Prepare your numbers, and yourself, before a buyer looks.
Oversight, guidance and education for owners who expect to sell in the coming years. We share what we see. You decide what, if anything, to change.
Where we focus
Financial reporting
How your statements are prepared and presented, how your P&L compares with your tax returns, and separating personal and discretionary expenses.
Earnings quality
Potential add-backs and the documentation that typically supports them, and the areas a Quality of Earnings review usually examines.
Balance sheet & cash
Working capital, receivables, payables and inventory, plus debt, owner loans and related-party items to be aware of.
Owner transition
How owners can shift decision-making, key relationships and day-to-day control to their team over time, and test it.
Pre-sale cleanup
Entity records, contracts and assignment terms, leases and permits, liens and titles, tax filings, employee matters and IP.
SBA & after-closing education
General information on how SBA lenders review financials, how sale proceeds are commonly paid, and what may remain after payoffs, fees and taxes.
Dewey Vaughn, MBA
Business Management Consultant · OTBC and Synergy Business Brokers
Dewey is a business management consultant with more than 25 years of experience running, buying and selling businesses. He helps owners get their numbers, operations and leadership ready before a buyer looks, so the business can run without them and hold up under due diligence.
Education & credentials
- MBA
- Graduate Certificate, Management Consulting
- Graduate Certificate, Business Management
- Doctoral coursework, Strategy & Innovation
- B.S., Business (Project Management), Summa Cum Laude
Where he helps
- Reducing owner dependence and planning succession
- Budgeting, forecasting and KPI dashboards
- Cost control and process improvement
- Preparing for buyer due diligence and deal structure
Get what's in your head onto paper.
Using our framework, you record what you do as the decision-maker: your daily, monthly and yearly responsibilities, what you monitor, how you make key decisions, and the relationships only you hold today.
The Playbook is yours. You write it, and it belongs to you. We provide the structure and guidance.
- Daily, monthly and yearly responsibilities
- Reports, numbers and warning signs you watch
- How you weigh key decisions and when you step in
- Key relationships and institutional knowledge
OTBC gets you ready. Synergy handles the sale.
OTBC focuses on preparation: your numbers, your team, and how much the business still depends on you. When you decide to go to market, Synergy Business Brokers handles the sale itself, from valuation and confidential marketing to qualified buyers through negotiation and closing.
You can start with either one. Many owners begin with a confidential conversation and a readiness check, then decide on timing.
What buyers look for
- Clean, supportable financials
- A business that runs without the owner every day
- Recurring, predictable revenue
- No single customer carrying the business
- A growth plan a buyer can believe
- An organized, confidential sale process
Your role
You decide whether to make any change to your business, and you carry it out. You are responsible for all business, spending, financial, legal and tax decisions and their results. We recommend involving your own CPA, attorney and financial advisor before any significant decision.
What we don't do
- Price your business as part of this service (valuations are a separate engagement)
- Market or sell your business, or contact buyers
- Negotiate or structure a sale
- Provide accounting, tax, legal, lending or investment advice
- Run your business or make changes for you
Exit readiness engagements are guidance and education only, under a written agreement. OTBC makes no promise or guarantee about business value, sale price, financing, net proceeds or any other result.
Exit planning questions owners ask
What is exit planning?
Exit planning is preparing a business, and its owner, for an eventual transition: a sale, a succession to family or managers, or another exit. It covers financial readiness, reducing dependence on the owner, cleaning up records, and understanding what may happen after closing.
When should I start exit planning?
Many owners start two to five years before they hope to sell, because improvements to financial records and owner independence take time to show up in the numbers buyers review. Starting earlier generally leaves more options open.
Should I sell my business or keep it?
That is a personal decision that depends on your goals, finances, health, family and the business itself. We can help you understand how buyers may view your business and what you might net after a sale, so you can discuss the decision with your own CPA, attorney and financial advisor.
What's the difference between exit planning and succession planning?
Succession planning usually focuses on who will lead or own the business next, often family members or managers. Exit planning is broader and includes a sale to an outside buyer. The owner-transition work (moving decisions and relationships off the owner) is central to both.
How do I prepare a business for sale?
Common steps include cleaning up financial statements, documenting add-backs, reducing owner dependence and customer concentration, organizing contracts and records, and considering a sell-side quality of earnings report. Our free Exit Readiness Check is a quick way to see where you stand.