A business owner (62 years old) woke up one morning and decided to listen to his wife's nagging. "It's time to exit the business and retire. I'm tired", she said.
Here's what happened.
He called a friend who had sold his company recently. He was referred to a M&A guy. They immediately started the process of putting the company up for sale (against the M&A's recommendation).
It was not pretty. Skeletons in the closet everywhere. Many of the deals fell through and ultimately the company sold for a fraction of the potential. Retirement was a disappointment and there was no time left to fix it.
Here's what should have happened.....
The owner reached out to a business valuation expert with experience in exit planning and determined the value today and the areas needing improvement to greatly increase the value.
Projects resulted in quick 90 day sprints to address low hanging fruit that had strong impacts on value. EBITDA went up along with the multiples.
The business became fun again.
They continued on these initiatives until the valuation reached the point that provided the family with a retirement better than ever expected.
They sold for 10X what they would have if they sold immediately.
Total time 3 years.
Don't wait until you're tired and make a bad decision. Explore your options today and prepare accordingly.