BRUCE WHIPPLE · ACQUISITION READINESS

Are you ready to acquire a business — or still just studying?

Take Bruce Whipple's Business Acquisition Readiness Scorecard and find out whether you're ready to acquire a business or still just studying.

Twelve quick questions give you an honest score on where you really stand — plus your single most important next move. Most people think they're closer, or further, than they actually are.

Takes about 2 minutes · Free · Instant result

What the Business Acquisition Readiness Scorecard measures

The Business Acquisition Readiness Scorecard is a free, 12-question self-assessment built from Bruce Whipple's business-acquisition framework. In about two minutes it scores where you really stand across the twelve things that decide whether you're ready to buy a business: your acquisition criteria, your capital and seller-financing strategy, your deal flow, your ability to read the numbers, your board and dream team, your protected time, your operating experience, your fear-versus-faith mindset, your deal-structuring comfort, your due-diligence process, your live seller conversations, and your first-90-days plan.

It is for anyone who wants to acquire a business: first-time buyers testing whether they're actually ready, and experienced operators pressure-testing their pipeline. You get an honest readiness score out of 60, the readiness band you fall into, and your single most important next move.

The 12 questions

  1. How clear are your acquisition criteria: the industry, size, geography, and owner profile you'll actually pursue?
  2. How ready is your capital story: seller financing, other people's money, and a fundable structure?
  3. Where does your deal flow come from today?
  4. How confident are you reading the numbers: normalized EBITDA, add-backs, and what the business is really worth?
  5. Do you have a board or dream team: advisors, deal counsel, an accountant who has done this before?
  6. How much real, protected time can you put on acquisitions each week?
  7. What's your experience owning or running a business?
  8. When a real deal appears, what usually happens in your head?
  9. How comfortable are you structuring a deal: LOI, seller-note terms, earnouts, contingencies?
  10. How would you handle due diligence if a seller said yes tomorrow?
  11. How many genuine seller conversations are you in right now?
  12. Do you have a plan for the first 90 days after you close?

Answer the twelve questions and you'll get your readiness score, your band, and the one move that matters most right now. Take the scorecard →