Not Ready to Sell? Why a Conversation Now Can Still Help
Most owners think about selling for years before they act. An early, confidential conversation gives you time to make better decisions.
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Practical advice for business owners
Straight answers to the questions owners ask before they sell: what the business is worth, when to sell, how to prepare and what to watch for in an offer. Most are written for owners who aren’t ready to sell yet.
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Not Ready to Sell? Why a Conversation Now Can Still Help
Most owners think about selling for years before they act. An early, confidential conversation gives you time to make better decisions.
What Is Your Business Worth, Even If You’re Not Selling?
Knowing roughly what your business is worth helps with planning long before a sale. Here’s how buyers arrive at a number, and why it comes as a range.
Should You Sell Now or Wait Three Years?
Waiting can add value, but it also adds risk. A practical way to weigh the two, and the options that sit in between.
Would Your Business Run Without You?
Buyers pay for what a business earns after the owner steps back. Here’s how to see where your business depends on you, and what to do about it.
How to Prepare Your Business for Sale Over the Next 12 to 24 Months
A practical timeline for owners who expect to sell in the next year or two, from getting an honest starting point to the months just before going to market.
How to Explore a Sale Without Employees, Customers or Competitors Finding Out
No sale can be kept perfectly quiet, but a careful process makes a leak much less likely. Here’s how confidentiality works in practice.
What Happens in a First Conversation With an M&A Advisor
What you’ll be asked, what to bring, what you should leave with and the questions worth asking in return. No preparation or commitment required.
A Buyer Has Approached You About Your Business. What Now?
An unsolicited offer can be flattering and unsettling at once. How to respond without closing the door or giving away more than you should.
Can You Sell Part of Your Business and Stay Involved?
Selling doesn’t have to mean handing over the keys and leaving. Here are the main ways to sell part of a business, and the trade-offs that come with each.
SDE or EBITDA: How Buyers Measure What Your Business Earns
Buyers don’t value your business on the profit in your tax return. Here’s how they rebuild your earnings, and why the measure they choose matters.
Comparing Offers: Why the Highest Price Isn’t Always the Best Deal
Two offers at the same price can leave you in very different places. Here’s how to read the terms around the number before you choose.
Seller Financing: How a Vendor Take-Back Works and What to Watch For
Lending part of the price to your buyer can help a deal close. Here’s how a vendor take-back works and how to protect yourself if you agree to one.
What to Expect When a Buyer Starts Due Diligence
After you accept an offer, the buyer checks everything they’ve been told. Here’s what they look at, how it runs and how to keep the deal on track.
General information for business owners and buyers, not financial, legal or tax advice. Examples in these articles are hypothetical.
Confidential conversation
Have a question about your own business?
Articles explain the general picture. A confidential conversation applies it to your situation. There’s no obligation, and you don’t need to be ready to sell.