The holiday test
Your phone still rings on Sunday. Can you take 4 weeks off and come back to less mess, not more?
For Australian trades and service owners
You are your business. That's why it won't sell.
A business that runs without you. More time now, more value when you sell, and the choice is yours.
Three steps, from a free score to a business that runs without you.
- 23 questions
- About six minutes
- Free
Greg HamlynFounder, Business Exit Ready
Is your business ready for you to walk away?
Your free one-page report shows your Exit-Ready Score, how each of the nine Keys scores, and the three Keys to fix first.
Exit-Ready Score: one-page reportExample report
Not exit ready yet
Three Keys are flat. Too much still runs through the owner.
Example business only. Not a real client.
- Strategy58Needs work
- Administration36Flat spot
- Money55Needs work
- Marketing61Needs work
- Sales42Needs work
- Service76Strong
- Systems29Flat spot
- Team68Needs work
- Leadership59Needs work
Fix first:1 Systems2 Administration3 Sales
What a buyer sees
Quotes and pricing run through the owner.Key-person risk: high
The numbers most owners don't see
Lots of owners want out soon. Many have no plan.
Surveys of Australian business owners keep showing the same thing.
- 76%
of owners plan to exit within 10 years.
Source: William Buck, Exit Smart 2024 - Half
of owners have no plan to exit their business.
Source: William Buck, Exit Smart 2024 - Nearly half
expect retirement to mean closing down or selling to an outsider.
Source: NAB, small business succession challenges, May 2025 - 4 in 10
say their business relies heavily on them.
Source: William Buck, reported in Accounting Times, January 2025
You built a good business, but it still depends on you.
You have a team. But the big calls, the quotes and the phone all come back to you.
If the business still needs you, a buyer pays less, asks you to stay on for years, or walks away. Some owners just close the doors.
"Nobody can do it as well as me."
Owners say this all the time. There are 27 million people in Australia. There's someone who can do it as well as you, maybe better.
Does your family really want the business?
Only 19% of family businesses have a written succession plan. Ask your family early, so you plan for what they really want.
Source: Grant Thornton, National Family Business Report 2025
When the business runs without you, you get your time back now, and it's worth more when you sell.
How many hours could you hand over? Work out what being the business is costing you
Why it matters
What happens when you're not there?
A buyer will ask that first. A buyer pays for a business, not for you. The less it needs you, the more it's worth.
It's worth doing even if you never sell. If you sell, the business is worth more. If you keep it with a manager, it's a good investment that pays you without you being there.
Three ways it can end. You pick.
Keep it, with a manager running it
A manager runs the day to day. You keep the income and get your time back.
Sell it to your team
The people who know it best take it over. Your customers and staff are looked after.
Sell it to an outside buyer
A buyer pays more for a business that runs without you. You sell when you're ready.
The Nine Keys
Nine parts of your business. One clear score.
We score each Key out of 100. Strong Keys push the wheel out to the rim. A weak Key pulls it in, and that's a flat spot. The business still rolls, but every turn bumps.
- 1
Strategy
Know where you're going and how you'll win. Set off with no destination and you end up anywhere.
- 2
Administration
Your time and the paperwork. The little things done, so nothing slips.
- 3
Money
Your numbers are your gauges. They tell you how healthy your business is.
- 4
Marketing
Attract the right customers. A-grade clients, not whoever rings.
- 5
Sales
A simple process, and ask for the yes. Win the jobs you want, not the ones you have to take. Two ears, one mouth.
- 6
Service
Great work every time, so customers walk away saying "wow".
- 7
Systems
The simple way things get done, so it runs without you. Every Key has one.
- 8
Team
The right people in the right seats. Hire slowly. Build a team that works without you.
- 9
Leadership
Lead by example. Have the tough talks, and don't forget the pat on the back.
Get my free scoreSee the shape of your business.
How it works
Three steps to a business that runs without you.
- 1Free
Free Exit-Ready Score
It takes about six minutes. See where the business still depends on you.
Start the free score - 2Month 1
The Business Review
We go through the whole business with you, Key by Key, and set your starting plan. It's your first step to exit-ready.
Apply for a place - 3Programs
Pick your way in
A free group, the Exit-Ready 90, the 12-month program, or one-to-one with Greg. Each one builds a business that runs without you.
See the programs
Then you choose: keep it with a manager, sell to your team, or sell to an outside buyer.
Not an accountant, lawyer or broker. We run a process and bring in the right people at the right time.
Is this for you?
Who this is for
We work with owners in trades and construction, health, professional services and logistics.
- You own an Australian service business, and you're usually somewhere between 50 and 65 or over.
- The business is profitable and has a team, but it still runs through you.
- You want to sell in the next 1 to 3 years or more, and you're ready to put time into the work.
It's not for startups, solo operators, retail, hospitality or franchises. If you need to sell in the next few months, speak to a business broker first.
About Greg
I started on the tools. I know where you are.
I started on the tools as a mechanic. Then my late wife Wendy and I bought a small engine repair business. Wendy ran the office while I stayed on the tools, and in the first year we grew it from $200,000 to well over $1 million, just the two of us.
I've worked with service business owners since 2003, hundreds of them over 20 years, and built the Nine Keys along the way. Now I help owners get exit ready: a business that runs without them, with clean numbers and every system written down.
Read more about meOn the way
I'm writing a practical workbook for owners.
It's built around the Nine Keys, for owners who want a business that runs without them. It's out in 2027. Get one email when it's ready.
Start here
Start with your free Exit-Ready Score.
Answer 23 questions. It takes about six minutes. You'll see your Exit-Ready Score and the three Keys to fix first. Then, if it fits, we talk.
A phone call with me. No slides, no pitch. If it isn't a fit, I'll say so on the call.
Exit-ready is a direction, not a promise of a sale, a sale price or a fixed completion date. Your starting point and the work needed shape the pace. We work alongside your accountant, lawyer and broker where their advice is needed.