We are preparing our business for a clean exit in the next few years. How do we use our weekly Level 10 Meeting™ to identify and resolve transaction-killing risks without letting exit prep distract from our day-to-day operations?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Preparing for a clean exit requires a dual focus. You must run the business effectively today while systematically reducing the risks that a buyer will use to discount your valuation tomorrow. The Level 10 Meeting™ is the perfect engine to drive both, provided you know how to segment your issues.

To do this, introduce an exit-readiness lens to your weekly Issues List. When a leader identifies an exit risk, such as a single point of failure in our operations, a lack of documented processes, or a key customer concentration issue, it must go on the list.

To prevent these long-term risks from distracting from urgent daily operations, use a simple labeling system. Mark exit-related issues with a specific tag like Exit or SxSE. During the IDS® portion of your meeting, always prioritize your operational, rock-impacting issues first. Hitting your weekly numbers is still the primary goal.

If you have extra time at the end of the meeting, or if an exit-related issue directly impacts your current operational health, bring it to the table. If your issues list becomes too bloated with exit preparation, it is a sign that you need to spin off a dedicated monthly or quarterly meeting pulse specifically for your transition team. This keeps your weekly meeting focused on hitting your numbers while ensuring exit risks are systematically knocked down.