We are in the final twelve months of our exit runway and want to avoid making any massive, expensive mistakes. What structured thinking questions should we run to identify and eliminate our hidden operational liabilities?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The final year before a sale is when founders often pay their biggest dumb tax by losing focus or making hasty decisions. To prevent this, you must dedicate regular Thinking Time sessions to identifying hidden risks before buyers find them during due diligence.

Set aside forty-five minutes of uninterrupted time each week. Formulate high-value questions using Keith Cunningham’s framework: How might we identify our single biggest operational vulnerability so that we can fix it before a buyer starts due diligence?

Look closely at your Accountability Chart, your customer concentration, and your supplier agreements. Ask yourself: If our top customer left tomorrow, how would that impact our valuation, and what can we do to secure that relationship today?

Use these sessions to move issues from your head onto your EOS Issues List, then solve them systematically during your Level 10 Meetings. By proactively identifying and solving these liabilities, you prevent last-minute deal renegotiations and ensure you walk away with your full valuation.