The Question Most Business Owners Avoid

Between the deadlines, the decisions, and the constant demands of running your business, there’s a question that sits in the back of your mind.

Can your business run without you?

See what deserves your attention first Built for business owners. 24 questions. About 10 minutes. Free, results on screen.

Whether you grow it, sell it, hand it down, or just take a real vacation:

  • Could you take two weeks off without checking your phone?
  • If your best employee or biggest client left, how long before you felt it?
  • What if you decide to sell or hand it down five years from now, would it be ready?

When everything feels important, nothing becomes a priority.

What it measures

Seven areas determine business resilience over time.

The seven Hexiss domains, connected: Financial Health, Leadership and Succession, Operational Independence, Customer and Market Position, People and Culture, Direction and Focus, Risk and Continuity. 1Financial Health 2Leadership& Succession 3OperationalIndependence 4Customer& Market Position 5People & Culture 6Direction& Focus 7Risk & Continuity
Scores in these four areas also reflect how much depends on you.
Financial Health
Can the business absorb a slow quarter or an unexpected expense without you covering the gap?
Leadership & Succession
Who’s in charge when you’re not there, and is anyone ready to take over?
Operational Independence
Does the work run on documented systems, or on what’s in people’s heads?
Customer & Market Position
Do customers come from reputation and repeat business, or from you chasing them?
People & Culture
Does the team perform the same whether you’re watching or not?
Direction & Focus
Does your team know where the business is headed and what matters this quarter?
Risk & Continuity
What happens if a key client, employee, or supplier disappears tomorrow?
Owner dependency

Can it run without you?

Owner dependency isn’t a separate score. A few questions look at how many decisions, key relationships, and processes still rely too heavily on you, and that answer carries through the rest of your results.

It adjusts the scores in four of the seven areas (the ones marked with a dotted ring), so you can see each one as it is today and as it could be with less riding on you. That’s the gap to close first.

Less dependence creates freedom now and more options later.

Built from published and peer-reviewed research on business continuity and succession planning. See how the questions were developed.

What you get back

What’s working, what leans on you, and what to fix first.

Scores for all seven areas, how much each depends on you, and a 90-day plan with steps ranked by risk and your goals. No more guessing what to tackle first.

Hexiss.Hexiss™ Business Stress Test · Sample report
Today With less dependency Affected by owner dependency
Financial Health
Financial Health
Today 34 · With less dependency 52
Direction & Focus
Direction & Focus
Today 40 · With less dependency 58
People & Culture
People & Culture
Today 45 · With less dependency 63
Customer & Market Position
Customer & Market Position
Today 50 · With less dependency 68
Operational Independence
Operational Independence
Today 56
Leadership & Succession
Leadership & Succession
Today 62
Risk & Continuity
Risk & Continuity
Today 68
Then: The Next 90

Each step is ranked by risk and by what your goal needs most.

Fix First1 item
Owner & Key-Person DependencyD2
Start now

Your feedback and score for this area appear here, drawn from how you answered.

Your steps appear here after you complete the Business Stress Test.

High Priority2 items
Working Capital & Operating ReservesD1
Start now

Your feedback and score for this area appear here, drawn from how you answered.

Your steps appear here after you complete the Business Stress Test.

Bench StrengthD5
Do in 90 days

Your feedback and score for this area appear here, drawn from how you answered.

Your steps appear here after you complete the Business Stress Test.

This is a sample report. Your results will depend on your business and your answers. The Business Stress Test is a screening tool, not a valuation.

Get your 90-day plan
For CPAs, advisors, and lenders

An easier way to start the conversation.

Send the Business Stress Test before your next meeting. Your client shows up with a clearer picture, and you skip straight to what matters. It’s free, and their results stay with them unless they choose to share.

Advise owner-operated businesses in the Sioux Falls area? We’re building the list of people we refer owners to. Get in touch

Better business health starts with a better assessment.

Hexiss identifies what puts your business at risk, where it depends too much on key people, then helps you focus on what to prioritize first.

Built in Sioux Falls by a former nurse and healthcare quality advisor.

Take the free Business Stress Test.

Free, and it takes about 10 minutes. See where your business depends on you and what to focus on first.

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