87 Things an Owner Needs to Know About Selling Their Business

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The Pursuit of Value: 10 Tips to Help You Maximize Your Company's Worth

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Having been directly involved in scores of business transactions since 1990 with a total value of at least $500,000,000, Jim has gathered the key learnings every owner needs to know to be more confident about the sale of their business.

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The Pursuit of Value: 10 Tips to Help You Maximize Your Company’s Worth

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If you are planning to sell your business, you want to maximize your company’s value so the eventual sale is for a market-favorable price and the best terms.

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Thought Leadership

Recent Articles

341Articles

December 06, 2025

340 Blogs Later

November 29, 2025

How Selling a Business is Like Planning a Wedding

November 17, 2025

If This, Then That .... Four Words That Will Increase the Value of Your Business

November 03, 2025

How to Make Sure the Buyer Honors Your Culture (Is That Even Possible?)

October 24, 2025

Avoid Turning Your Business Into a Financial Dialysis Machine

October 11, 2025

When You Can't Afford to Sell

September 29, 2025

Bringing on Investors Could Put You in a Ditch

September 14, 2025

How to Know When an Unsolicited Outreach is Legit

August 30, 2025

ValuationPalooza

August 16, 2025

Like Liver and Onion, Things I Hate

August 03, 2025

Beware "BS" Earnings

July 20, 2025

Be Careful When the Chickens Come Home to Roost

July 05, 2025

Negotiate With Just One Buyer, or Run an Auction Process?

June 21, 2025

Your Buyer is Not a Toy to Be Played With

June 10, 2025

Jim's Fail

May 24, 2025

The Dangerous Second Acts

May 11, 2025

Mountains, Marathons and Life

April 28, 2025

The Stupid $35 Million Comment

March 31, 2025

Say What? I Have to Write a Thesis at This Age?

March 16, 2025

Getting a Higher Multiple

March 01, 2025

Escape From Corporate Prison Seems Like a Good Idea, Until You Get Into the Details

February 14, 2025

The Value of Potential, and One Other Moral

February 01, 2025

The Conundrum of the Profitable, Yet Unsellable Business

January 19, 2025

Explaining the Growth Premium

January 05, 2025

Roseanne Roseannadanna Was Right, It's Always Something

December 06, 2024

Don't Treat Your Business Like a Dialysis Machine

November 10, 2024

If This, Then That

October 28, 2024

General Rule: Business Buyers Buy Cash Flow, Not Ideas

October 12, 2024

What's Harder Than Selling a Business? Giving One Away

September 29, 2024

Selling a Business in Decline, the Empty Bag Syndrome

September 11, 2024

Don't Buy Without a Why

August 30, 2024

The Wimpy Effect

August 18, 2024

What Does Private Equity Want?

August 05, 2024

Presenting to the Board You Don't Have, But Probably Need

July 21, 2024

All in the Family, Great TV Idea, Maybe a Bad Business Idea

July 08, 2024

Seven Things I Need to Hear From a Search Funder

June 19, 2024

Selling a Professional Services Business, What I Learned Over Fried Chicken After a Funeral

June 09, 2024

The Dangerous Allure of Synergy, per Warren Buffett

May 25, 2024

Danger in the Wild Wild West

May 11, 2024

The Dangerous Second Act

April 29, 2024

Beware No-Man's Land

April 15, 2024

That's How We Do It In Our Industry

March 29, 2024

Listening ... the Easy Growth Strategy

March 18, 2024

Sometimes You Just Gotta Let It Go

March 04, 2024

The Business is You and You are the Business

February 17, 2024

Don't Make Your Business a Parking Lot for Your Investor's Money

February 03, 2024

Your Financial Dialysis Machine

January 20, 2024

The Deal vs. Life Goals

January 08, 2024

The "Can't Let It Go" Syndrome

December 09, 2023

Incompetent or Fraudulent? Sometimes It's Hard to Tell.

November 26, 2023

How to Know the Broker Really is on Your Side

November 13, 2023

The Confusing Logic of the Wisdom of Overpaying

October 28, 2023

The Right Buyer?

October 14, 2023

An Empty Basket Case

October 01, 2023

Be Ready Even If You Aren't Ready

September 17, 2023

Why NPV Matters, Sometimes

September 04, 2023

The Thin Line Between Warm & Fuzzy and Hot & Messy

August 20, 2023

The Danger of the Second Act

August 05, 2023

Beware the Pig-in-a-Poke Valuation

July 23, 2023

You May Not Be As Popular As You Think

July 09, 2023

What Works for Navy Seals May Not Work in Business

June 26, 2023

Dad Meant Well

June 12, 2023

The Grass Isn't Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence

May 29, 2023

Valuation Math

May 14, 2023

Second Generation Complacence

April 23, 2023

What Happened?

April 10, 2023

One Thoughtless Comment Cost Him $35 Million

March 27, 2023

Success is Hard

March 11, 2023

When the Divorce Lawyer Isn't the Right Kind

February 13, 2023

My Business is Hot!

January 28, 2023

Three Reasons Why Overpaying Might Actually Make Sense

January 16, 2023

Time to Look in the Mirror

January 02, 2023

The 3 to 4 in 5 to 6 Flip

December 12, 2022

Divorce is Easier

November 27, 2022

The Stiff Arm

November 13, 2022

Don't Make Your Business Your Piggybank

October 31, 2022

A Love-Hate Relationship

October 17, 2022

Do It Scared

October 03, 2022

How Growth Plan (not growth) Affects Valuation

September 20, 2022

When Interest in Your Business is Only a Mirage

September 06, 2022

More to Life Than ROI

August 22, 2022

Green May Not Be Greener

July 25, 2022

Enterprise Value Includes Asset Value

July 08, 2022

I Have a Buyer (insert eye roll here)

June 26, 2022

When Family Legacy is a Boat Anchor to Decision Making

June 12, 2022

How to Find the Right (Best) Strategic Buyer

August 08, 2022

Sell With Confidence, Not Greed

May 30, 2022

The Risk of Waiting

May 13, 2022

Negotiate or Auction?

April 30, 2022

Just an LOI?

April 17, 2022

Can You Handle the Truth?

April 04, 2022

More Difficult Than the Difficult Decision

March 19, 2022

Too Much Want To

March 06, 2022

Selling a Family Business - Problems Likely Around the Corner

February 20, 2022

The Downside of Customer Loyalty When Selling a Business

February 06, 2022

The Big Bad Wolf ... Beware or Befriend?

January 23, 2022

FOMO is a Bad Motivation to Sell Your Business

January 08, 2022

Beware the Falling Chain Saw

December 26, 2021

3X Thinking

December 10, 2021

Calling the Miracle Worker

November 27, 2021

The Money Trap

November 14, 2021

Separation Anxiety

November 01, 2021

How Owning Real Estate Might Impact the Value of Your Business

October 16, 2021

How to Treat PPP Loan Forgiveness

October 02, 2021

Second Generation Complacence

September 20, 2021

The Value, Yet Discomfort, of Selling to a Competitor

August 27, 2021

The Gift With Strings (not the good kind)

August 16, 2021

How to Handle the Surprise Offer

August 02, 2021

When Your Vision is Just a Blur

July 19, 2021

The Delicious, Yet Dangerous Valuation

July 04, 2021

Can You Be Making Too Much Money?

June 21, 2021

The Strategic Value of Overpaying ....Say What?

June 07, 2021

Success with No Marketing is a Sign of Weakness

May 22, 2021

Skating on Thin Ice

May 09, 2021

Running on Empty

April 26, 2021

The Early Exit

October 10, 2021

Jim's Big Dumb Fail

March 29, 2021

No Michael Scotts in a Small Business

March 13, 2021

Let the Kids Run It and Send Me a Check

February 28, 2021

Valuation Math Can Lead You Astray

February 15, 2021

Beware the Valuation Mirage

January 31, 2021

Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself

January 17, 2021

An Empty Fuel Tank is No Way to Start a Long Journey

January 04, 2021

What You Think is Just Luck

December 14, 2020

Can You Afford to Watch It Go Up in Smoke?

November 29, 2020

Balancing Risk and Reward

November 09, 2020

Don't Expect an Outlier Valuation

October 26, 2020

One Thoughtless Comment, Say Goodbye to $35 Million

October 11, 2020

Avoid No-Man's Land

September 28, 2020

Success in Corporate Life May Not Transfer

September 14, 2020

Ask the Right Question First

August 31, 2020

When Brand Value Isn't Value

August 17, 2020

Innovate, Renovate, or Reinvent, but Do Something!

August 02, 2020

Did COVID Kill Your Business, or Was It DOA?

July 20, 2020

You Own Your Company, But Do You Own Your Future?

July 06, 2020

Being Your Own Boss is Overrated, You Might Be a Bad Boss

June 28, 2020

Why Are So Many Business Owners Afraid of the G-- Word?

June 13, 2020

When is the Bird in the Hand Worth It?

March 31, 2020

Preparing a Board Presentation, Even If You Don't Have a Board?

May 17, 2020

Turnaround Investing in a Crisis

April 26, 2020

This Just Sucks, But ...

April 12, 2020

Business Owner's Straitjacket

March 25, 2020

Walking a Tightrope Blindfolded

March 15, 2020

Time to Ditch Your Investors?

March 02, 2020

Left With Nothing But an Empty Bag

February 17, 2020

Stuck in Place

February 01, 2020

Beware the Guy With a Shotgun

January 20, 2020

The Importance of Accountability When Selling to Key Employees

January 06, 2020

Lessons From the Last Decade That Will Affect This Decade

December 13, 2019

Is Your Business Your Dialysis Machine?

December 01, 2019

What You Don't Learn Investing in Real Estate

November 18, 2019

The Thrill and Danger of Flying Solo

November 02, 2019

Nobody Can Do What the Rainmaker Can Do

October 21, 2019

You May Kiss the Bride, The Wire Transfer is Complete

October 07, 2019

The Buyer's Stretch Marks

September 22, 2019

The Hocus Pocus of Business Valuation

September 19, 2019

The Downside of Low Interest Rates

September 09, 2019

Momma Was Right, Do Your Homework Before the Test

August 26, 2019

What the LOI Is, and Isn't

August 14, 2019

Watch Out for that Pig-in-a-Poke Valuation

August 12, 2019

The Longsufferring CFO

July 29, 2019

The Business Owner's 3:00AM Wake-Up Call

July 13, 2019

Relying on the Irrational Decision

July 01, 2019

My Company, My Prison

June 30, 2019

The Thin Line Between Warm & Fuzzy and Hot & Messy

June 17, 2019

Goodbye to Goodwill

June 03, 2019

Selling Your Business, Keep the Vultures Away

June 03, 2019

How Selling a Business is Like Flying a Skywriting Biplane

May 27, 2019

Things Can Go Wrong in the Wild West

May 21, 2019

Perry Mason Had the Right Approach

May 13, 2019

You Can't Sell Your Job, Even if You Own It

May 06, 2019

Three Reasons Most Retiring Business Owners Cannot Sell Their Business, and What You Can Do About It Now

May 05, 2019

Follow the Money, Sometimes Bad Advice

April 29, 2019

Does Your Company Need an Advisory Board?

April 22, 2019

Four Syndromes Every Business Owner Should Fear

April 14, 2019

The Taxman Doesn't Always Win, and That's Not Always Good

April 08, 2019

Four Warning Signs You Aren’t Really Interested in Buying a Business

April 07, 2019

What I Had to Unlearn From Harvard Business School

April 02, 2019

Are You the van Gogh of Your Business?

March 25, 2019

When Pressure to Sell Becomes an Advantage

March 19, 2019

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

March 11, 2019

Commitment to Customer Service Almost Killed Us

March 03, 2019

Grandma Was Right, You Can't Pull the String

February 25, 2019

Do As I Say, Not As I Did

February 18, 2019

The Private Equity Thesis

February 11, 2019

The Unsellability of Self-Employment

February 04, 2019

Most retiring business owners cannot sell their business

February 03, 2019

The ESOP Fable

January 28, 2019

Compensation Dollars vs Investment Dollars

January 20, 2019

Marriage and Entrepreneurship, a Match Maybe Not Made in Heaven

January 14, 2019

The Dangerous Second Act

January 06, 2019

The Probable Dysfunction Within a Family Business

December 16, 2018

Sell Because of a Predicted Recession? Don't Fall for It.

December 11, 2018

Gordon Gekko Had It Wrong, Dull is Good

December 10, 2018

A Sad Empty Basket

December 03, 2018

The SMART Strategic Acquisition

November 25, 2018

Say What? No License Required?

November 19, 2018

Why I Might Turn Down a Perfectly Great Engagement (part 2)

November 05, 2018

Why I Might Turn Down a Perfectly Good Engagement

October 29, 2018

Buyer Beware, the Falling Knife

October 22, 2018

Counting Your Cash is Not Accounting

October 15, 2018

Think Like a Fireman

October 08, 2018

Never Use a Business Broker

October 01, 2018

Negotiated Sale or Auction?

October 01, 2018

The Work 'Till You Die Retirement Plan

September 25, 2018

The Strategic Buyer is the Seller's Friend

September 17, 2018

Living Large on a Line of Credit

April 24, 2025

Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be 50/50 Partners

September 03, 2018

Stumbling as You Run for the Exit

April 24, 2025

Good Steak, but News That's Hard to Swallow

August 20, 2018

When Family Legacy is a Boat Anchor to Business Decision Making

August 06, 2018

Watch Out For That Pig-in-a-Poke Valuation

July 30, 2018

Beware the Too Good to Be True Offer

July 23, 2018

Time to Sell Your Business? Trust Your Heart

July 16, 2018

Retaining a Lawyer Just on Price, Bad Advice

July 09, 2018

Don't Walk That Road Alone

June 25, 2018

Private Equity, What Kind of Offers Are in Those Expensive Briefcases?

June 21, 2018

Three Benefits of Exit Planning

June 20, 2018

Why Mediation Works!

June 18, 2018

It's Just an LOI, Let's Sign It and Move On

June 11, 2018

Don't Be So Smart That You Kill the Goose That Lays Your Golden Eggs

June 04, 2018

Potential is a Terrible Way to Describe a Business You Want to Sell

May 20, 2018

3 Reasons It’s Good to Have a Succession Plan, in Writing

May 28, 2018

Quasi-Shameless, Yet Highly Relevant Plug

May 20, 2018

Don't Wait for the Vultures to Start Hovering

March 20, 2018

3 Reasons It’s Important to Have a Succession Plan, in Writing

May 14, 2018

The Non-Acquisition Acquisition

May 03, 2018

Peas, broccoli and partnerships …. things I really hate.

April 30, 2018

When Buying a Good Business, Don't be Good Deal Focused

April 23, 2018

Selling a Business When It's All in the Family, Not a Great Show

April 16, 2018

Growing Your Value Through Less Doing and More Listening

April 09, 2018

A Moon Shot Idea Will Dramatically Improve Your Business Valuation

April 02, 2018

Does Your Company's Culture Actually Add Value?

March 26, 2018

Paint by Numbers Growth Plan

March 19, 2018

Declaring Defeat, or Just Time to Retreat?

March 12, 2018

The Well-Intentioned, Yet Flimsy Buyer

March 05, 2018

The Cash Flow Purchase

February 20, 2018

Cash is King, and Queen

February 19, 2018

When to Ignore the Market Value for Your Company

February 12, 2018

What Works for Navy Seals Might Kill Your Business

February 05, 2018

The Paradox That Blocks Escape From Corporate Prison

January 20, 2018

Business Valuation = Tangible Assets + Goodwill

January 29, 2018

She Has Potential, A Dangerous Way to Find a Date or Sell a Business

January 22, 2018

The Horror of Selling a Business

January 15, 2018

Friends Don't Let Friends Go Into Business Together

October 20, 2017

Selling Your Business, Part 1: Understand Your Competition

December 20, 2017

Selling Your Business, Part 3: Getting a Head Start on the Due Diligence Process

January 02, 2018

Lessons Learned in 2017 and How They Signal a Fantastic 2018

December 18, 2017

"H___ No!" or Just Ignore Them?

December 11, 2017

The Syndrome Known as "This Is How We Do It In Our Industry"

December 04, 2017

Who Makes the Decision Might Determine If It's a Home Run or Strikeout

November 20, 2017

Selling Your Business, Part 2: Understand Your Business’s Market Before Selling It

November 28, 2017

The Truth Can Hurt

November 20, 2017

Let It Go! An Awesome Song and Great Business Advice

November 13, 2017

Perfect Logic for Picking a Spouse, Bad Logic for Picking a Business

October 23, 2017

Selling Under Duress: Don't Be a Harvey Weinstein

October 17, 2017

The Gambler Story: When on the Growth Scale Do You Sell?

October 09, 2017

The Earn Out: Painful Stretching to Make a Shaky Deal

October 02, 2017

Plan B: When the Partnership Goes South

September 25, 2017

Entrepreneurial Hubris

September 20, 2017

Four Qualities of a Serious Buyer for Your Business

September 18, 2017

An Affair is Always a Bad Idea

September 11, 2017

September 12, The Day After

September 04, 2017

Indifference as a Style of Negotiation

August 28, 2017

Key Question When Raising Equity: "If This, Then What?"

August 20, 2017

Three Keys to Effective Succession Planning

October 21, 2017

The Downside of Low Interest Rates

August 14, 2017

A Funeral, Fried Chicken and Valuable Lesson

August 07, 2017

Selling to Private Equity ... Losing Control

August 02, 2017

Is It OK to Pay Too Much for a Business? (hint: yes, and it might even be a smart thing)

July 24, 2017

The Laws of Supply & Demand Not Applicable to the Market for Privately Owned Business?

July 20, 2017

Considering Selling Your Business? Four Questions to Ask Yourself First

August 30, 2024

Are You Guilty of The Wimpy Effect?

July 10, 2017

One Dumb Comment Cost Him $35 Million

June 26, 2017

Earn Your Way to a Better Exit

June 20, 2017

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Boost the Future Value of Your Business

June 20, 2017

The A of Valuation ABCs

July 12, 2017

It's Worth Pennies and You Expected Dollars

June 05, 2017

The Danger of an LOI

May 29, 2017

When Buying a Business is Like Being Taken to the Cleaners

May 22, 2017

Why It Can Be Hard to Find the Right Business to Buy

May 01, 2017

How Running Your Business Can be Like Swinging on a Trapeze Without a Net

April 24, 2017

How Can You Know Your Companys Value?

April 12, 2017

A Great Business That’s a Non-Starter

April 12, 2017

5 Steps to Selling Your Nashville Business

April 12, 2017

“Do I need to wear a tie to this meeting? Hell, I haven’t had a tie on since Mama died.”

April 12, 2017

“Why should I sell now? You’re telling me the way we are growing we’ll double our value in two years!”

April 12, 2017

What I Learned at the US Olympic Marathon Trials

April 12, 2017

“I’ve been looking for two years to buy a good business, why can’t I find one?”

April 12, 2017

“I’m Ready to Sell but the Old Guy Thinks It’s Too Soon.”

April 12, 2017

Eight of Ten Baby Boomer Businesses Cannot Be Sold (how to make sure your business is one of the two)

April 12, 2017

Three Ways Selling a Business is Not Like Selling a House

April 12, 2017

Six Reasons Why the Sale of Your Business Might Require an Earn Out

April 12, 2017

Three Ways to Increase Your Business Value by 150%

May 20, 2017

A Brief Summation of Valuation

May 15, 2017

Living Together Before a Business Marriage

May 08, 2017

Royalties to Live Like a King & Queen

April 20, 2017

Breaking the News: When and How to Tell Your Employees You are Selling the Business

April 17, 2017

Does the Entrepreneur Know More Than the Corporate Titan?

April 12, 2017

“This Offer Sounds Too Good to be True, What Should I Do Now?”

April 12, 2017

“You are basically telling me I can’t afford to sell my business… what do you expect me to do, work ‘til I die?”

April 12, 2017

Code Words You Hear When the Business Owner Needs Hospice, Not a Broker

April 12, 2017

How to Get a Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan

April 12, 2017

Planning an Exit Strategy: A How-To Guide for Baby Boomers

April 12, 2017

Please Don’t Buy a Business (if you aren’t comfortable in a dark room)

April 12, 2017

Two Things You Can Do Now to Improve the Value of Your Business Now

April 12, 2017

My Go-To Apps for Business & Personal Productivity

April 12, 2017

A Rule I Learned While Dating About How Not to Sell Your Business

April 12, 2017

Sunday Night Diary: Beware the Jackleg Broker

April 12, 2017

Why Most Baby Boomer Businesses Will Not Sell (and how to make sure your business beats the odds)

April 12, 2017

Three Reasons It Might Be OK to Overpay for a Business

April 12, 2017

Three Types of Business Buyers

April 12, 2017

Selling A Business – Four Things to Consider

April 12, 2017

3 Things I Had to Unlearn After Harvard Business School

April 12, 2017

Beware the Door Broker

April 12, 2017

Thinking About Selling Your Business to Your Business Partner? (please read this first)

April 12, 2017

Being a Disney Executive Has Made Me a More Effective Business Broker

April 12, 2017

Four Things I Learned Watching the Mountain Man Memorial March

April 12, 2017

What is My Business Worth, and Why Do I Need to Know?

April 12, 2017

Three Ways to Know On the Spot if You’re Talking to a Capable Business Broker

April 12, 2017

Five Reasons I’m Ditching My iPad Mini and Going Back to iPad 3

April 12, 2017

A Breach of Confidentiality … Not as Bad as You Might Fear

April 12, 2017

How to Value Your Business in 3 Minutes (or less)

April 12, 2017

Seven Reasons To Hire A Professional Business Broker

April 12, 2017

When Is It Time To Sell My Business?

April 12, 2017

When Is It Time To Quit My Corporate Job and Purchase My Own Business?

April 12, 2017

Revealed, The Secrets of Business Valuation

April 12, 2017

Four Warning Signs You Aren’t Ready to Buy a Business (“it takes one to know one”)

April 12, 2017

Productive Home Office = Home Office Success

April 12, 2017

Small Business 101 …. The Value of Maintaining Good Records

April 12, 2017

Stupid Is As Stupid Does …Where’s Captain Dan?

April 12, 2017

Don’t Leave Phone Without Them

April 12, 2017

Use What God Has Given You to Increase Your Online Revenue

April 12, 2017

Search Bar, I Love You.

April 12, 2017

Your Thoughts are Numbered

April 12, 2017

How to Weed Out Bad Business Brokers

April 12, 2017

Selling a Family Business ….. Problems are Right Around the Corner

April 12, 2017

Think Outside the K-Cup, Three Business Principles I Learned While Comparing Starbucks Via with Starbucks K-Cups

April 12, 2017

Leaving Corporate Life to Buy a Business: The Opportunity Paradox

April 12, 2017

The Dumb Things We Do, How Business is Like Golf

March 21, 2017

5 Essential Elements of an Effective Exit Plan

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