Episode 386: The $12 Million Lesson Hiding in Your Head with Adi Klevit
From process consultant to helping businesses increase their enterprise value through systematization, Adi Klevit shares proven strategies for documenting operations, preparing companies for successful exits, and ensuring post-merger integrations don't fall apart.
In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Adi Klevit, founder of Business Success Consulting Group, who has spent over 30 years helping entrepreneurs bring order to their operations. Adi hosts the Systems Simplified podcast and contributes articles to Inc.com.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
In this episode, you'll discover how documented processes dramatically increase enterprise value when selling a business, why buyers light up when they realize they're purchasing a system rather than just a company, and the concept of "unconscious competence" that keeps valuable knowledge trapped in entrepreneurs' heads. Adi shares how to extract hidden systems behind your natural talents, why entrepreneurs resist systematization even though it creates freedom, and how to get teams to actually follow documented processes. You'll also learn how process documentation complements entrepreneurial operating systems like EOS and Scaling Up, what breaks down in post-merger integration when documentation doesn't exist, and why AI is a powerful tool but cannot replace human judgment.
ADI'S JOURNEY:
Adi started a tutoring business in 9th grade that grew entirely through referrals, teaching her early lessons about balancing promotion with delivery. After working as VP of Marketing at an international consulting company, she launched her own firm when partnership wasn't available. As a general business consultant, she kept telling clients they needed documented processes, and nothing would happen. Finally, she offered to do it for them, and a niche was born.
KEY INSIGHTS:
A painting company owner documented all their processes with Adi's help. When he went to sell, the buyer's eyes lit up because he realized he wasn't just buying a painting company. He was buying a complete system and operation. On the flip side, Adi recently got a call from someone who bought a company with 60 employees and nothing documented. If everyone quit tomorrow, he would have no idea how to run what he just purchased.
EOS implementers are Adi's biggest referral source because operating systems tell you that you need documented processes but don't create them for you. Adi's firm serves as a fractional process team that does the implementation work entrepreneurs keep pushing off.
Too many people think deals are done when documents are signed. Adi works with companies that grow through acquisition, helping them bring new employees up to speed on unified systems. Even when both companies have good systems independently, those systems differ. Integration work determines whether the combined entity functions as one or remains two disconnected operations.
For Adi, freedom means the ability to create. The systems she builds generate the freedom she values.
Perfect for business owners preparing for exits, entrepreneurs struggling to extract knowledge from their heads, and acquirers concerned about post-merger integration.
FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/adiklevit
FOR MORE ON ADI KLEVIT:
https://www.bizsuccesscg.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiklevit/
https://www.successreplicator.com
FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/
Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.
Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!
Episode Highlights with Timestamps:
[00:00] - Introduction: Adi Klevit's journey from childhood entrepreneur to process consultant
[09:13] - Starting a tutoring business in 9th grade and learning about business cycles
[15:22] - How passion for systematization developed through frustration with clients
[18:31] - The painting company story: Buyers purchasing systems, not just businesses
[22:04] - Corey's business development system he didn't know he had
[26:37] - Getting teams to actually follow documented processes
[34:05] - How process documentation complements EOS and other operating systems
[38:56] - Post-merger integration: Where good deals go to die
[46:26] - Which business areas prove most problematic in integration
[51:03] - Why AI cannot replace human judgment in process work
[52:56] - Freedom as the ability to create through systems
Guest Bio: Adi Klevit is passionate about helping businesses bring order to their operations. With over 30 years of experience as a process consultant, executive, and entrepreneur, she is an expert at making the complex simple. Adi founded Business Success Consulting Group after recognizing that entrepreneurs needed someone to actually do the documentation work they kept putting off. She has been featured on numerous podcasts and delivered many webinars and live workshops sharing her insights on systemizing a business. She hosts the Systems Simplified podcast and publishes a weekly blog, with articles appearing in Inc.com. Known for turning what some see as a dry topic into something fun and practical, Adi shows audiences how to document, implement, and maintain systems that really work.
Host Bio: Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.
Show Description: Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster.
Related Episodes:
Episode 337 - Mastering Post-Merger Integration with Jonathan Gardner: Explore how integration teams need authority and cross-functional participation to succeed after deals close.
Episode 330 - From Operator to Owner: Business Freedom with Pete Mohr: Discover why being exit-ready creates freedom whether or not you plan to sell.
Episode 341 - Avoid Major Scaling Mistakes with Robert Levin: Learn how sustainable growth strategies prevent the chaos that makes systematization essential.
Episode 325 - ESOPs as Exit Strategy with Kelly Finnell: Understand alternative exit structures that preserve company culture and employee relationships.
Episode 332 - The Art of Lucrative Exits and Business Growth with John Martinka: Master the fundamentals of preparing businesses for successful exits.
Episode 333 - How to Franchise Your Business the Right Way with Greg Mohr: Learn how documented systems enable business replication and growth.
Follow DealQuest Podcast:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
Website: https://www.coreykupfer.com/
Follow Adi Klevit:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiklevit/
Company: https://www.bizsuccesscg.com
E-Book: https://www.successreplicator.com
Keywords/Tags: business systematization, process documentation, enterprise value, exit preparation, post-merger integration, unconscious competence, scaling businesses, EOS implementation, operational systems, business processes, M&A integration, due diligence, business valuation, entrepreneur freedom, knowledge transfer, team training, business operations, deal readiness, exit strategy, business consulting
