Owner's calendar audit (where does the time go?)

What it is

A realistic look at how the current owner actually spends a working week — sales calls, hands-on operations, admin, or the kind of relationship-based work a hired manager could never simply step into.

Why it matters

Most SBA 7(a) acquisition loans expect the buyer to be a full-time, hands-on operator, not a passive investor — so this audit isn't academic. If the owner's real job turns out to be "thirty years of relationships and a phone full of cell numbers," that's a much harder role to step into on day one than a tidy org chart would suggest, and it's worth knowing before you sign, not after.

What to look for

• Time concentrated in relationship-based sales rather than documented, repeatable processes
• No written procedures for the tasks the owner handles personally
• Owner hours that run far higher or lower than the org chart and job descriptions imply
• Specific tasks that only the current owner knows how to do, with no one else cross-trained