The intangible

The true value of a company goes far beyond the numbers in its financial statements. While it's logical that many owners focus on sales, profitability, or EBITDA, there's an intangible asset that can enhance (or limit) that value: culture.

This component has a direct and measurable impact on an organization's growth, productivity, and preparedness to face a transition or exit. At the Exit Planning Institute, social capital is one of the fundamental pillars of the Value Wheel, used to diagnose the overall health of a company.

* Beyond the financial. The so-called "intangibles"—culture, leadership, and team engagement—multiply a company's value. When worked on intentionally, the results are concrete and sustainable. A strong culture attracts talent, builds customer loyalty, improves the internal climate, and generates trust in potential buyers. It prepares the company to transcend beyond its founder.

* What is a contagious culture? It's not imposed, it's built. A healthy culture is one where people feel valued, safe, and part of something bigger. It's achieved through deliberate actions: clear and consistent communication, spaces for participation, empathetic leadership, and everyday values. We can ask ourselves: Were the values built together or defined in an office? Do your teams know them? Do they share them? Is behavior aligned with those values rewarded?

* Impact on productivity. When people feel they belong and can express themselves, their performance improves. When the culture is weak, engagement and results decline. A culture based on accountability, collaboration, and problem-solving generates value. It's not just what is done, but how we work together that defines collective performance.

*Attracting buyers (or consolidating legacies). A strategic buyer doesn't just look at numbers; they also evaluate cultural fit—the degree of compatibility between values, beliefs, ways of working, and behaviors with another organization. They look for a company that functions like a "machine," capable of sustaining itself without its founder. A strong culture reduces perceived risk, facilitates the transition, and increases business valuation. It's also key in cases of family succession, sale to partners, or transition to employees. If the business has a strong identity, it will be easier to transfer it and maintain its essence.

Can culture be measured? Yes. Although intangible, it manifests itself in practices, behaviors, and results. Some indicators for evaluating and improving it include: clarity and shared values, effective internal communication, leadership style, collaboration between departments, agility in decision-making, adaptability, recognition and rewards, work-life balance, inclusion and diversity, engagement, turnover and absenteeism, performance evaluations, meeting quality, goal achievement, and the presence of frequent complaints or conflicts. Measuring these elements provides a snapshot of your company's cultural status.

Investing in culture is one of the smartest strategies for building a valuable, transferable, and transcendent company, where people—and you yourself—want to be. Let's start by asking ourselves: How attractive is my company's culture? Will the results, in our Value Wheel and in the impact we generate, be tangible and transformative?

*Consultant specializing in Exit Planning and increasing business value. Author of The Reinvention of the Owner.