Your business depends on you.

I fix that so it's worth more and needs you less.

Whether you want to grow, sell, or both, the fix is the same: a business that doesn't run on you.

You'll leave knowing where the business leans on you most, and what a buyer would notice first.

Former CEO, COO and CMO
Inc. 5000 #597
Sat on the buyer's side of the table

Who this is for

You own a company with $5M to $50M in revenue: a manufacturer or machine shop, an engineering or technical service firm, a commercial contractor or industrial service company, a distributor or equipment dealer. More of the business still runs through you than you'd like. The bigger decisions, the important customers and the exceptions keep finding their way to your desk, or to one person you couldn't easily replace. I spent most of my operating years in companies that make things, and the rest working with the engineering, service and distribution businesses around them.

A technician in a hard hat and safety glasses inspecting a machine with a flashlight

Flow's part

Flow's part is commercial and operational:

A sales process that doesn't run through you
Processes with named owners
An operating rhythm
The evidence a buyer or lender will ask for

Who it isn't for. Businesses that win customers through a storefront, a brand or a booking page: restaurants, retail, consumer brands, clinics and practices, residential trades. The owner matters just as much there, but the fix is different.

What a buyer sees

If your business runs on you, a buyer pays less for it.

Whether you plan to grow, sell or both, the fix is the same. Here is what it is worth if you ever sell.

The owner discount

1to2

years' earnings off the sale price, M&A advisors estimate

Buyers often ask the owner to stay on for six months to two years after the sale.

Illustration, not to scale.

About1 in 3
sale processes run by a banker never close: 29 to 31% in Pepperdine's annual banker survey.
About1 in 5
of the 75 deals Axial saw fall apart in 2025 after a letter of intent broke over earnings that didn't hold up. About one in four broke over something else found in diligence.
Deal makers71%
say a strong team with low owner dependence makes an owner ready to sell, second only to clean financials (77%), in Axial's survey.

Sources and the full table are on How we work.

NowYou start the fixes
A year or moreThey show up in the numbers
The saleA buyer reads those numbers

You may not get to choose when you step back. A buyer calls, a partner quits, the market turns. These fixes take a year or more to show up in the numbers.

Start before you have to sell.

A technician in a hard hat and safety vest talking on a radio between large exhaust hoods on a commercial rooftop

What I do about it

I don't hand you a plan. I build what the plan says, with your team: a sales process that doesn't run through you, a second layer that can run the business when you're out, the documented processes and the operating rhythm a buyer pays for, and the evidence that proves it in diligence.

A consultant tells you what to fix. I fix it with you.

Revenue and profit growth.

Define which customer types give the best chance of profitable growth, and fill the pipeline with those.
Why customers choose you.

Be clear about who you serve best, why they should pick you, and what you offer, so the right customers come.
Reliable operations.

Clear roles, documented processes, automated systems and a steady operating rhythm.

Together, the three focus areas deliver:

A higher valuation. Stronger drivers leave a future buyer fewer reasons to discount its value.
Lower business risk. Less reliance on any single customer, partner or license holder.
Your time back. Written rules keep routine decisions moving without you.

Case study

At Axcend, I was COO and CMO after a venture buyer's close.

Read the Axcend case study

20 to 6

weeks of standard lead time
+65%

revenue in year one after the close

How we move forward

A free 60-minute conversation.
Remote, no deck. A structured set of questions that sorts out where the business leans on you most and what a buyer would notice first.
30-day diagnostic.
Mostly remote, with two or three days on site. What a buyer would discount, in plain words, and a scoped plan. Fee credited in full against the first 90-day block when it starts within the window in your proposal.
The build, in 90-day blocks.
Each block has a fixed price and named deliverables, done with your team. Some businesses need one block; some need a year. The diagnostic lays out the whole path and each block is agreed on its own.
Keeping it running.
Where the business supports it, an ongoing retainer sized to the business, visits included. And when you go to market, the evidence a buyer's diligence will ask for, ready.

Book a free 60-minute conversation

“Her ability to rapidly understand a new industry, its customers, buyer profiles, competitive dynamics, and market trends is exceptional. Michele brought both strategic insight and a strong focus on execution. I would work with Michele again in a heartbeat.”

Greg Ward, former CEO, Axcend

Co-founded and ran a manufacturer to Inc. 5000 #597 and an 11% net margin in year three.
$220M+ in pipeline built across a venture portfolio, as CMO to its companies for 4.5 years.
Sat on the buyer's side of the table. I participated in the commercial and/or technical diligence on four potential acquisitions, at different depths; two were completed, and two we walked away from. I've seen what gets discounted and what kills a deal.

BS Aerospace Engineering, MBA · Read more about Michele

Questions owners ask

Do I have to be selling?

No. Whether you want to grow, sell, or both, the fix is the same: a business that doesn't run on you. If you sell later, it is worth more. If you don't, you get your time back. And you may not get to choose when you step back: a buyer calls, a partner quits, the market turns. Ready means less risk then, and your time back now.

What does it cost?

The 60-minute conversation is free. The 30-day diagnostic is a fixed fee, credited in full against the first 90-day block when it starts within the window in your proposal. Each 90-day block has its own fixed price. You see every number before each step, and nothing starts until you agree to it.

I'm going to market next year. Is it too late?

No, but it's close. A year is enough for the first 90-day block and for the evidence a buyer's diligence will ask for. It isn't enough for the growth half of “worth more” to show in the numbers. Start with the 30-day look, fix what a buyer would notice first, and go to market with the proof assembled before anyone asks.

How is this different from an exit planner or a management program?

An exit planner helps you plan the transition and coordinates your advisors. A management program gives your team a routine for meetings and goals. I build the parts a buyer checks, with your team: the sales process, the second layer of leadership, the documented processes and the evidence. Flow can work alongside either.

Is this remote?

Mostly. The conversation is remote. The diagnostic is mostly remote, with two or three days on site. The build mixes remote work with planned visits, for clients anywhere in North America.

What happens in the 60-minute conversation?

A structured set of questions, not a pitch, and no deck. We work through where the business leans on you most and what a buyer would notice first. You leave knowing both, whether or not we work together.

Who is this not for?

Businesses that win customers through a storefront, a brand or a booking page: restaurants, retail, consumer brands, clinics and practices, residential trades. The owner matters just as much there, but the fix is different.