Key Findings From The 2024 Exit Readiness Report

Every year, we collect data on how exit-ready small business owners are.

The 2024 Exit-Readiness Report by The Big Exit shows that small business owners are becoming more exit-ready, meaning their businesses are in better shape to sell.

"The increase of Exit-Readiness Scores throughout 2024 indicates that small business owners are more actively preparing their business for a sale." — Lien De Pau, Founder & CEO of The Big Exit

The Big Exit Score™, which measures how prepared a business is for sale on a 100-point scale, has steadily improved throughout 2024, rising from 59 in Q1 to 69 in Q3 before settling at 67 in Q4.

Why does Exit-Readiness matter?

Buyers prefer businesses that are well-organized, financially transparent, and not reliant on the owner for day-to-day operations. Higher exit-readiness scores indicate that more businesses are checking these boxes, making them attractive to buyers and reducing the risk of failed transactions.

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