A CLEARER STARTING POINT

A useful framework.
Visible assumptions.

Continuum provides independent orientation for software & it services. Our assessment helps organise a first conversation about succession. It is not a professional valuation, legal opinion or tax calculation.

Your readiness score

Ten questions cover financial information, earnings, customers, owner dependence, the team, contracts, processes, assets, timing and succession routes. “Not yet” earns 0 points, “Partly” earns 1 and “Yes” earns 2. We divide the total by 20 and multiply by 100.

The result is a preparation heuristic. It does not measure the probability of selling, predict a price or verify your answers. A score below 35 suggests starting with the foundations; 35–59 indicates some groundwork; 60–84 indicates a foundation to build on; 85–100 indicates advanced preparation within this questionnaire.

The optional EBIT scenario

We average the annual EBIT figures you provide, then add your annual normalisation adjustment. A positive adjustment adds back justified non-recurring expenses; a negative adjustment removes non-recurring income or allows for missing recurring costs. Missing years are left out, not treated as zero.

Enterprise-value scenario = normalised EBIT × your chosen EBIT multiple. The tool does not recommend a market multiple. The equity-value scenario then subtracts your debt and debt-like items and adds surplus cash. It excludes tax, transaction costs, working-capital adjustments and separately valued non-operating assets. It is not the amount a seller would receive.

Non-positive normalised EBIT does not produce a meaningful positive-earnings multiple scenario. A single year provides less context than three years. Loss-making technology firms, real estate, minority interests and complex ownership structures need different analysis. No current sector-specific transaction benchmark is implied.

What happens after the result?

You see your result before providing contact details. If you request follow-up, the enquiry will be reviewed manually once live email handling is configured. An introduction to an adviser requires your separate permission and an actual recipient arrangement. We do not automatically circulate enquiries.

Background reading

• SECO SME Portal: organising a business handover
• SECO SME Portal: valuation and price negotiation
• SECO SME Portal: the EBIT method

Framework version: readiness-v1 and scenario-v1. Updated 19 September 2026. Our questionnaire and scoring are our own product design, not a SECO-approved assessment.