How to Build an All-Star Management Team

Welcome back to another edition of The Wise Exit newsletter. This week, we're covering:

• How to build an all-star management team that's ready for a sale

• 5 questions to evaluate whether your team increases or decreases buyer confidence

• 3 steps you can take this week to start building buyer-ready leadership

Let’s dive in.

💡 One Big Idea

How to Build a Team Buyers Can Trust to Run the Business Without You

If you want to sell your business for a premium, it absolutely needs to be able to run without you in the room.

And nothing signals that better than a strong management team.

But where most founders and business owners go wrong is they try to "hire the role." As in, they go hunting for someone who checks all the boxes:

• Industry background

• Big-name brand on the resume

• Former VP of Sales at a similar company

It looks great on paper. But unfortunately, it doesn't always translate to impact.

Why? Because experience doesn’t equal ownership. And just because someone succeeded at a different company doesn’t mean they’ll thrive at yours.

Here's my personal thesis on hiring an A+ team:

Hire people who actually give a sh*t.

Give them more responsibility than they technically deserve. Give them room to rise into the role. And yes, it takes more effort. You’ll have to train, coach, and invest in them.

But the outcome will be 10x better. You'll get a team that actually cares, knows how your business works, and doesn’t just have skills, but context.

Buyers see that, and they love it. Because what they’re really investing in isn’t just your product or cash flow.

They’re investing in the people who will be running the company once you’re gone.

Your Action Items:

1. Document the key roles and responsibilities across your leadership team: This helps you spot gaps, clarify ownership, and start creating redundancy.

2. Create a simple succession plan: If someone left tomorrow, who steps in? Buyers want to see that you're thinking ahead.

3. Incentivize retention for key people: Consider bonuses or equity that vest post-sale to keep critical staff engaged throughout the transition.

❓ 5 Key Questions to Ask Yourself Today

1️⃣ If you stepped away from your business tomorrow, who would lead the company?

Do you even know? Does that person have the support they need to succeed without you? These are all important questions you need to answer.

2️⃣ Have you hired any roles based solely on experience, and are they actually delivering?

Past titles don't always translate to present results.

3️⃣ Who on your team has taken more responsibility than their resume suggests they should have?

That’s often your most important leader-in-waiting.

4️⃣ Is your team aligned on the company’s goals and their role in achieving them?

Misalignment here creates churn, confusion, and chaos during an exit.

5️⃣ Have you structured incentives to keep key people through a sale and transition?

Buyers want to know the talent is staying.

📋 3 Action Items For This Week

☑️ Identify your top 3 emerging leaders and schedule a 1-on-1 with each: Ask where they want to grow and where you can give them more ownership.

☑️ Draft a basic succession chart for your leadership team: Does every critical seat have a clear backup or path forward? If not, start there.

☑️ Create or review retention incentives for post-sale transition: Include these in your CIM so buyers know the team is in place.

That’s all for this week.

Remember, your team doesn’t need to be perfect. But they do need to be prepared, committed, and clear on their role.

Talk next week,

Brian Dukes
Managing Partner at Exitwise