- GTM Acceleration
- 21 Oct 2025
In private equity, due diligence has traditionally been a numbers game — confirm the model, validate assumptions, and identify risk. But while financial diligence uncovers risk, go-to-market diligence uncovers value.
At Five Experts, we’ve seen it repeatedly: the difference between a strong return and a flat outcome rarely comes down to strategy. It’s execution. And execution starts with knowing if the company you’re investing in is truly ready to scale.
The Blind Spot in Traditional Diligence
Most diligence processes stop at the spreadsheet. You validate customer concentration, check retention, review pipeline health, and move on. But what happens after close — when forecasts rely on untested GTM processes, outdated tools, and misaligned teams?
That’s where value creation slows. The financial model assumes a growth curve; the organization underneath it may not be built to deliver.
We call this the operational readiness gap — the space between what the model assumes and what the company can actually execute.
Redefining “Operational Readiness”
Operational readiness isn’t just about systems or staffing. It’s about whether the company can move at the speed and precision the investment thesis requires.
We assess readiness through a commercial lens, asking questions like:
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Can the leadership team articulate their growth formula in measurable terms?
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Does the GTM engine have the data and process discipline to support reliable forecasting?
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Are marketing, sales, and customer success aligned around shared metrics?
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Is there a scalable operating rhythm — or just heroics holding things together?
When these fundamentals are missing, growth stalls not because the market opportunity isn’t there — but because the machine can’t capture it fast enough.
A Framework for Predictable Execution
To close that readiness gap, we use our Five Experts 5×5×5 Framework, a proven model built across PE and search-backed portfolios. It measures commercial health across five dimensions:
5 Value Levers: Revenue Growth, Margin Expansion, Retention, Scale Efficiency, Strategic Clarity
5 Horizons: Pre-Close, 0–90 Days, 6–12 Months, 2–3 Years, Exit Readiness
5 Dimensions: People, Process, Systems, Data, Operating Rhythm
Together, these lenses create a measurable view of where a company stands today — and what must be strengthened to hit the value creation targets tomorrow.
Turning Insight Into Impact
Our GTM Due Diligence Sprint helps investors quantify readiness and create a 100-day roadmap before the ink is dry. The output isn’t another memo — it’s an operational playbook that bridges investment thesis and execution plan.
When financial diligence tells you what’s possible, GTM diligence tells you what’s practical.
And in today’s environment, that difference defines outcomes.
