What would stop a buyer paying the top of your range?
You've seen how businesses like yours are priced.
What you don't yet know is where this business would land when a buyer tests it.
That position is revealed in due diligence — not decided at the point of sale.
One-off payment. Structured report delivered within 1–3 hours. Reviewed before release.
How buyers underwrite risk
Buyers do not start with growth. They start with fragility.
In practice, they test six areas — to understand not just what could go wrong, but whether growth under new ownership is credible:
- whether the business runs without the owner
- how exposed revenue is to concentration
- whether the numbers stand up under scrutiny
- whether there is real management depth
- whether systems produce reliable, traceable data
- whether the business owns something competitors cannot replicate
Each one can move you down the range.
The diagnostic applies this lens directly.
What we test
Decisions, relationships, number two autonomy, meeting follow-through.
Continuity risk; key-person discount; decision bottlenecks.
Largest client risk, margin at risk, contract protection, pricing basis.
Volatility; leverage loss; concentration discount.
Speed, reconciliation, variance-to-action discipline, KPI consequence.
Credibility discount; diligence delay; re-trading.
Second layer, decision authority, initiative origin, accountability rhythm.
Delay; thin bench discount; transferability risk.
CRM-to-cash traceability, evidence pack discipline, change control.
Diligence friction; thin systems discount.
What the business owns, controls or knows that competitors cannot easily replicate — and whether that advantage would still produce growth once you are no longer in the business.
Founder-held relationships; non-transferable expertise; weak defensibility.
See how a buyer would assess this business
If you recognise these patterns, the next step is to see how they apply to your business. The Diagnostic applies this lens directly, showing where a buyer is likely to press, delay or discount.
Structured report delivered within 1–3 hours. Reviewed before release.
The six lenses
These are the factors that determine where a buyer places you within the range — often within weeks of first serious engagement.
What the report includes
- Composite score and band
- Saleability Confidence Index (SCI)
- Top three buyer-priced risks
- Contradictions flagged where answers do not align
- 30-day and 90-day action priorities
- Appendix with your Q&A snapshot
This is not a valuation. It is a buyer-style structural interpretation.
Turning the diagnostic into action
The diagnostic shows where a buyer is likely to press, delay or discount.
What it does not do is decide what should be fixed first, what can wait, and what is not worth touching.
That requires judgement, sequencing, and context.
The Strategic Review is a 90-minute working session focused on your specific business.
We work through the findings, identify the constraints that actually matter, and set a clear order of action.
This is not a presentation of the report. It is where decisions get made.
- Includes the full diagnostic
- 90-minute private working session
- Prioritised action pathway
- Focus on what moves value, not activity
Who it is for
For
Established founder-led businesses seeking clarity on transferability and scrutiny exposure; before a process.
Not for
Startups. Owners looking for someone to implement changes on their behalf. Anyone wanting reassurance instead of scrutiny.
How it works
- 1Pay securely
- 2Complete the questionnaire
- 3Receive your structured report within 1–3 hours (reviewed before release)
- 4Owners who want to act on the findings can discuss a structured accountability programme.
Who you're dealing with
In his thirties, Matthew Broadbent received an offer he couldn't refuse for his own business. Despite several transactions under his belt at Deloitte, and despite having employment contracts filed, reviewed T&Cs, forecasts, and management accounts all in order — he nearly missed it. His automation systems required him personally. His client relationships were in the wrong department for the buyer. The list went on.
He wasn't investment ready because he hadn't thought he'd be exiting.
That experience, combined with three decades as a Chartered Accountant across transactions, corporate finance, and operational leadership as MD and CEO across multiple businesses — and years as a fund manager underwriting SME deals from the buyer's side — is what the diagnostic is built on.
“One of a rare breed who demonstrates not only a high level of financial expertise, but also a high degree of business acumen. He translates the financial aspects of running a business to both the strategic and tactical needs of the organisation. He consistently shows a great deal of insight and commitment.”
“Hard-won through years in boardrooms, high-stakes meetings, late-night document reviews, reading people acutely, and skilfully navigating conversations to uncover the truth. Time spent in Matthew's company is always an investment.”
“Robust financial analysis of investment opportunities, helpful strategic input, absolute integrity.”
Frequently asked questions
What do I get?
How long does it take?
Is this a valuation?
Who is it for?
What if I disagree with the report?
By the time an offer is on the table, most of this has already been decided. At that point, the question is no longer what the business has done — but what a buyer believes it can do next.
Run it before the market runs it for you
You are buying a structured scrutiny pass. It shows where a buyer would apply friction or discount. You see it early, while you still control timing.
One-off payment. Structured report delivered within 1–3 hours. Reviewed before release.
This is priced at £497 because you are buying the output of the experience, not access to it. The report is sharp, structured, and deliberately brief — every line has been earned through decades of transactions, operational leadership, and investing from the buyer's side. You get the lens without the hourly rate.