Transaction and exit readiness
Transaction and exit readiness: prepare the financial story before another party defines it
I help owners strengthen forecasts, reporting, working-capital visibility, and decision support before financing, acquisition, due diligence, or exit discussions accelerate. I’ve sat on your side of the table in more than 20 M&A and exit events.
30+ years
as a CFO
MBA
in Marketing
CPA
Georgia State Board of Accountancy License #CPA012637 (inact)
Trusted by leaders at
A transaction exposes financial weaknesses quickly
Buyers, lenders, and investors do not evaluate only revenue and EBITDA. They test the quality, consistency, and explainability of the numbers.
They ask:
How working capital behaves.
Whether forecasts are credible.
Where customer or supplier concentration exists.
Whether management can produce information on time.
The best time to resolve those questions is before the process becomes urgent.
Start with the financial questions to answer before selling your company.
Readiness support can include
Financial reporting and data readiness
Close and reporting review.
Historical trend and normalization support.
Management-reporting package.
Data-request organization and ownership.
Forecasting and scenarios
Driver-based forecast.
Cash and working-capital scenarios.
Growth, downside, and transaction-case assumptions.
Capital requirements and covenant visibility.
Business-model and margin clarity
Customer, product, project, service, or channel economics.
Concentration and dependency analysis.
Recurring versus nonrecurring performance.
Decision-relevant operational KPIs.
Management preparation
Financial narrative and key assumptions.
Quality-of-earnings prep, data rooms, models, and banker packages.
Coordination with accountants, attorneys, lenders, valuation specialists, investment bankers, and buyers.
Post-transaction or integration priorities when included in scope.
Led a 1996 NASDAQ IPO at Ace Auto Parts, co-authored the S-1, executed seven acquisitions, and sold the company to the second-largest competitor in the country at a 14% premium.
As board-appointed Interim CEO of a Nasdaq-listed travel company after 9/11, I built and ran a competitive strategic-alternatives process that delivered a sale protecting the company’s value and its employees.
Architected the cross-border combination of Baywalk Media with Quatrro, and the framework that led to the company’s acquisition.
Prepared and closed CertiPay’s sale to Vensure - the buyer’s largest and most complex acquisition to that point - and helped carve out and sell its insurance agency to Acentria.
Kept SEC filings 100% on time with no restatements at both NASDAQ-listed companies.
These describe my roles as an executive and co-founder, not Fractional CFO client engagements. The goal is simple: you arrive prepared and exit with no surprises.
What I do - and don’t do
I provide CFO leadership, financial preparation, analysis, negotiation support, and coordination.
I don’t provide legal opinions, tax opinions, audit assurance, securities advice, fairness opinions, or investment-banking services. Appropriate specialists remain responsible for those disciplines.
Recommended starting point
Transaction Readiness Diagnostic
A focused initial engagement identifies the financial information gaps, forecast requirements, working-capital questions, and management priorities most likely to matter in the next stage.
The exact scope and price depend on the transaction, timetable, condition of the books, and advisor team. This is separately scoped from the standard CFO Decision Diagnostic when the diligence burden is substantial.
Frequently asked questions
How early should we begin?
Ideally, before a buyer, lender, or investor sets the timetable. Several months of consistent reporting and forecast performance are more credible than a package assembled only after diligence begins.
Can you value the company?
I support forecasts, financial analysis, and value-driver planning. A formal valuation should be performed by an appropriately qualified valuation professional when required.
Can you work with our existing transaction advisors?
Yes. The CFO role is often to ensure the operating company can produce, explain, and act on the financial information those advisors need.
Do you support acquisitions as well as exits?
Yes. I’ve been on the buy side of a seven-acquisition roll-up and the sell side of premium exits. Support may include modeling, diligence questions, integration priorities, cash requirements, and management reporting.
Make the company easier to understand before the stakes rise
Or text me directly at (727) 455-9905.