Our Strategic
Business Solutions
The Blueprint for Enterprise Value:
The TrueUp Service Ladder
Most trade contractors don’t need more advice. They need a specific, sequenced plan that moves their business from owner-dependent to buyer-ready. Every TrueUp engagement follows the same proven path. You start where you are. You move at the pace that fits your timeline. Each step builds directly on the last.
Build a Business That Runs Like Clockwork
Our success is your success. For this reason, our team is dedicated to collaborating with you to provide sustainable strategic business services that will yield the most beneficial outcomes, both now and in the future. From diagnostics to optimization and implementation of proven exit strategies, we’re here for you.
The Five-Step Engagement Path
Step 01 — The Equity Gap Scorecard
The starting point for every TrueUp engagement. Nine targeted questions across the 8 Core Operational Pillars of the TrueUp 8-Pillar Equity Framework™. Your responses flag the specific areas where your business is most exposed from a valuation standpoint. You do not receive your score on the page. Derick reviews your responses personally and reaches out within 24 business hours to walk you through your baseline score and where your primary risks live. This is not a lead magnet. It is a diagnostic triage tool.
Free — 2 minutes
Step 02 — The Equity Gap Assessment (EGA)
The X-Ray. A 60-minute discovery session followed by a professionally delivered written assessment of your business across all 8 pillars. The EGA identifies your top three operational gaps, quantifies their exact cost to your exit multiple, and shows you the valuation bridge between where your business is today and where it could be. The EGA does not guess. It maps. Every finding is specific to your business, your trade, and your current operational reality. The full $1,500 is credited toward the Succession Readiness Audit if you choose to move forward.
$1,500 — Credited in full toward the SRA
Step 03 — The Succession Readiness Audit (SRA)
The MRI. Where the EGA identified the gaps, the SRA maps them precisely, pillar by pillar, and specifies exactly what gets built to close each one. The SRA includes a complete 90-day implementation blueprint, a per-pillar valuation impact breakdown, and the full financial case for the Succession Architecture engagement. This is the document that turns a diagnostic into a deployment plan. It is also the deliverable that brokers and buyers will eventually see as evidence that your business was prepared professionally. The full $10,000 is credited toward the Succession Architecture in Month 3 of the engagement.
$10,000 — Credited in full toward the Succession Architecture
Step 04 — The Succession Architecture
The build. A 90-day co-creation engagement where TrueUp and the owner implement every system specified in the SRA across six structured System Sprints. Owner time commitment is 4 to 6 hours per week. TrueUp handles all build work, documentation, automation configuration, and implementation. By the end of the Succession Architecture, your business has documented SOPs, an owner who is not the bottleneck, clean financials, an independent lead engine, and a documented valuation story that a buyer can verify. The Equity Performance Stake activates at the closing table — TrueUp participates only in the increase in business value above the EGA baseline.
Custom scope — scoped directly from your SRA findings
Step 05 — The Guardian Retainer
Optional ongoing fractional COO-level support following the Succession Architecture. Scope and cadence are defined at the conclusion of the 90-day engagement based on what the business needs to maintain its systems, deploy new automations, and protect its valuation premium through to exit. The Guardian Retainer is not a maintenance contract. It is a strategic partnership for owners who want a committed operational partner in their corner through the final leg of their exit runway.
$1,500 – $5,500 per month
The TrueUp 8-Pillar Equity Framework™
Every step of the TrueUp engagement is anchored to the same eight operational dimensions. These are the areas that institutional buyers, private equity firms, and M&A advisors use to assess transferability risk — and the areas where most trade contractors carry the most undetected exposure.
01 Founder Dependency — How much does daily operation depend on the owner personally?
02 Knowledge Security — Is critical business knowledge documented and independently accessible?
03 Financial Clarity — Can the business produce accurate financials on demand?
04 Growth Engine — Does the business generate leads without owner involvement?
05 Data Integrity — Are operational decisions driven by verified data or intuition?
06 Sales Playbooks — Can the business close deals without the owner on the call?
07 Tech Infrastructure — Do the systems communicate and create a single source of truth?
08 Predictability — Can the business forecast revenue and plan accurately for the future?
Every gap has a dollar amount attached to it. Every dollar amount has a fix.
Who This Is For
TrueUp works exclusively with established trade contractors in MEP and exterior trades — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and restoration — with $500K to $10M in annual revenue.
We do not work with startups. We do not offer generic business coaching. We work with founders who have built something real and want to make sure they get full credit for it at the exit table.
If you are two to ten years from exit, the window to prepare is still open. If you are less than two years out, we move faster.
For Brokers and M&A Advisors
If you are a broker or advisor working with trade contractors in the MEP or exterior trades, TrueUp acts as your operational triage partner. We handle the pre-listing systems work so your listings arrive at the table clean, defensible, and priced at a multiple the business can support.
Zero cost to you. No commission split. We are paid directly by the owner.
Where does your business stand?
Use our 2-minute The Equity Gap Scorecard to see where you are right now.