I’m a CPA. I have helped dozens and dozens of people buy and sell their businesses. By the end of the first meeting, I pretty much can tell if the business is going to be successfully sold. It’s not so much whether the business owner has all the right documents in order. That’s part of what needs to be done and can be done.
Rather, the make-break point has everything to do with you, the business owner, and your mindset:
Are you ready?
Do you know what your goals are during and after the sale?
Can you leave the valuation of the business up to the experts instead of going off your emotion and instinct?
If you’re not ready, if you’re not in the right spot, then you aren’t going to let it go successfully. You can’t force a square peg into a round hole. You can’t force a sale to happen out of sheer will. You need to go about it with logic, good sense, and a clear vision of what needs to be done.
I’m invested in making sure that people can sell. I look at systems, the personnel, and the marketing. My team creates a list of things that must change, that need to change, items or areas which can be left alone, and areas that would be very good to change. This is exactly what can increase your valuation and the multiple of a sale.
This book can help you get that list started. It was written with an altruistic intention. It’s not just focused on getting the business physically ready to sell. It’s handling the emotional and mental parts of selling, even the spiritual aspects of what you can do.
I like making something better, no matter where it is in its life cycle. I love helping others, especially when they have good ideas. I see in this book a way to be that catalyst— to help you make the process of selling your business even better before you start the actions necessary to get the actual transaction done.
Selling a business isn’t easy for many, many reasons. I hope Linda Jensen’s message helps you clarify the parts that aren’t easy to talk about at the front end of the selling process. Along the way of thinking about your exit, by using the resources contained in this book, you can increase your profit margin, your business valuation, and the business multiple in the event you decide to exit. Your suc- cess is vital— to you, to your family, to your employees, to the local community you serve, and to your legacy.
