Build a business a buyer will pay for.
Exit planning for small and midsize, owner-led companies. We get your operations, systems, and data room ready before a sale, alongside your broker, attorney, and CPA.
Two exits. One company taken public.
Exit planning is getting a business ready to sell, or to hand off, on your terms: operations that don't depend on you, numbers that hold up, documented systems, and a data room buyers can work through. Lockhold handles the operational and data-room side. We're not a business broker, and we don't give legal or tax advice; we work alongside the advisors who do.
2 exits
a seven-figure sale, then a share sale
Joe bootstrapped his first company and sold it in a seven-figure deal, stayed on to run it for the buyer, then sold his shares. Exit planning from an operator who has been through the sale himself.
Your business exit strategy, ready before you need it
- Operations that run without you: buyers look closely at how much depends on the owner, so we document and hand off what still runs through you.
- Numbers that hold up: clean monthly reporting and KPIs, built with your accountant, ready for diligence.
- Data room prep: contracts, financials from your accountant, SOPs, and vendor and customer information, organized so questions get answered quickly.
- The narrative: how the business works and where it can grow, told plainly.
- Diligence support: answering the operational questions that come up once a buyer is serious.
What we don't do
Brokerage, finding buyers, valuation opinions, legal work, or tax advice. Those belong with a business broker or M&A advisor, an attorney, and a CPA. We'll work alongside yours, so the operational side is ready when they need it.
The experience behind it
Lockhold's founder was CEO of both companies he exited. He bootstrapped the first and sold it in a seven-figure deal. After the sale he stayed on with the buyer as CEO, learned what giving up control costs, and later sold his shares: the second exit. He was also a founder, Director of R&D, and board member of a company taken public. Read about the bootstrapped exit and the public company.
What that means for you: we've been on the seller's side of the table twice, and we know how much of a sale comes down to operations being ready.
Who it's for, and who it's not for
For
Small to midsize, owner-led companies thinking about a sale or a raise, and owners who want the business to run without them either way.
Not for
Finding a buyer, negotiating the price, valuations, legal documents, or tax structuring.
How engagements work
- Selective. A small number of engagements at a time.
- Set scope. What we deliver, what “done” looks like, and the timeline, in writing first.
- Fixed price. Agreed before work starts. No open-ended hourly billing.
- Plain updates. What moved and what's blocked.
Who's behind it
Joe, founder. He started his first company at 24 with no investors, built it on cash flow, and sold it in a seven-figure deal. He has raised over $30M from investors, built a team of 50+, run contract manufacturing for other brands, and helped take a company from an idea to a public listing. Products he built reached 50,000+ U.S. stores and 26 countries.
Ro runs the client experience. No handoffs: the people you meet are the people who do the work. Meet the team.
“Lockhold helped me sell my company. I had a buyer looking to begin due diligence and saw Joe had a process to score the salability of the company. I was able to fix some loose ends before selling.”
How to sell your business: the operations side
Buyers pay more for a business that runs without the owner. One page, ready to print or share with your team.
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Free guides and tools
How to sell your business: the operations side
What buyers look at first, the operations prep, a 12-month plan, and why you want more than one buyer.
Read the guide Guide
How to clean up your numbers before you sell
What to clean, how to clean it with your accountant, what buyers ask first, and the problems that slow a sale.
Read the guide Guide
How to prepare your business to run without you for 90 days
What has to be true, what to build first, the step-out test, and how you know it is ready.
Read the guideFree tools for this work: the exit readiness score and the gross margin calculator. They run in your browser, and what you enter stays on your device. See all the free tools
The Blueprint
Three full days at your business, working with you and the people who run each area. On the last day we lay out what’s broken, what it costs, and the order to fix it. You get a written plan within a week. From $7,500, travel included. Monthly support is quoted after, once we both know the work.
- 3 full days on site (U.S.)
- Travel included
- Written plan within a week
- From $7,500
Questions about exit planning
What is exit planning?
Exit planning is preparing a business, and its owner, for a sale or handoff ahead of time: deciding what you want, then getting operations, numbers, and documents ready. The earlier it starts, the more options you keep.
How long does it take to sell a business?
It varies a lot with the size of the business, how ready it is, and the buyer. Finding a buyer, diligence, and closing each take time, and missing documents are a common cause of delays. A broker or M&A advisor can give you a realistic timeline for your market.
How do I value a small business?
Small businesses are usually valued on earnings, often as a multiple of profit, adjusted for growth, risk, and how much depends on the owner. Assets and recurring revenue matter too. For a real number, get a professional valuation or ask a broker; we don't give valuation opinions.
How do I prepare a business for sale?
Make it run without you, clean up the books with your accountant, document your processes, and gather the contracts and records a buyer will ask for. Then bring in a broker or M&A advisor, an attorney, and a CPA for the sale itself.
What goes in a due diligence checklist?
Typically financial statements and tax returns, customer and vendor contracts, employee and payroll records, legal and corporate documents, licenses, intellectual property, and how operations run day to day. Your attorney and advisor will set the exact list for your deal.
Bootstrapped to a seven-figure exit
The founder track record: a company started from $0 with no investors, built on cash flow, and sold.
Read →ResultFrom idea to a nine-figure public company
A first mover that created a new product category, built from scratch and taken public.
Read →WorkFractional COO
An operator who owns your operations part-time, on a set scope.
Read →What would a buyer find if they looked today?
A few lines is enough. If it's a fit, we'll come back with a scope.
Scope your project