We want to prepare our business for an eventual acquisition. At what exact point in our twenty-four-month EOS journey do we start incorporating formal exit planning tools?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

We do not introduce exit planning on Day One of your EOS journey. Attempting to package your business for a sale before you have achieved basic operational control is a waste of time. The correct sequence is to spend the first twelve months of our engagement focusing purely on the execution of the EOS tools. We must build a healthy leadership team, get the right people in the right seats on your Accountability Chart, and run consistent Level 10 Meetings first. Once your business is operating predictably and your leadership team is hitting eighty percent of their Rocks, we layer in the exit planning mechanics. This transition typically begins around your fifth quarterly session, which marks the start of your second year. At this point, we use the V/TO to align your long-term exit goals with your operational targets. We then look at the business through the lens of a prospective buyer, examining your financial systems, client concentration risks, and management dependencies. The actions required to prepare your business for a clean exit are then assigned as quarterly Rocks. This ensures that your exit preparation does not become a distraction or a secondary project. Instead, it is executed through your weekly operational framework, turning your exit strategy into business as usual.