Many investors talk about exit readiness in categories such as reporting, processes or equity story.
This is correct – but incomplete.

A recent study by Grant Thornton shows:
Exit Readiness is increasingly understood as a continuous value enhancement process over the entire holding period – not as short-term preparation before the sale.

Nevertheless, there is often a gap in practice:
Companies consider themselves “exit ready”.
Buyers are much more critical.
59% of investors say that target companies are rarely really exit ready.
A common reason: unclear responsibilities and a weak management setup.

💡 The underestimated lever: the company value of people
Exit readiness is not only created by clean figures or a data room.
It is created by people who:
Take responsibility
Carry a credible equity story
Implement change
Generate trust among buyers
A company is only truly exit ready when the management can credibly continue the value proposition.

This is precisely where it is often decided whether an exit is successful – or whether buyers demand risk discounts.
📌 Three questions for buyers in the exit readiness assessment
1️⃣ Is the management capable of carrying the equity story even after the exit?
2️⃣ Are key people identified, committed and clearly accountable?
3️⃣ Is there a reliable second management level – or is it all down to individuals?
If these questions remain unanswered, uncertainty arises.
And uncertainty reduces company value.

Jean-Claude Baumer, Managing Director of omegaconsulting, puts it in a nutshell: “Exit readiness does not just mean: ‘Are our documents ready?”
The more important question is: Is the company really capable of being managed without the current owners?”