Readiness Self-Check

Is your finance line ready for a US listing?

Ten questions, two minutes. You get a score and a straight read on which part of the finance line will break first — no email required to see the score.

1. Do you have a finance lead who can hold their own in English with auditors, counsel and bankers?
2. Have your books been converted to US GAAP with traceable adjustment workpapers?
3. Has a PCAOB-registered auditor started fieldwork?
4. Is the listing timetable fixed to a month, with finance actions reverse-scheduled?
5. Is your cap table clean — options, VIE, ESOP platform included?
6. Do you have three years of financial data plus the KPIs a prospectus needs?
7. Where are you on internal controls and SOX 404?
8. Can your finance team run the business and the listing project at the same time?
9. Do you have the beginnings of an equity story for investors?
10. If you hired a CFO now, what is your budget based on?
FAQ

Common questions

What do the ten questions actually measure?

They locate the part of your finance line that breaks first: accounting and audit foundations, US GAAP conversion capability, SOX 404 readiness, SEC filing experience, and whether the team structure holds. The score is a directional read, not a verdict on whether you can list.

Does it cost anything, or do I have to give an email?

Neither. Ten questions, two minutes, and you get the score and the gaps immediately — no email required. You only leave a contact if you want the full breakdown and the 18-month pre-listing checklist.

A low score means we cannot list?

No. It means preparation is thin, and the 18 months before a listing exist precisely to close that: audit remediation, US GAAP conversion and controls all run on known timelines. The real risk is not a low score — it is discovering it at filing.

How does this relate to what 51CFO sells?

The self-check is a free diagnostic. 51CFO is an investment banking practice: US IPOs, reverse mergers, shell acquisitions and disposals, SPAC and De-SPAC, SEC filings and post-listing follow-ons, with CFO and listing-team build-out included in every route. The self-check promises nothing and is not listing advice.

How long does it take to close those gaps?

It depends where you start. Accounting and audit foundations usually take 6–12 months, US GAAP conversion and the controls framework another 6–12 — which is why the plan is built backwards from 18 months out. That is why the finance seat has to be settled at T-18, before the auditor walks in.