Most owners have no clear idea what their business is worth, what a buyer would pay for, or what they would do the day after they leave. We help you answer all three, years before you need to.
Our exit planning clients own privately held companies, usually with 10, 20 or 30 years behind them. Revenue typically runs from about $1 million into the middle market. The business is often the largest asset they own, and a team depends on them.
Many are in construction, manufacturing and the trades. We also work with professional services firms.
Most owners do not call us because they decided to exit in five years. Something happens first:
Underneath all of it is usually the same set of questions:
That is where we come in.
What it is worth today, what drives that value and what would make it more attractive to a buyer.
What you have outside the business, what you will need, and whether a sale gets you there.
What you want your days to look like once the business is no longer the center of them.
The third leg gets skipped most often. Owners who have spent decades in a business can lose their sense of purpose after they leave it. According to Exit Planning Institute research, 75% of owners regret selling within a year of the sale. We talk about life after the business early, not at the closing table.
During discovery, we measure three gaps.
What your business is worth today compared with what a best-in-class business in your industry and area sells for.
What you profit today compared with what best-in-class companies in your industry profit.
What you have in assets outside the business, what you need in total, and whether the business will close the difference.
Our process follows the three gates of the Exit Planning Institute’s Value Acceleration Methodology, the framework used by Certified Exit Planning Advisors.
We get a clear picture of where the business is today and where you are personally. That includes a value assessment, the three gaps above, and a lot of honest conversations. When you answer a question one way, we will tell you what that answer means and ask whether it holds up.
This is where the real work happens. We set goals and go after the things that make your business more valuable and easier to sell:
Throughout, we work with your CPA, attorney and wealth advisor so everyone is working toward the same goal. We meet every two weeks during this stage and the next.
Once the business is in a position you are happy with, you decide whether to sell or keep it and keep growing.
If you sell, we help you weigh the options: a third-party buyer, a strategic buyer, private equity, a family transition, your management team or an ESOP.
If you keep it, we continue with 90-day goals for you and the business, with quarterly check-ins to track progress.
Many owners price their business on what they need from the sale, or on a multiple they heard someone else got. Buyers look at three things instead.
A business that is weak on any of the three is usually discounted, and sometimes does not sell at all. Your tax bill on the sale does not change what a buyer will pay.
Every owner exits eventually. Many do not get to choose when. According to the Exit Planning Institute, about 50% of exits are driven by one of the five Ds: death, disability, divorce, disagreement or distress. If you wait until one of those happens, you lose your leverage. Building a business that is ready to sell takes years. We recommend starting five to eight years before you want to exit, and no less than three and a half years.
Pricing on what you need, or on what a friend’s business sold for, sets you up for disappointment or a deal that never closes.
If every big decision waits for you, if nobody else can price a job, or if your top customers are loyal to you personally, a buyer will discount for it. Many owners say their sales team runs the revenue side, but they still personally manage the top three accounts. Those accounts are a large part of what a buyer is paying for.
The money is only part of it. Owners who have not thought about what comes next can struggle once the business is gone.
Your CPA, attorney, financial advisor and banker each handle a piece. Without someone coordinating them, you risk a surprise tax bill or an estate plan that no longer matches the deal.
An owner who has never thought about an exit sees a big number and sells the business in their head at that price. Without understanding the terms, it is easy to leave money on the table.
Many firms show up when you are ready to sell, take a fee and leave. We start with your goals, your family and your financial needs, and build a plan around all of it. If you sell, the sale is the last step, not the first.
Our exit planning work is led by Mike Halloran, the firm’s Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®). Dan has spent his career around business owners, including helping run a multimillion-dollar construction company.
We work alongside your CPA, attorney and financial advisor. We do not replace anyone. We make sure everyone works from the same plan so nothing falls through the cracks.
If the business is not ready to sell, we will say so. If the number is lower than you hoped, we will not give you a bigger one to keep you happy. We would rather have the hard conversation at the beginning than at the end.
Most people go into business for freedom of time and freedom of money. Many end up with the opposite: they think about the business constantly, have little time outside it and worry about cash flow.
The work that prepares a business for a sale is the same work that makes it less dependent on you. Even if you never sell, you keep that work: a management team with real responsibility, documented processes and clean books.
If you have ever sold a house, you know the feeling. You spend the last few months fixing everything you meant to fix, the listing photos come back, and you wonder why you are leaving. You finally got it the way you wanted, and someone else gets to enjoy it.
A business works the same way. Do the work early, and you get to enjoy the business you always meant to build before you hand it to someone else.
Got an offer? Feeling burned out? Just want to know what your business is worth? Start with a free, no-pressure discovery call.
Exit planning services are educational and advisory. Seek & Find Financial does not guarantee any business valuation, sale price, sale outcome or timeline. Results depend on many factors outside our control. We are not attorneys or CPAs and coordinate with your legal and tax professionals.