We are preparing for a clean exit in twenty-four months, but our VP of Sales has zero experience scaling a company past our current revenue band to what the buyer expects. Do we invest in training them, or do we replace them now to avoid spooking potential buyers?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

With a twenty-four-month runway to an exit, you do not have the luxury of time to run a slow development program for a leader who has peaked. Buyers are looking for a leadership team that can execute the next stage of growth without the founder. If your VP of Sales does not GWC the seat required for that next stage, it will absolutely hurt your valuation and spook potential buyers during due diligence. You must make a hard assessment right now. Does this person have the capacity to learn and adapt to a larger strategic role within the next six months? If the answer is yes, then hire an outside executive coach, enroll them in intensive training, and set strict, measurable quarterly Rocks to track their progress. If the answer is no, or if they show resistance to the changes required, you must replace them immediately. Finding, hiring, and onboarding a new, highly capable VP of Sales will take six to nine months. You need them in their seat, fully integrated and showing a proven track record of growth, for at least a year before you go to market. Do not let sentimentality cost you millions at the closing table.