If you're even thinking about sellingyour business in the next year, now is the time to start preparing. Many owners assume the process begins when a buyer shows interest — but the truth is, deal value is created long before diligence starts.
Selling a business isn’t just atransaction — it’s a transformation. You’re transitioning your role, your team, and often your legacy. The earlier you plan, the more control you maintain over how that transition unfolds. Here's a 12-month roadmap to help you move with clarity and confidence.
Buyers are looking for clean, trustworthy numbers. That means:
If you've been running on cash-basis accounting or mixing in personal items, this is the time to get disciplined. A trusted advisor can help you reconstruct historicals and present your financials in a buyer-friendly format.
Take a hard look at your SOPs, contracts, and organizational chart. Are key roles and workflows clearly documented? Are vendor and client contracts assignable or transferable?
It’s also worth having legal counsel review your corporate structure and ownership documents. You want no surprises during diligence.
At this stage, you begin crafting thestory of your business. What makes it valuable? Where is the growth opportunity? Who is the ideal buyer?
We help clients create positioning decks and financial summaries that articulate value and vision — not just numbers.
You’ll need a CPA familiar with transactions, an attorney experienced in deal structuring, and astrategic advisor who can quarterback the process and protect your interests.
The right team can make or break your deal. Don’t wait until you’re fielding LOIs to find yours.
We’ve seen many business owners enterthe sales process full of optimism — only to encounter significant hurdles that could’ve been avoided with earlier preparation. In onecase, a founder with a growing multi-location service business received interest from a strategic buyer. But when diligence began, it became clear their financials were not GAAP-aligned, their key vendor contracts weren’t assignable, and they didn’t have a seasoned deal team in place. The offer, which originally promised a high multiple, was renegotiated twice — and ultimately the deal fell through.
Contrast that with founders who takethe time to prepare: with financial clarity, operational readiness, and the right team guiding the process, the business is positioned for a smooth transition and stronger valuation. Planning ahead is not just about timelines — it’s about leverage.
We’ve seen how preparation changes everything. Let’s make sure you’re ready when the opportunity comes.
