Free online self-assessment
Get ready to buy before the right target shows up.
Twenty statements across the four areas a disciplined acquirer checks before making an offer. Score your company in five minutes and see where the gaps are, before a seller's timeline decides for you.
- An overall score out of 60 and a rating, from Not yet ready to buy to Well prepared.
- A score for each area, with what to do next in plain language.
- Your lowest-scoring area flagged as the place to start.
How we read a result
A 47% score hides a critical gap.
The sample company's cash is in good shape, but its valuation gap is critical. The average hides that. Risk weighting is how we review results with clients; the scorecard shows your score and next step for each area.
Sample company, plotted
Where each area lands on the risk ladder
The corner number is the risk score
Start with Valuation. It is the only critical risk, and it sets the most you should pay.
What it measures
Deals close on price, financing and the seller. They pay off, or don't, after closing.
The scorecard checks the parts you control on both sides, across four areas. Five statements each, answered from Not in place to Fully in place.
- Cash visibilityWhat can you fund?
A rolling weekly forecast, your debt capacity and covenants, and whether you can model deal payments.
- OperationsWhat will break?
Your close, your billing and CRM, documented processes, and the leadership capacity to integrate.
- ValuationWhat is a target worth to you?
A cash-flow-based view of your own value, the drivers that move it, and the most you can fund for a target.
- M&A roadmapWhat to buy, and when?
A written thesis, ranked targets, a walk-away price for each, and board approval to act.
How it works
Three steps. Five minutes.
Answer twenty statements
Tap one answer per statement. Be honest about today, not next quarter.
Read your score
See your rating as soon as you finish, and your full report once you add your details.
Start with the lowest area
Each area comes with a next step matched to your score.
The Buy-Side Readiness Engine
A score shows the gap. The engagement is built to close it.
Disciplined acquirers work through all four areas before they make an offer. The Buy-Side Readiness Engine covers all four areas with one team, one engagement, 120 days.
- Rolling weekly cash flow forecast
- Operational diagnosis
- Intrinsic valuation
- M&A roadmap
Or email info@sceptercapital.net