We want to sell our company in twenty four months. When we design our Accountability Chart, should we build it for our current revenue and headcount, or should we design the future state structure we need to attract an acquirer?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When preparing for a clean exit, you must design your Accountability Chart for the structure you need twelve months from now, not the structure you have today. Buyers want to see a scalable organization that is built for growth, not a flat structure that depends on your current staff's unique skill sets.

Start by designing your future state Accountability Chart without putting any names in the seats. Focus entirely on the functions and roles necessary to run your business at its next stage of scale. This allows you to build an objective, logical structure that is optimized for efficiency and automation.

Once the structure is finalized, look at your existing team and determine if they GWC these future seats. You will likely find several gaps where you need to hire new talent or promote existing leaders. Designing the chart this way helps you identify talent bottlenecks before they impact your valuation.

Showing an acquirer a clean, future state Accountability Chart demonstrates that you have a clear plan for scaling the business. It proves that your operational processes are decentralized and that the company can thrive without your daily involvement, which significantly increases your enterprise value.