Generations · Rich Poole

Cost of Inaction Diagnostic

You’ve built something significant. Staying still has a cost too - this shows you where it’s building up.

Most owners are so focused on running the business that they’ve never stopped to look at it squarely. Not because they’re not capable - but because the questions are hard, the conversations haven’t happened and there’s always something more pressing.

This diagnostic asks those questions. Twenty of them, across the four areas that determine whether your business is truly working as the asset it should be - and what leaving each one unresolved is likely to cost you. Useful whether you’re thinking about exit in two years, ten years, or not at all yet.

One thing worth knowing before you start: the gaps this surfaces are rarely technical. They’re human. And they’re very difficult to address from the inside.

If your answer is genuinely no change needed, that’s a fine answer. The question this tool asks is whether anyone independent has actually tested that - or whether it’s just the story you’ve been telling yourself.

First, which best describes your business?
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Family business
Ownership and leadership involve family members - whether that's one generation or several. Family relationships are part of how decisions get made, deferred, or avoided.
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Private business with shareholders
Multiple shareholders - some active in the business, some not. Family members may be involved or be potential successors, but you'd describe this primarily as a privately-owned business rather than a family one.
Your answers will be used to tailor the questions and results to your situation. There are no right answers - just honest ones.

Disclaimer: This diagnostic is a self-assessment tool intended to inspire discussion and conversation about your business and your life beyond it. It is general in nature, based on your own answers, and does not constitute financial, legal, tax or valuation advice. Statistics referenced in your results are drawn from third-party industry and market reports, provided for context only, and describe broad market trends rather than a prediction about your specific business. Please seek independent professional advice before making any decisions about your business.