Free Deal Risk Check
Is the deal as good as it looks?
Nine questions, about three minutes. You get a read on where your deal is exposed, the single biggest gap and what to do about it. No cost, and strictly confidential.
What it is
A read on the deal, not a valuation
The Deal Risk Check scores four things that decide whether an acquisition works: whether you have a reason for this specific business, how well you understand how it runs, whether you are ready to own it, and whether you have a plan for after the close.
It does not value the business and it does not replace diligence. It tells you, quickly and honestly, which part of your deal is least ready, so you know where to spend the time you have left before you commit.
What we measure
Four dimensions
Nine questions across four areas. The lowest one is the one that matters, not the average.
Thesis
Why this business, specifically, and how it is worth more in three years than it is the day you buy it. This is the line between buying an asset and buying yourself a job.
Knowing the deal
How much you understand beyond the financials: the operations, the systems, how much of the revenue rides on the owner’s personal relationships and whether the technology is an asset or a liability.
Operating readiness
Who actually runs the business the morning after the wire clears, and whether you have funded the cash to operate it rather than only to buy it.
After the close
Whether you have a real first-hundred-days plan or only a plan to reach close, and whether the current owner’s exit is a structured handover or an informal understanding.
How it works
Three minutes, three steps
Tell us who is buying
A first-time buyer on SBA debt is a different risk profile from an operator doing a bolt-on. A few questions on the buyer, the deal type and how it is funded, so the read is about your situation.
Answer nine questions
Plain questions about the deal in front of you. No financials, no documents to gather, nothing you need to look up.
Get the read
Your risk and readiness band, the single biggest gap and a specific next step. On screen immediately, no call required to see it.
The result
What the read looks like
You land in one of four bands, with the weakest dimension named.
| Band | What it means |
|---|---|
| High exposure | Several of the things that most often sink an acquisition are unaddressed. Better to find that now than after you sign. |
| Getting there | Real thinking has been done, but there are gaps that would cost you at the table or after the close. |
| Mostly deal-ready | Most of it is covered. A couple of gaps are worth closing before you commit. |
| Deal-ready | You are going in with your eyes open. The homework is done, and it shows. |
The number is not the point. The lowest dimension is, because that is where the deal is most likely to hurt you.
Scored by people who have done the diligence and run the integration.
Twelve acquisitions integrated, including a five-agency roll-up run as COO of a private equity backed platform. The questions come from what actually went wrong in those, not from a template.
Confidential
We never contact, name or approach a target. Ever.
You can optionally give us the target’s website so the read can be tailored to the business you are actually looking at. That information is strictly confidential and is used for nothing else. If you would rather not, leave it blank and the check still works.
FAQ
Before you start
How long does it really take?
Under three minutes. Nine questions plus a short set about who is buying. There is nothing to look up and no documents to gather.
Is this a valuation?
No. It does not price the business. It reads how exposed the deal is operationally, which is a different question and the one most buyers have no way to answer on their own.
Do I have to talk to someone to see the result?
No. The read appears on screen as soon as you finish. If it turns up something worth a conversation you can book one, but nothing is gated behind a call.
What if I am early and do not have a target yet?
It still works, and it is arguably more useful then. Several of the gaps it finds are about your readiness rather than the target, and those are cheaper to close before you are under a deadline.
What happens after the check?
You get a specific next step against your weakest dimension. Depending on what that is, it usually points at operational due diligence before you commit, or integration planning for after the close.
Is it really free?
Yes, and there is no email wall in front of the result. We built it because a buyer who knows where the deal is weak is a better conversation than one who does not, whether or not that conversation is with us.
Have a target in mind?
Nine questions. About three minutes. Strictly confidential, and you see the read before you decide whether to talk to anyone.