The Full Process

Five Steps to a Sellable Business

01
Free

Get in Touch

Book a call or send a message — whichever works for you. We'll have an honest conversation about where your business stands and whether this makes sense. No pitch, no pressure.

02
$2,500 - Fee credited toward engagement

Operational Readiness Assessment

A paid diagnostic that maps your business against what buyers actually look for. Over 1-2 weeks, I go through your operations, financials, team structure, and contracts — and give you a clear roadmap of what would cost you money at the table. The $2,500 fee is credited in full toward your first month if you move forward within 30 days of the assessment.

What's covered:

  • -Operations and process review
  • -Financial records and bookkeeping assessment
  • -Team structure and key-person risk
  • -Contracts, agreements, and legal foundation
  • -Owner dependency mapping
  • -Written roadmap with prioritized recommendations
03
$5,000/month — 3-month minimum

The Engagement

Done-with-you execution on the 1-2 pillars that will move the needle most for your specific deal. The engagement starts with a 3-month minimum at $5,000/month — your $2,500 assessment fee is credited toward your first month if you start within 30 days, so month one nets $2,500. While we work, I'm also mapping what comes next: owner dependency, getting institutional knowledge out of your head, and what the full path to market looks like from here.

After the initial 3 months, we continue month to month at $5,000/month for as long as the work requires — until you're ready to bring in a broker and go to market.

Owner Independence System

  • Org chart and role clarity documentation
  • Accountability systems so work happens without you
  • Key relationship and decision-making transfer
  • SOP development for critical owner-held processes
  • Evidence the business runs without you in the room

Financial Clarity Package

  • Clean, consistent books a buyer can actually trust
  • Personal and business expenses separated
  • SBA 7(a) loan compliance — financials and tax returns ready
  • Add-back documentation to support your asking price
  • 3-year financial narrative for the CIM

Paper Trail Package

  • Customer contracts reviewed and updated
  • Vendor and supplier agreements documented
  • Employment docs, IP assignments, and NDAs in place
  • Lease and licensing agreements identified and flagged
  • Legal foundation that holds up in due diligence

Proof of Demand System

  • Revenue concentration analysis and mitigation
  • Recurring revenue documented and highlighted
  • Customer retention and lifetime value metrics
  • Pipeline and growth story for the buyer narrative
  • Evidence that demand is real, repeatable, and transferable

Reputation Reset

  • Google, Yelp, and industry review audit
  • Strategy to address negative reviews and gaps
  • Online presence cleaned up and consistent
  • Buyer first-impression review — what they see when they search
04
Ongoing Retainer

Data Room Setup, Broker Selection & Ongoing Support

After the sprint, I stay in your corner. We build and organize your data room, find the right broker, and I remain available as you navigate the go-to-market process. You won't be navigating it alone.

Data Room Setup

A well-organized data room signals to buyers that you run a professional operation — and cuts weeks off due diligence. We build it before you go to market.

  • 3 years of financials and tax returns organized
  • Customer, vendor, and employee contracts filed
  • SOPs and org documentation ready to share
  • Secure virtual data room set up and access-controlled

$200/month

Monthly Check-In

One hour per month. We review where things stand, address what's come up, and keep you moving in the right direction.

$500/month

Weekly Support

Weekly meetings for active, ongoing support — ideal when you're approaching go-to-market and need closer guidance.

Broker selection included with both retainers. When you're ready to sell, I help you identify the right broker for your deal, prepare for interviews, get your documents in order, and navigate the go-to-market process — start to finish.

Investment Summary

What It Costs. What It's Worth.

The question isn't whether this is expensive. The question is what your sale price looks like with versus without it -- and whether the gap justifies the investment.

Phase What It Is Investment What It's Worth
Initial Conversation Initial assessment of fit and timing Free Knowing if you're ready before you start a process that's hard to walk back
Operational Readiness Assessment 1-2 week diagnostic with written roadmap; $2,500 credited toward first month if you start within 30 days $2,500 Finding out what buyers would find — before they do, and while there's still time to fix it
3-Month Engagement Done-with-you execution on your 1-2 highest-impact pillars. 3-month minimum, $2,500 assessment credited toward month one if you start within 30 days. $5,000/month ($12,500 total with assessment) Typically $200K–$600K added to your final sale price — and a deal that doesn't fall apart in due diligence
Month to Month (optional) Continue after the initial 3 months at the same rate until you're ready for market. $5,000/month Keeps the work moving — no new commitment, just keep going until the business is ready.
Data Room & Retainer Data room setup, broker selection, monthly or weekly meetings + hands-on support through go-to-market $200 or $500/mo The gains from the sprint don't fade, you go to market with the right broker instead of the first available one, and buyers have no reason to slow-walk or walk away

"The same business at $300K SDE: messy ops = $600K sale. Clean and transferable = $1.2M. That $600K gap is the cost of not being ready."

How We're Different

Stella and Main vs. Everyone Else

A CPA cleans your books. A lawyer reviews your contracts. A broker lists your business. None of them fix the operational gaps that kill deals. That's what this is for.

What needs to happen Stella & Main CPA Lawyer Broker CEPA
Exit readiness diagnostic Partial
Clean up financials for buyer review
SBA loan compliance prep
Reduce owner dependency
Document SOPs & processes
Assess customer concentration risk & help build a more transferable customer base
Assess and improve online reputation
Review & organize contracts
Build out the data room Partial
Broker selection & vetting
Hands-on execution inside your business
Tax planning for the sale
Business valuation Partial
Personal financial planning for the owner
Negotiate deal terms (LOI & purchase agreement)
Entity structure optimization pre-sale
Common Questions

Frequently Asked

Ready to See Where You Stand?

Let’s Talk. It’s Free.

Book a call or send a message — no pitch, no pressure.

Let’s Talk