The UK’s leading exit preparation consultancy for founder-led businesses, The Grafter, recently announced a partnership with Exitwise LLC. This Detroit-based M&A advisory firm connects founders with industry-specific investment bankers and deal advisors. The partnership brings a shared philosophy: built by entrepreneurs who have sold their own companies and will offer business owners comprehensive pathways from exit preparation to a completed sale.
While founders who attempt to sell are often left unprepared, leaving significant value behind, The Grafter’s methodology addresses the growth, financial, operational, and strategic gaps that usually cause deals to fail.“Most founders spend years building their businesses but only weeks preparing to sell them,” Rachel Murphy, CEO of The Grafter, says. “We built The Grafter because we’ve lived through exits ourselves. We know exactly where founders get stuck and what buyers actually look for. This partnership with Todd, Brian, and the Exitwise team means we can now bring that expertise to founders who deserve the same level of support.”
Pairing Owners With Advisory Teams and Mentors
As a company, Exitwise maximizes M&A outcomes through pairing business owners with advisory teams and mentors from its Exited Founder Marketplace. Exitwise complements The Grafter’s operations by providing valuation precision, banker curation, and exited founder mentorship, all of which are necessary to turn a ‘ready’ business into an exit.
“Having built and sold four businesses myself, I’ve seen firsthand how the right preparation transforms outcomes,” Todd Sullivan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Exitwise, explains. “Together, we can help founders get their houses in order and then connect them with the industry-specific deal teams who will ensure a smoother M&A journey and maximize their sale price.”
Brian Dukes, the Co-Founder and COO of Exitwise, is excited about the partnership.
“Both teams are built by founders who’ve been through the exit process ourselves,” Dukes shares. “We know the emotional journey, not just the transaction mechanics. Rachel and The Grafter team bring deep expertise in getting businesses truly ready for sale; that’s the critical piece most founders underestimate.”
A Partnership to Address Common Deal-Killers
With the partnership, The Grafter’s team of “Exiteers” will work with US clients to prepare their companies for sale, thereby addressing several common ‘deal-killers.’ These include customer concentration, owner dependency, and financial reporting gaps. Exitwise will match prepared founders with investment bankers and M&A attorneys that specialize in their specific industry and the size of the deal.
While selling a business can be a time-consuming, complex, and often unpredictable process, The Grafter and Exitwise aim to create a pairing that not only helps founders find their freedom but also maximizes the time, strategy, and value of a business. Through the simplified process, the pair aims not only to protect one’s interests and drive exceptional results but also to do so in a way that prepares founders for growth, all under the guidance of those who’ve done it themselves.