Entrepreneur standing thoughtfully at the office window

Exit check

Would your company
be saleable today?

The Exit check, which is eligible for funding, examines your company through a buyer's eyes: How much does it depend on you? Are customers, figures and processes documented? You receive a saleability score, the biggest value inhibitors and an action plan up to the handover.

Secure your free initial consultation →View sample assessment ↓
Assessment areas from a buyer's perspective
6
Assessment areas from a buyer's perspective
Saleability score
0-100
Saleability score
Months of action plan
12-36
Months of action plan

The starting point in mid-sized companies

Why do so many handovers fail because of preparation?

  • 100,000+

    mid-sized companies look for a successor every year

    Source: KfW-Nachfolge-Monitoring Mittelstand 2025

  • 114,000+

    mid-sized companies plan to close their business without a successor every year until 2029

    Source: KfW-Nachfolge-Monitoring Mittelstand 2025

  • 1 in 4

    companies plans to shut down after the owners withdraw instead of handing over

    Source: KfW-Nachfolge-Monitoring Mittelstand 2025

  • 31%

    of entrepreneurs are already 60 or older

    Source: KfW-Mittelstandspanel / KfW-Nachfolge-Monitoring Mittelstand 2025

A handover sounds like a question of financing. In practice it usually fails because of structure: customer relationships in the owner's head, figures only available at year-end, no roadmap.

What changes

What changes when you know your value inhibitors before the buyer does?

The Exit check does not replace a company valuation. It shows what would weigh on a valuation today, and what you can change about it before the handover.

Owner alone among files

Without an Exit check

Due diligence

the buyer finds the weak points and negotiates the price down

Owner dependency

felt to be high, but not measured

Figures

reliable only at year-end

Succession options

one option in mind

Timeline

“sometime in the next few years”

Handover to the successor

With an Exit check

Due diligence

you know the weak points beforehand and have fixed the most important ones

Owner dependency

assessed, with a plan to reduce it

Figures

gaps identified, path to ongoing transparency

Succession options

family, employees or an external buyer compared

Timeline

action plan with priorities for 12 to 36 months

What an assessment looks like

Which value inhibitors does the Exit check find?

Three fictitious sample companies, assessed in the 6 assessment areas. This shows you how the score comes about and which actions follow from it.

Saleability today: room for improvement

Metal construction · 38 employees · owner aged 63

Handover planned in 2 years, no successor yet

  • Owner dependency3 / 10
  • Customer structure6 / 10
  • Financial transparency4 / 10
  • Processes & documentation3 / 10
  • Team & second management tier5 / 10
  • Digitalisation & systems4 / 10
Saleability score42 / 100

Biggest value inhibitor: quotes, costing and key accounts all run through the owner. First steps: move customer knowledge into the CRM, document the costing logic, build up the workshop manager as a second management tier.

Example for illustration.

1 / 3

Your path

When is the Exit check the right step?

Way 1

If the handover is due in one to three years

Then the Exit check shows what can realistically be achieved by then. If you wish, we implement the most important measures directly in the implementation phase, using the cases from the lever “Securing succession”.

Lever: Securing succession →

Way 2

If no date has been set yet

Then the Exit check is an honest assessment of where you stand. Almost every measure that makes your company more saleable also improves day-to-day operations, and you gain the time that is missing later.

Secure an initial consultation →

The scope of services

What is included in the Exit check?

A fixed scope with a clear result, not an open-ended consulting mandate.

  1. 1

    Preparation questionnaire and document check

    We start with your figures and documents, not from scratch.

  2. 2

    Analysis session with you as the owner (approx. 90 minutes)

    The knowledge in your head is captured, including what is written down nowhere.

  3. 3

    Review of the 6 areas from a buyer's perspective

    You see your company the way a buyer or successor sees it.

  4. 4

    Saleability score from 0 to 100

    A number as a starting point, which you can measure again in 12 months.

  5. 5

    Value inhibitors and value drivers

    You know what weighs on a valuation today and what supports it.

  6. 6

    Succession options compared

    Family, employees or an external buyer, with pros and cons for your situation.

  7. 7

    Action plan for 12 to 36 months plus results session

    A roadmap with priorities that you can discuss with your advisory board, bank or tax adviser.

Analysis session: your knowledge comes to the table

On the scope

Fixed scope at a fixed price, which we state in the initial consultation. Eligible for funding as consulting of up to €5,600.

Secure an initial consultation →

The 6 assessment areas

What exactly does the Exit check examine?

These are the questions a buyer or successor asks. We ask them beforehand.

  • Area 1

    Owner dependency

    • Who holds the key accounts?
    • Who calculates and decides?
    • What happens if you are away for 4 weeks?

  • Area 2

    Customer structure

    • How is revenue distributed?
    • Are there contracts or only habit?
    • How stable is the customer base?

  • Area 3

    Financial transparency

    • Are there ongoing figures or only the annual accounts?
    • Is the history of the last 3 years clean?
    • Can one-off effects be explained?

  • Area 4

    Processes & documentation

    • Are core processes described?
    • Does the knowledge sit in the system or in people's heads?
    • Is there an organisation manual?

  • Area 5

    Team & second management tier

    • Who can take on responsibility?
    • How high is the risk with key people?
    • Is there a possible successor in the company?

  • Area 6

    Digitalisation & systems

    • Is there a CRM and a central system?
    • Is the data transferable?
    • How much catching up is needed after the takeover?

Why ivato

Why do the Exit check with ivato?

  1. 01

    An honest outside view

    We tell you what a buyer would see, even if it is uncomfortable. That is exactly what the check is for.

  2. 02

    We also implement

    Many measures from the plan, such as CRM, documentation or controlling, we implement with you ourselves. You do not have to look for the next service provider.

  3. 03

    Eligible for funding

    The Exit check is a consulting service and can be subsidised with up to €5,600. We check eligibility before the start.

Why now

The succession backlog will not resolve itself.

Almost a third of entrepreneurs in Germany are 60 or older. For a well-prepared handover, a lead time of at least 24 months is recommended in practice. For many owners, this window has therefore already opened.

One in four companies plans to shut down after the owners withdraw instead of handing over. Buyers need reliable figures and processes, and that is exactly what the Exit check makes visible.

  • 31%

    of entrepreneurs are already 60+

  • 1 in 4

    companies plans to shut down instead of finding a successor

  • 114,000+

    planned closures per year until 2029

  • 24 months

    recommended lead time before the handover

Sources: KfW-Nachfolge-Monitoring Mittelstand 2025 · KfW-Mittelstandspanel

Before we talk

Frequently asked questions about the Exit check.

Your question is not here? In the initial conversation we take 30 minutes for your specific topic.

No. The Exit check does not state a purchase price. It shows which factors would weigh on a valuation today and how you can improve them before the handover. For the valuation itself, you work with your tax adviser or an M&A adviser.

Especially then. The measures increase saleability regardless of whether the family, employees or an external buyer take over, and they improve day-to-day operations at the same time.

From the questionnaire to the results session, usually a few weeks. Your time commitment: the questionnaire, one analysis session and one results session.

Yes. We work on the basis of a confidentiality agreement. Your employees do not need to know anything about the check if you do not want them to.

The scope is fixed, and we state the fixed price in the initial consultation. As consulting, the Exit check is eligible for funding of up to €5,600.

You decide. Many clients implement the most important measures with us in the implementation phase, others with their own people. For the handover period, we also offer the Mastermind as sparring within a circle of other entrepreneurs.

How saleable is your company today?

20 minutes, non-binding and confidential. We clarify where you stand, which succession option you have in mind and whether the Exit check is the right step now.

Your next step

Arrange a free initial consultation →Lever: Securing succession →