We want to prepare for an eventual exit without overwhelming our internal leadership team with diligence tasks. How should an owner run a monthly or quarterly Advisor Level 10 Meeting with outside M&A, legal, and financial advisors?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Running an internal company on EOS® creates an exceptional business, but preparing for an ownership transition requires managing outside professionals who do not report to your Accountability Chart®. If an owner tries to coordinate M&A attorneys, wealth managers, tax CPAs, and valuation experts through unstructured email chains, exit preparation stalls while billable hours accumulate rapidly.

The solution is an Advisor Level 10 Meeting pulse, a core discipline within the Step by Step Exit framework. Rather than dragging exit diligence into your internal leadership Level 10, establish a dedicated rhythm with your outside deal team.

The structure follows the same proven discipline:

- Segue: Brief personal check-in and confirmation of transaction priorities.
- Exit Scorecard: Track objective value metrics such as adjusted trailing EBITDA, recurring revenue percentage, customer concentration limits, and diligence documentation progress.
- Exit Priorities: Review 90-day Rock commitments assigned to specific advisors, such as quality of earnings audits or entity restructurings.
- Headlines: Fast updates regarding market multiples, buyer appetite, and tax legislation shifts.
- IDS®: Solve the top legal, financial, or operational value gaps that threaten valuation multiples.
- Conclude: Establish clear seven-day To-Dos and confirm external messaging.

Holding your outside advisory team to the same Level 10 Meeting™ rigor prevents transaction fatigue, controls professional advisory fees, and ensures that clean transferable value is built long before a letter of intent arrives.