Budget Development for Exit-Ready Businesses

Описание: Why do two identical businesses with the same EBITDA sell for dramatically different prices? The answer is budget discipline. Founder-dependent businesses with weak budgeting processes sell for 3-4x EBITDA while systematized businesses command 7-8x multiples—a gap that can mean millions in lost proceeds. If you're 3-7 years from exit, this video reveals exactly how to build the budget systems that maximize your valuation.

What You'll Discover:

Why Budgets Make or Break Exits 95% of middle-market businesses show excessive owner dependency—the #1 value killer. I explain why budget accuracy is now a core due diligence item, how Quality of Earnings reports scrutinize your financial controls, and why 75% of business owners "profoundly regretted" their exit (often due to poor financial preparation).

Budget-Specific Deal Killers Learn the red flags that tank deals or slash valuations: inconsistent financial records, unexplained revenue fluctuations, undefended budget assumptions, and significant variances without documentation. I cover the QoE landmines that trigger buyer concerns and the real valuation consequences—including why earnouts are now in 21% of private deals (up from 17%).

Building Sale-Ready Budget Systems I break down the budget sophistication ladder by revenue level ($2M to $50M+) and reveal the three essential processes buyers expect: monthly close with variance documentation, rolling forecasts alongside annual budgets, and department-level budget ownership. You'll understand exactly what "exit-ready" looks like at your revenue level.

Budgets as Your Founder-Dependency Antidote The 90-day test: Could your business produce accurate monthly financial reports if you disappeared for 90 days? I show you how to build the independent management layer that demonstrates reduced key-person risk—a critical factor buyers scrutinize.

Your 3-5 Year Implementation Roadmap Step-by-step timeline from foundation (years 4-5 before exit) through systematization (years 2-3) to optimization and due diligence readiness (years 1-2 before exit). Includes specific software investments, training milestones, and the timeline realities of QoE studies (30-45 days) and overall diligence (90-120 days).

Perfect for: Business owners and founders 3-7 years from exit generating $2M-$50M in revenue who want to command premium multiples and avoid the regret of inadequate exit preparation.

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💬 Comment below: Can you produce last month's budget vs. actual variance report within 48 hours? (This is one of my key readiness indicators!)

FREE RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS:
📊 Free Exit Readiness Assessment: https://blog.evanduke.com/exit-planni...
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ABOUT EVAN DUKE ENTERPRISES | FRACTIONAL LEADERSHIP SOLUTIONS:
I'm a Fractional COO who specializes in preparing businesses for successful exits over 3-5 year engagements. My focus areas include data & analytics, budget development & controls, strategic planning, process/policy/procedure development, operations optimization, multi-channel marketing, and technology analysis & improvement. I work with founder-dependent businesses generating $2M-$50M in revenue, systematically increasing enterprise value while reducing founder dependency—and I bring in the M&A advisor when you're ready to transact.

THREE ACTIONS THIS MONTH:
1. Document your current budgeting process (or lack thereof)
2. Identify who could own department budgets with training
3. Calculate your budget accuracy score for the past 12 months

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