Know Your Exit Options Before the Market Decides
For consumer brand founders who need a clear read on sale readiness, buyer risk, and the operating work that would create more choice. I spent 2.5 years and 200+ buyer conversations getting Koio sold. The lesson was blunt: the exit starts long before anyone sends an LOI.
- Buyer-risk and sale-readiness diagnosis
- Financial story, EBITDA normalization, and proof gaps
- Buyer, capital, and strategic-partner path map
- Process design before outreach starts
- Term-sheet and post-close tradeoff support
The operator proof
Exit work starts with diagnosis
The first question is how much choice the business actually has: sell, clean up first, raise differently, bring in a strategic partner, keep compounding, or stay away from the wrong conversation.
Buyers underwrite risk before they underwrite the story
They look at growth durability, margin quality, data hygiene, customer concentration, founder dependency, and whether the team can run the business without you. The earlier you see those questions, the more room you have to fix the answer.
The wrong conversation can set the floor
One casual buyer call can turn into shared numbers, a half-process, and a valuation anchor that follows you. We decide what to disclose, when, to whom, and why before outreach starts.
A sale process is a second job
Koio took 2.5 years, 200+ buyer conversations, and a lot of near misses before we closed. Running that while operating the company changed my read on the work: preparation is the value driver.
Exit advisory should answer three questions first: what would a buyer believe, what would a buyer challenge, and what operating work would create more choice over the next 90 days.
How I help founders build optionality
We start with the business, then decide the path. The output is a sharper view of where you stand, which options are real, and what needs to change before the next conversation.
Exit and optionality diagnosis
A founder-side read on sale readiness, value drivers, buyer risk, cap table constraints, and the operating issues that would show up in diligence.
Buyer and capital-path mapping
A practical view of who could care, why they would care, and which path fits the business: strategic buyer, PE, family office, minority capital, or strategic partner.
Positioning and materials
The story, numbers, and data room need to answer buyer objections before the first meeting. I help shape the materials around proof buyers can trust.
Process design and cadence
A sale or capital conversation has a rhythm. I help set the sequence, manage outreach discipline, and keep the process from distracting the company.
Negotiation support
Term sheets, earn-outs, rollover, seller notes, and founder roles all carry tradeoffs. I help you see the post-close reality before you sign.
Diligence preparation
We pressure-test the questions buyers will ask: margin quality, retention, cohort health, inventory, operations, team depth, and reporting. The goal is fewer surprises when diligence starts.
When the answer is a broader process
A broader process may mean a banker, a targeted buyer map, or 90 days of operating cleanup before anyone should see the numbers. The first job is naming which route fits.
- Buyer universe and outreach sequencing
- Strategic, PE, family-office, and operator-led buyer read
- Banker or specialist selection when a formal process is the right tool
- Diligence prep before buyer questions become negotiation pressure
You get an honest read on what the business is ready for, then we decide the next move: cleanup, partner conversations, capital, targeted outreach, or a full process.
Who this is for
Best fit
- Consumer brand doing $5M–$75M in revenue
- Founder wants a practical view on exit, capital, or strategic-partner options
- Considering a sale in the next 1–3 years, or getting inbound buyer interest now
- Willing to fix the business before asking the market to value it
- Comfortable with direct feedback on what buyers will challenge
Poor fit
- Looking for a broker to blast a buyer list
- Need a fire-sale process this month
- Want a valuation guarantee
- Need someone to tell a prettier version of the same numbers