Answer honestly
Example inputs are loaded. Replace them with your own figures to explore your scenario.
What a buyer sees
Owner-dependence self-assessment
The more the business runs through you, the more a buyer discounts it, because the earnings walk out the door on the day you do.
This result uses the figures and judgements entered above. Check the assumptions before acting, particularly where an input is uncertain or several effects overlap.
Enterprise value at risk
Illustrative discount a buyer may apply for this level of owner dependency, on the EBITDA above.
Where the dependency sits
Start with a practical sequence for reducing owner dependency, or a Commercial Assessment to map yours and build the plan.
Illustrative only, not a valuation. The score weights ten common dimensions of owner dependency equally; a real buyer weighs them by what matters in your business and sector, and a single severe dependency can matter more than several mild ones. The value-at-risk figure applies a broad, illustrative multiple adjustment to your EBITDA to make the reliance tangible. Use it to see where to start, then get specific advice on your own business.
The business that runs without you is the one you can sell.
Reducing owner dependency is two-to-three-year work, which is exactly why it starts before you need it done. A Commercial Assessment maps where the dependencies actually sit and builds the sequence to unwind them.
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