Services
Exit Readiness
Be sale-ready before you meet a buyer.
Concordia Nova’s Exit Readiness Audit gives you a clear, practical plan to de-risk people, culture, and leadership — so your business presents confidently under diligence and achieves a smoother transaction.
Who it’s for
Owner-managed and family businesses preparing for investment, sale, or MBO
Founders who want a credible, people-side narrative for buyers and investors
SMEs with strong trading performance but untidy HR, culture, or leadership risk
What you’ll walk away with
Traffic-light Risk Heatmap -people, leadership, organisation, culture, compliance
Investor-ready People Narrative: clean, concise wording you can drop into the IM/data room
12-Week Action Plan with owners, due dates, and quick wins vs. must-do items
Evidence Pack Checklist: exactly what to show in diligence (policies, contracts, org charts, KPIs)
Succession & Capability Map: who’s critical, what’s brittle, where to cross-train
Culture Pulse (short, confidential survey) with headline insights and actions
Wheel of Life (tool for assessing & balancing different life areas to achieve personal harmony) helping individuals set focused goals for improvement that support ongoing personal growth & satisfaction.
The core audit covers
Leadership & Succession
Founder dependency, key-person risk, decision rights, next-gen readiness
Organisation & Talent
Structure, role clarity, recruitment hygiene, onboarding, skills coverage
Policies, Contracts & Compliance
Contracts, handbooks, statutory policies, IR35/contractor risk, right-to-work
Reward & Retention
Pay hygiene, incentives, bonuses/commissions, stay-risk analysis
Culture, Engagement & Communication
Values-in-action, behaviour norms, internal comms during a sale, change fatigue
People Data & Metrics
Headcount, turnover, absence, grievances/ER cases, DEI snapshot, training records
How it works (2–4 weeks)
Week 1 – Kick-off & Gather
60-min scoping call
Secure request list (HR docs, contracts, policies, org chart, key metrics)
Short founder/MD interview
Week 2 – Interviews & Review
3–6 targeted interviews (e.g., ops lead, finance, HR/admin, team lead)
Light culture pulse survey (optional but recommended)
Review of documents against buyer expectations
Week 3/4 – Findings & Plan
Draft Risk Heatmap + 12-Week Action Plan
90-min read-out session with Q&A
Final pack delivered (PDF + editable action tracker)
Remote-first. Onsite available as an add-on.
Investment
Full Exit Readiness Audit: From £7,500
Most founders choose this before they instruct corporate finance or buyers approach.
Mini-Audit (People & Policies only): From £1,950
For early scoping or very small teams; upgradable to the full audit with fee credit.
Keep it sale-ready: optional continuity
Readiness Tracker (quarterly): From £995/quarter
Quarterly check-ins, dashboard refresh, and action list updates.
Readiness Tracker (monthly): From £395/month
Light-touch cadence to maintain momentum pre-sale.
Deliverables you receive
Exit Readiness Report (PDF) with executive summary
People & Culture section ready to lift into your IM/data room
Red/Amber/Green Heatmap (one page)
12-Week Action Plan (editable tracker)
Evidence Pack Checklist (what buyers will ask for)
Succession & Capability Map (framework + priority roles)
Add-ons (any time)
On-site day (UK): from £1,200 + travel expenses
Policy/contract remediation sprint: from £950
Leadership handover & comms plan: from £1,250
Buyer meeting prep/management presentation coaching: from £850
Post-sign Transition Stewardship (3–6 months): £3,000–£5,000 fixed fee
Engagement terms
Fixed fee; 50% to start, 50% on delivery
Typical timeline: 2–4 weeks (availability dependent)
Confidentiality assured; we work discreetly with a small “inner circle” until you’re ready to communicate more widely.
FAQs
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No. Many clients are founder-led with light admin support. I slot in as your fractional HR/succession partner.
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The audit identifies gaps. We can fix them via add-ons or as part of a retainer.
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No — several clients use the audit 12–24 months before a process to build value and reduce stress.
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Perfectly. Your CF and solicitor handle deal mechanics; I handle the people narrative and evidence buyers expect.
Next step
Book a 15-minute fit call to confirm scope and start dates.
Prefer to tiptoe in? Begin with the Mini-Audit and upgrade later.