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Rethinking the "Timing" Conversation Most owners quietly carry the same question in the back of their minds: “When is the right  time to sell?” You hear stories about people “nailing the timing” - selling right before a downturn, or at the peak of some industry cycle. You also hear, just as often, about owners who waited too long and ended up selling under pressure: health issues, burnout, or declining numbers. Here is the uncomfortable truth: The “best time” to sell your bus

Why Your Landlord Can Quietly Kill (or Save) Your Exit When most owners think about selling, they focus on the buyer and the bank. What will a buyer pay? Will the bank finance the deal? How do my numbers look? All of that matters. But if you rent  the space your business operates out of, there is a third party with quiet veto power over your entire exit: Your landlord. We have seen otherwise solid deals fall apart.. sometimes at the very last moment.. not because of revenue,

What Owners Need to Understand About Deal Structure (Not Just Price) When most owners think about selling, the first question is: “What’s my business worth?” The question that gets far less attention—but has just as much impact on your outcome is: “How is a buyer actually going to pay for it?” Two deals with the same purchase price  can leave you in very different positions  depending on: How much you get at closing How much is paid over time How much risk you’re still carryi

Understanding Searchers, Private Equity, and Strategic Acquirers When most owners think about selling, they picture “a buyer” as one generic person or group on the other side of the table. In reality, there are three very different buyer profiles that show up again and again in lower-middle-market and mid-market deals: Individual “searchers” (often SBA-backed) Private equity (PE) funds and independent sponsors Strategic acquirers (competitors, suppliers, or adjacent players)

What Owners Should Expect From First Conversation to Closing Most owners underestimate how long it takes to sell a business. They either assume it is like selling a house (“couple of months, right?”) or they have heard horror stories of deals dragging on for years and hope they will be the exception. The truth usually sits in the middle: For a well-prepared, reasonably priced business, a typical timeline runs 6–11 months  from “I’m serious about selling” to money in the bank.

What Most Owners Miss When They Plan an “Inside” Sale For many business owners, the ideal exit isn’t a private equity fund or a strategic buyer—it is handing the reins to a son, daughter, or long-time key employee. On paper, it sounds perfect:You protect your legacy, you keep the culture intact, and you reward the people who helped you build the business. But there’s a hard reality most owners only discover when it is too late: Selling to someone you know is not  automaticall