to do. Start now.

2. Owner Dependency Reduction (Weeks 1-12)

This is the biggest value killer we see.
If your business falls apart without you, it’s not worth much. Buyers are buying a business, not a job. They want systems, processes, and a team that can run without the owner.
What to do:
  • Document your top 5 processes (sales, service delivery, customer onboarding, etc.)
  • Create written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each
  • Cross-train at least one team member on each critical function
  • Move customer relationships from “you” to “the company”
  • Delegate decision-making authority to your management team
Quick wins:
  • Stop being the only one who can close deals—train your sales team
  • Stop being the only one who can service customers—document the process
  • Stop being the only one who knows the suppliers—introduce your team
Why it matters: A business that depends on you is worth 30-50% less than one that doesn’t. This is the single biggest value multiplier you control.

3. Operational Systems & Documentation (Weeks 2-8)

Buyers want to see that your business runs on systems, not heroics.
What to do:
  • Create an org chart showing roles and responsibilities
  • Document your customer acquisition process
  • Map out your service/product delivery workflow
  • List all vendor and supplier relationships
  • Create a customer retention strategy document
  • Document your pricing strategy and how it’s determined
Why it matters: Systems reduce risk for buyers. They show that the business is scalable and can grow without you.

4. Revenue & Customer Health Assessment (Weeks 3-6)

Buyers care deeply about revenue quality and customer concentration.
What to do:
  • List your top 10 customers and their annual revenue contribution
  • Calculate your customer concentration ratio (% of revenue from top 3 customers)
  • Document customer contracts and renewal terms
  • Identify recurring vs. one-time revenue
  • Calculate customer acquisition cost (CAC) and lifetime value (LTV)
  • Review customer churn rate over the past 2 years
Target metrics:
  • Top 3 customers should represent less than 40% of revenue
  • At least 60% of revenue should be recurring or contracted
  • Customer churn should be below 10% annually
Why it matters: High customer concentration = high risk for buyers. Diversified, recurring revenue = premium valuation.

5. Valuation Optimization (Weeks 4-12)

Now that you’re cleaning up the business, let’s make sure you understand what it’s actually worth.
What to do:
  • Get a professional valuation from a certified business appraiser
  • Understand your industry’s EBITDA multiple (usually 3-6x for trades/service businesses)
  • Calculate your adjusted EBITDA (add back owner perks, one-time expenses, etc.)
  • Benchmark against recent comparable sales in your industry
  • Identify value gaps and create a plan to close them
The valuation formula: Business Value = EBITDA × Industry Multiple
Example: A $500K EBITDA HVAC business in a 4.5x EBITDA multiple market = $2.25M valuation
Why it matters: You need to know the real number before you make any decisions. Too many owners price based on emotion, not market reality.

Your 90-Day Action Plan

Weeks 1-2 (Now – Nov 24):

 Schedule meeting with your CPA to review financials

 List your top 10 customers and revenue contribution

 Identify your top 5 critical processes

 Get a professional valuation started

Weeks 3-6 (Nov 25 – Dec 22):

 Complete financial cleanup with your CPA

 Document your top 5 SOPs

 Cross-train team members on critical functions

 Calculate customer concentration and churn metrics

 Receive professional valuation

Weeks 7-12 (Dec 23 – Jan 31):

 Finalize all operational documentation

 Delegate decision-making to management team

 Implement customer retention initiatives

 Review valuation and identify value gaps

 Create 90-day action plan for value optimization

The Bottom Line

The next 90 days will determine whether you’re in the “prepared” camp or the “desperate” camp when you hit the market in 2025.
Prepared sellers get:

✅ Premium valuations (10-20% higher)

✅ Faster sales (3-4 months vs. 9-12 months)

✅ Better deal terms (more favorable financing, fewer contingencies)

✅ Less stress and more control

Desperate sellers get:

❌ Discounted valuations

❌ Longer sales cycles

❌ Buyer leverage on terms

❌ Stress and uncertainty

The choice is yours. Start now.

Next Steps

If you’re ready to get serious about selling in 2025, here’s what to do:
  1. Get a professional valuation – Know the real number before you do anything else
  2. Assess your readiness – Take our free 20-minute sellability assessment to identify your biggest opportunities
  3. Create your prep plan – Work with an advisor to prioritize your 90-day action items
Get Your Free Sellability Assessment
About Lion Business Advisors
We’ve helped hundreds of business owners in Texas and neighboring states sell their businesses for top dollar. Our valuation-first approach and 70-80% success rate speak for themselves. If you’re thinking about selling in 2025, let’s talk.
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Advisors

Our Brands: Lion Business Brokers, Lion Group Real Estate , BizFlipExit, Blue Collar Business Brokers, and HVAC Business Brokers. are a subsidiary of Lion Business Advisors LLC of Texas. Professional Business Brokers, providing Mergers and Acquisitions services throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, and Kansas. Texas Offices: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houson, and Temple.
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