Sale Readiness Assessment

Knowledgebase.business

Confidential · Sale Readiness Assessment

Prepared for the vendor and their advisors

Operational Readiness
Review

Prepared for: Acme Services Pty Ltd

Business

Acme Services Pty Ltd

Industry

Professional Services

Assessment Date

Processes Identified

Sale Timeline

6 – 12 months

Overall Readiness

Partial

This report documents the operational structure of Acme Services Pty Ltd as assessed in a structured discovery session. Its purpose is to provide prospective buyers and their advisors with a clear, frank account of how the business operates — what is documented, what is not, and what the planned knowledge base will resolve.

Business Overview

What the business does

Acme Services provides specialist compliance consulting to small and medium businesses across Queensland, delivering regulatory assessments, documentation reviews, and ongoing advisory retainers.

Years in operation

11 years

Locations

1 — Brisbane CBD office

Total headcount

7 (including principal)

Reason for sale

Retirement

Key roles: Principal (client relationships, major advisory decisions) · Practice Manager (scheduling, billing, compliance reporting) · Two Senior Consultants (delivery) · Two junior associates (admin, documentation) · Part-time bookkeeper

Primary systems

Xero · Microsoft 365 · SharePoint · HubSpot

Knowledge transfer (current)

Primarily verbal — shadowing and direct instruction

Operational Assessment

The following assessment maps every identified process across four operational areas. Each process is classified by type and priority, and owner-dependent functions are explicitly flagged. Maturity ratings reflect the current state of documentation — not the quality of the underlying operation.

📣

Marketing

Weak — owner dependent

Process	Type	Priority	Notes
Referral network management Owner only	T2 flow	High	Principal manages all referral relationships personally. No documented contact list or process.
Google Business profile & reviews	T1 screen	Medium	Admin manages reviews ad hoc — no formal collection process.
LinkedIn presence Owner only	T1 screen	Medium	All posts written and published by principal only.

⚠ Marketing is the highest-risk area for buyer confidence. Approximately 80% of new business originates from the principal's personal referral network. This will be addressed in the knowledge base through a referral contact inventory, a systematic review-collection process, and a marketing handover guide.

🤝

Sales

Partial — some dependency

Process	Type	Priority	Notes
Initial enquiry response	Both	High	Handled by admin for general enquiries; principal for complex or high-value leads.
Discovery consultation Owner only	T2 flow	High	All consultations currently conducted by principal. No script or framework exists.
Proposal & engagement letter	T1 screen	High	Templates exist but are used inconsistently. Process not documented.
Lead follow-up	T2 flow	Medium	No formal follow-up schedule — relies on principal's memory.

The proposal template is a strong foundation. Priority is to document the consultation framework so a senior consultant can run initial meetings without the principal.

💼

Delivery

Partial — core work understood

Process	Type	Priority	Notes
Client file opening (new matter)	Both	High	Partially documented. Practice manager follows a checklist but it is not current.
Regulatory assessment — standard	T2 flow	High	Four-stage process understood by senior consultants; not written anywhere.
Regulatory assessment — complex Owner only	T2 flow	High	Complex assessments require principal sign-off. No documented escalation criteria.
Client report drafting & review	Both	High	Quality standard is understood but not defined in writing.
Document filing in SharePoint	T1 screen	Medium	Inconsistent filing across staff — screen recording needed.
Retainer client check-in schedule	T2 flow	Medium	Managed informally. No formal schedule or trigger system.
Matter closure & archiving	Both	Medium	No consistent process. Final billing and file closure handled ad hoc.
Client satisfaction & feedback	T2 flow	Low	Not currently collected in a structured way.

Delivery is well-understood by the senior team but almost entirely undocumented. The standard assessment process is the single highest-value item to capture — it is the core of what a buyer is purchasing.

⚙️

Admin

Strongest area — some documentation exists

Process	Type	Priority	Notes
Monthly invoicing run	T1 screen	High	Consistent process in Xero — partially documented. Needs screen recording.
Debtor follow-up	T2 flow	High	No formal escalation process. Handled case-by-case by practice manager.
Bank reconciliation	T1 screen	Medium	Done by bookkeeper — no written handover if bookkeeper leaves.
Staff onboarding	T2 flow	Medium	No formal onboarding checklist. Process rebuilt each time.
End of financial year	T2 flow	Medium	Coordinated with external accountant — process not written internally.
Compliance calendar management	T2 flow	Medium	Tracked in spreadsheet. High risk if practice manager leaves.

Admin is the most stable area — processes exist and are followed consistently. Priority is getting them written down and removing dependence on the practice manager as the sole knowledge holder.

📊

Management

Weakest area — entirely owner dependent

Process	Type	Priority	Notes
Business performance review Owner only	T2 flow	High	Principal reviews P&L, WIP, and debtors monthly. No dashboard or documented KPI framework exists.
Team meeting cadence Owner only	T2 flow	High	Weekly team meetings run by principal with no agenda template or documented format.
Staff performance management Owner only	T2 flow	High	No formal performance review process. Issues handled informally by principal as they arise.
Supplier & contractor management Owner only	T2 flow	Medium	All key supplier relationships held by principal. No documented contacts, terms, or renewal dates.
Banking & professional relationships Owner only	T2 flow	Medium	Bank, accountant, and legal relationships managed entirely by principal. No handover documentation.
Annual planning process Owner only	T2 flow	Low	No documented annual strategy or planning cycle. Goals set informally by principal.

⚠ Management is the highest-risk area for a buyer taking over this business. Every management function currently sits with the principal and has no documented framework. This is the area that most directly affects the buyer's confidence in running the business post-settlement — and the area the knowledge base will prioritise first.

Readiness Summary

This business has strong operational foundations — experienced staff, consistent delivery, and a loyal client base. The primary risk to a buyer is owner-dependency: a significant proportion of revenue, relationships, and institutional knowledge currently resides with the principal. The knowledge base engagement below is designed to systematically transfer that knowledge into documented, transferable systems before the business is listed.

Owner-dependency risk register

Risk	Severity	Current situation	How the knowledge base resolves it
Business performance & KPIs	High	No KPI dashboard or reporting framework. Principal carries all financial awareness in their head.	KPI framework and monthly performance review process documented. Dashboard template built for incoming owner.
Referral network	High	~80% of new business originates from principal's personal relationships. No contact list documented.	Referral contact inventory created. Relationship transfer process documented and handed over prior to sale.
Client discovery consultation	High	All consultations conducted by principal. No framework for delegation.	Consultation script and qualifying framework documented. Senior consultant trained and signed off.
Staff & team management	High	No meeting cadence, performance review process, or management framework documented.	Meeting templates, performance review process, and team management framework all documented and tested.
Complex assessment sign-off	Medium	Escalation criteria exist in principal's judgment only. Staff cannot identify what qualifies as complex.	Written escalation criteria created. Decision flowchart built and tested with senior consultants.
Supplier & professional relationships	Medium	All key supplier, banking, and professional relationships held by principal with no handover documentation.	Supplier register created. Contact list, terms, and renewal dates documented. Warm introductions scheduled pre-settlement.
Practice manager as single point	Medium	Compliance calendar and billing sit entirely with one person. No written backup.	All admin processes documented with screen recordings. Second staff member cross-trained.

Knowledge base — proposed scope

Marketing

2 screen · 2 flow

Sales

2 screen · 3 flow

Delivery

4 screen · 6 flow

Admin

3 screen · 3 flow

Management

1 screen · 5 flow

Total deliverables — processes & tools 31 + 8 tools

Investment

$6,500

Includes the $500 assessment fee already paid

Delivery timeline

6 – 7 weeks

From engagement to completed knowledge base

Output

Complete knowledge base

Delivered as a branded, hosted, password-protected site

For the buyer's advisors: The knowledge base produced through this engagement will be made available as part of the vendor's due diligence package. It constitutes a complete operational handover document — covering every process, every system, and every role — and is designed to significantly reduce the buyer's onboarding risk and post-settlement dependency on the vendor.