Module 1: The Value Builder Score

  • The Value Builder Score is an interactive tool offering a comprehensive assessment of the “sellability” of your business, whether you want to sell next year or just know you’re building a valuable asset for the future.

  • When you complete the Value Builder Score questionnaire, you’ll receive your overall score out of 100 plus a comprehensive analysis of your score and a detailed action plan for how to improve your score on each of the eight key drivers, which are statistically proven to improve the value of your company.

  • Through an analysis of 65,000 businesses, we’ve discovered that companies that achieve a Value Builder Score of 80+ out of a possible 100 receive offers to buy their business that are 71% higher than what the average company receives. Your overall score reflects your performance on the eight key drivers of Value Builder, which are statistically proven to drive the value of your company.

  • The Vision Builder module helps you define the strategic framework for your company and identify key business objectives for achieving your vision. By having a clear vision and well-defined objectives, you can align your team and focus on the activities that will drive the most value for your business.

  • The Action Planner module helps you identify the obstacles that are preventing you from increasing your Value Builder Score and provides you with a step-by-step plan to overcome these obstacles. By taking action on the recommendations provided, you can steadily improve your score and enhance the overall value of your business.

Module 2: The Scalability Factor

  • Break Free of the Owner’s Trap

  • Learn how to identify your most scalable products and services using The Scalability Trifecta. The Scalability Trifecta is a framework used to evaluate the scalability of a product or service. The three factors of the Scalability Trifecta are teachability, valuable to customers, and repeatability. A product or service that is easy to teach to others, provides significant value to customers, and can be easily replicated is more scalable than one that lacks these characteristics.

  • Learn the answers to our most frequently asked questions about scaling up.

  • THE SCALABILITY FINDER TOOL exercise will help you identify your products and services that have the potential to scale up the fastest. This session will give you a road map of the products and services you can offer that will help you grow your company while minimizing its dependence on you personally.

  • An excerpt from the book Built to Sell describes how to identify your most scalable products and services.

Module 3: Customer Score

  • The Customer Score module is designed to gather input from your customers using a customer satisfaction e-mail survey.

  • The survey features a standard set of questions proven to be predictive of a company’s growth rate and value.

  • The survey asks about your customers’ willingness to recommend your company to their friends and colleagues

  • This allows us to calculate your Net Promoter Score*, a metric proven to predict your company’s growth rate..

  • We also calculate your Dependency Score, which measures how dependent your company is on you personally, a key variable in improving the value of your business.

Module 4: Growth Potential

  • In this module you’ll learn how your growth rate impacts the value of your company.

  • This module illustrates how to maximize your growth while taking on the minimum amount of risk possible.

  • This module provides answers to our most frequently asked questions about The Growth Quad

  • The Growth Potential exercise is designed to pinpoint your product and service lines with the highest potential to grow and, the least risk associated with investing in them.

Module 5: Recurring Revenue

  • This module will reveal the benefits of creating a recurring revenue stream in your company.

  • In Module 5 we’ll focus on increasing both the number and quality of recurring revenue streams flowing into your business.

  • You will complete The Automatic Customer Builder tool, which identifies opportunities for annuity revenue in your business.

  • Recurring revenue increases the value of your business, smooths out demand to allow you to plan your business more efficiently, and improves both cash flow and profitability.

  • LTV:CAC CALCULATOR – This tool will help you understand the health of your subscription business. We look at a number of operating metrics in order to calculate the relationship between the Life Time Value (LTV) of a subscriber and your Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC). For a subscription business to be considered healthy, it must have an LTV:CAC of at least 3:1.

Module 6: Monopoly Control

  • In this module, you’ll learn how your marketing impacts the value of your company.

  • In Module 6 we will review your company’s positioning in the market using a tool called The Positioning Planner.

  • This tool allows you to isolate the attributes and qualities of your business that give you a defendable market position.

  • This exercise will illustrate which marketing messages give you the highest degree of differentiation from your competitors and are also most meaningful to customers.

  • This exercise is repeated every 12 months as your company develops, the market evolves, and competitive threats emerge.

Module 7: Hub and Spoke

  • This module describes the Hub & Spoke manager and outlines the impact Hub & Spoke management has on the value of your business.

  • In Module 7 we will dedicate our time to minimizing your company’s dependence on you personally. This tool examines how you spend your time in your business and the impact it has on your company’s valuation.

  • The Delegator exercise allows you to hone your delegation skills by taking you through a framework for delegating activities effectively

  • Reducing your business’s reliance on your everyday involvement frees up time for you to pursue interests and hobbies outside of your business and invest more of your energy in business activities that fully leverage your unique skillset and positively impact your company’s valuation.

  • At the core of this session is a review of the results of a survey of your employees, asking them how informed they are about your company’s priorities and goals. The most valuable companies can operate without their owner’s everyday involvement, and this session will identify areas where additional training, systems or processes are needed to allow your company to operate without you.

Module 8: The Switzerland Structure

  • This module outlines the importance of creating independence from a single customer, employee or supplier.

  • The Stack Ranking Tool is designed to minimize your reliance on any one employee. An over-reliance on an employee(s) can reduce the value and Sellability of your company.

  • The Customer Concentration Matrix tool is designed to minimize your reliance on a small group of customers. An over-reliance on a few customers can reduce the value and Sellability of your company.

  • The Supplier Concentration Matrix tool is designed to minimize your reliance on a small group of suppliers. An over-reliance on a few suppliers can reduce the value and Sellability of your company.

Module 9: Customer Score

  • The Customer Score module is designed to gather input from your customers using a customer satisfaction e-mail survey.

  • The survey features a standard set of questions proven to be predictive of a company’s growth rate and value.

  • The survey asks about your customers’ willingness to recommend your company to their friends and colleague.

  • This allows us to calculate your Net Promoter Score*, a metric proven to predict your company’s growth rate.

  • We also calculate your Dependency Score, which measures how dependent your company is on you personally, a key variable in improving the value of your business.

Module 10: Valuation Teeter-Totter

  • In this module, our focus will be on cash flow.

  •  Our goal will be to maximize the cash flow coming from the day-to-day operations of your business.

  • After this session, you’ll have a set of actions to take that will increase your cash flow, minimize or eliminate stressful periods of low cash flow, and increase the overall value of your company.

  • This session is anchored by The Cash Flow Finder tool.

Module 11: The Shortlist Builder

  • We will develop a short list of potential acquirers with a strategic reason (and the resources) to buy your company.

  • Whether you want to sell your business in a year or a decade, knowing who the natural buyers are for your business will allow you to look at decisions based on how they might increase or decrease your attractiveness to a buyer.

  • This module explains why knowing who the natural acquirers are for your business can improve its value.

  • We explain the 5-20 rule of thumb that can be seen in many acquisitions.

Module 12: The Envelope Test

  • This module is designed to get you thinking about the right time to sell your business.

  • The module describes the downside of timing the sale of your business based on external market conditions.

  • Why Microsoft Bought Skype. This module outlines why most strategic acquisitions happen.

  • Natural Acquirers – This module features a number of case studies from recent strategic acquisitions.