Two versions of SPECS to suit your business
The short version is free, open to anyone, and yours to keep. The full version is partner-led and runs by application. Both are covered by our tool terms.
SPECS 12
Twelve statements, drawn from the places value usually leaks out of an owner-run business. Enough to see the shape of the problem and where to look first. No cost, no card, no obligation.
- Your grade out of 100 and your score in each of the five parts
- The gaps your answers surfaced, and what each one costs you
- Where to start, and the part of the business you can build from
- Your readout lives at its own link, so you can keep it or share it
- No valuation estimate
Your name and email, then straight into the tool. Your readout appears on screen the moment you finish.
SPECS 45
Forty-five statements across all five parts, plus your revenue, margin and industry. That lets us put a number on what the business is worth today and what it would be worth standing on its own. A senior partner runs it with you.
- Everything SPECS 12 gives you, at nine statements per part
- A valuation range for the business as it runs today
- The value still locked inside it, in dollars
- Every exposure your answers surface, ranked worst first
- A senior partner reads your run by hand and delivers the report
We take a small number of these each month. Tell us about the business and a senior member of the team will come back to you with fit, scope and cost.
The SPECS diagnostic what it does
SPECS reads how much of your business would keep running, and keep earning, if you stepped away. It is our own diagnostic, built out of the 22 businesses we have owned and run.
We use SPECS to deliberately look at the supporting architecture around your speciality, as this is where businesses lose the most value.
- Strategy Where the business is going, and whether the plan to get there holds up.
- People Leadership, capability and succession across the team.
- Execution How reliably the work gets done without the owner driving it.
- Capital Financial modelling, cash and the numbers behind the growth.
- Structure Ownership, governance and the shape of the organisation.
You get a grade out of 100, a score in each of the five parts, and the gaps your answers surfaced. Execution carries the most weight, because that is where owner dependency shows up first.
What you get from each one
| SPECS 12 | SPECS 45 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Paid, quoted after a conversation |
| How you get it | Open, start right now | By application only |
| Statements to answer | 12 | 45 |
| Time it takes | About 4 minutes | About 10 minutes, plus the debrief |
| Grade and five part scores | Yes | Yes |
| Your gaps and what they cost | The headline ones | All of them, ranked worst first |
| Asks about your numbers | Revenue only | Revenue, margin and industry |
| Valuation range | No | Today, and standing on its own |
| The value still locked in, in dollars | No | Yes |
| Read by a person | No | A senior partner, by hand |
| Written report to keep | On screen only | Delivered and walked through |
FAQ
Is it really free?
Yes. No cost, no card, no obligation. You run it and you keep what comes back. If we are a fit you will hear from us, and if you would rather we did not, say so and that is the end of it.
Why do you ask for my details first?
So your readout has someone attached to it. Your name and email go in before the tool opens, then the tool knows who you are the whole way through and your readout lands at a link that belongs to you.
What does SPECS 45 cost?
It depends on the size and shape of the business, so we quote it after a short conversation. Request access and a senior member of the team will come back to you with fit, scope and cost.
Why can I not just start SPECS 45 myself?
A partner runs it. The value sits in the read and the debrief rather than the form, and we only take a small number each month.
How honest do I need to be?
Completely, or it is a waste of your time. Nobody sees this except you and us, and a flattering score helps nobody. If you do not know the answer to something, say so. That is real information and we treat it that way.
What if I am a sole operator?
SPECS will stop you at the first question. It measures how much of the business runs without you, and when you are the business the answer is the same every time. Come back when you have a team around you.
What happens to my answers?
They are used to produce your read and to have a better conversation with you. We do not sell or share them. The full detail is in our privacy policy.
See where you can create enduring value
Our free, 4-minute assessment to help you understand where your gaps are