Most buyers spend 90 days on financials.
They analyze the P&L. They run the DSCR. They build a model.
Then they close and find out the business was the seller.
Not the brand. Not the systems. The person.
One question tells you everything before you ever open a spreadsheet.
"What does your day look like right now?"
If they describe a business, you can buy it.
If they describe themselves doing 12 things nobody else does, you are buying a job with a price tag on it.
I have walked away from four deals this question alone saved me from.
Comment "OPERATOR" and I will send you the full seller evaluation framework I use before I ever look at a number.