Measure your owner independence.
Before you decide what comes next, it helps to know exactly how much of the business still runs through you — and what it would take to change that.
What the assessment measures
The assessment is a structured review of how your company actually operates when you are not in the room. It is not a survey and it is not a valuation. It is an operational diagnostic across the six areas that determine whether a business can stand on its own.
We review leadership and decision authority, documented operations, financial visibility inside management, people systems, the durability of customer and revenue relationships, and the practical question underneath all of it — how long the company can run well without you.
What you receive
Four concrete deliverables you keep, whether or not we work together afterward.
- Owner Independence ScoreA 0–100 measure across the six pillars, with a sub-score for each so you can see where the dependence actually sits rather than a single blunt number.
- Dependency MapA written map of the specific decisions, relationships, approvals, and undocumented knowledge that currently route through you, and who would need to absorb each one.
- Critical Risk RegisterThe failure points that would cause real damage if you were unavailable for 90 days — ranked by severity and by how quickly each can be addressed.
- 12–24 Month RoadmapA sequenced plan showing what to build first, what depends on what, and what changes in the business as each piece lands.
How it works
Four steps over roughly four to six weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the business.
Initial Conversation
A direct discussion about the business, how it runs today, and what you are trying to make possible. No cost, no obligation. If it is not a fit, we will say so.
Assessment
Structured interviews with you and your leadership, a review of operating documentation and financial reporting, and observation of how decisions actually get made.
Report & Roadmap
We deliver the score, the dependency map, the risk register, and the roadmap — and walk you through all four in a working session with your leadership.
Decide What’s Next
You own the findings. Some owners implement internally from there. Others ask us to help build it. Either outcome is a legitimate result.
Is an assessment right for you?
An assessment makes sense if
- The business is established and profitable
- Too many decisions still wait on you
- You are thinking about the next five to ten years, not the next quarter
- You want a clear baseline before committing to change
- You are open to any path — keeping it, passing it on, or selling it
It is probably premature if
- The business is pre-profitability or in financial distress
- You are looking for a valuation rather than an operational review
- You already have strong leadership depth and documented systems
- You are mid-transaction and need transaction advisors instead
Timing and investment
Most assessments run four to six weeks from initial conversation to final working session. Time required from you is limited — typically several hours of interviews plus access to your leadership team and existing documentation.
Fees are quoted per engagement, based on the size of the business, the number of locations, and the depth of review required. We provide a fixed quote before any work begins. There is no cost for the initial conversation.
Start with a conversation.
Tell us how the business runs today. If an assessment is the right next step, we will scope it. If it is not, we will tell you that instead.
Request an Assessment Conversation →The Owner Independence assessment is an operational and organizational review. The framework is proprietary and has not been independently certified or validated by any third party. It is not a business valuation, appraisal, quality of earnings report, or fairness opinion, and it should not be relied upon as one.
Advisory services are provided by Caldwell Heritage Advisory LLC, an affiliate of Caldwell Heritage LLC.
Caldwell Heritage Advisory LLC provides business consulting services only. It does not provide legal, tax, accounting, securities, or brokerage services. Engaging Caldwell Heritage Advisory LLC carries no expectation or requirement that you sell your business to Caldwell Heritage LLC or to anyone else.