The 12 things buyers will check before they buy you

Due diligence is where deals are won or lost. As a founder, the goal is simple: make sure your business can withstand the scrutiny of a serious buyer before you ever sit across the table from one.

Start with the financials. Reconcile your reported revenue and profit against primary sources — payment processors, ad networks, and bank statements. Summit AI verifies these inside a private enclave as part of your readiness score, but you should be able to defend every number yourself.

Next, examine traffic and customer concentration. If 60% of revenue comes from one customer or one channel, buyers will discount hard. Pull your analytics, understand your trends and seasonality, and start diversifying now — this is one of the fastest ways to lift your score.

Finally, reduce operational load. How many hours a week does the business require? What is documented? What breaks if you disappear tomorrow? Owner dependence is one of the biggest drags on a multiple — and one of the most fixable.