John F. Dini, Author at Your ExitMap

What’s Your Business Really Worth? (Probably Not What You Think)

John F. Dini — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:44:09 +0000

If someone asked you right now what your business is worth, you’d probably answer fast, and with total confidence. That number’s likely made its way into conversations with your banker, onto a personal financial statement, maybe even into a retirement plan your financial advisor put together. Here’s the uncomfortable part: there’s a good chance that number is off by 50% or more. That’s not a knock on you. It’s just that most owners have never had access to the information needed to value their business accurately. If your retirement plan is built on a made-up number, the whole plan is distorted. Your Business Might Be ... Read more

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Layers of Disclosure:A Business Owner’s Guide to Sharing Information in a Sale

John F. Dini — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:00:22 +0000

If you’re selling a privately held business, disclosure is rarely just a matter of completing a checklist. It’s more like managing a series of “layers” that unfold over time. The timing, depth, and framing of what you share can affect how buyers value your company, how much leverage you retain at the negotiating table, and often overlooked how stable your business remains while the transaction is moving forward. A practical way to think about disclosure is this: you should expand what you share only as the buyer becomes more committed, receives greater legal protections, and the deal becomes more certain. In other words, disclosure should ... Read more

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A Business Owner’s Guide to Sharing Information in a Sale appeared first on Your ExitMap.

The 3% Problem in Advisory Work: A Guide for Business Owners

John F. Dini — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:10:53 +0000

As a business owner, you belong to a unique group that makes up only 3% of the population. Yet, many advisors treat you like any other client—using the same approaches they apply to executives, professionals, or retirees. This is a fundamental misunderstanding that can impact your business and personal goals. Why You’re More Than Just an Asset You are not simply a high-income individual with concentrated wealth. Your business is not just an investment; it’s an integral part of your identity, your livelihood, and your daily purpose. It is the source of your authority, reputation, and even your personal satisfaction. Navigating Identity, Not Just Assets ... Read more

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Exit Planning: If Not Now, When?

John F. Dini — Thu, 14 May 2026 14:36:37 +0000

You’ve probably said it yourself: “Talk to me in five years.” It’s the most common response advisors hear — and it makes sense. You’re heads-down building, not winding down. Exit planning feels like a conversation for later. The business is performing. You have time. And honestly, it’s a lot to think about. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: later is exactly when most exits go wrong. You’re already doing exit planning — just not deliberately Think about the early-stage tech founder. Obsessed with product, grinding 80-hour weeks, convinced the exit is the last thing they should be thinking about. Yet their investors demand an exit strategy ... Read more

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What to Watch Out for When Getting Outside Advice

John F. Dini — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:05:40 +0000

When you bring in an outside advisor — whether it’s an accountant, attorney, consultant, or broker — you’re doing the right thing. You’re acknowledging there’s something you don’t know and going to find someone who does. That’s smart ownership. But there’s a trap hidden in that process that most business owners never see coming. Every Expert Has a Favorite Tool There’s an old saying: to a hammer, everything is a nail. Think about it this way. You go to your doctor and say, “My shoulder has been killing me — I need help.” The doctor genuinely wants to help you. But whether you walk out ... Read more

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NQDCs – Funding and Forfeiture

John F. Dini — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:40:53 +0000

In our article on March 20th, we discussed Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) plans as a tool to compensate key employees for achieving long-term goals. One component of such plans is the fact that they are frequently unfunded and legally considered an unsecured promise to pay. Nonetheless, both plan sponsors and recipients often want a funding mechanism to set aside assets, manage cash flow, or hedge the liability. In addition, employers typically want conditions under which they can rescind the plan for cause, including failure to achieve the objectives the plan was designed to incentivize. Funding Mechanisms For cash-based plans, there are four common ways to ... Read more

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Business Ownership Isn’t What It Used to Be

John F. Dini — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:29:39 +0000

If you’ve been a business owner for a long time, you’ve lived this shift firsthand. Many Baby Boomer owners started out alone—just an idea, a customer, and a willingness to take a risk. Hiring that first employee was a milestone. Now, years later, some of those same businesses employ dozens or even hundreds of people. And every one of those people comes with rights, protections, and obligations that ultimately land on you. As a business grows, so does the owner’s exposure—to legal risk, regulatory risk, financial risk, and reputational risk. Ownership doesn’t just mean opportunity anymore; it means responsibility layered on responsibility. Why Fewer People ... Read more

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Manufacturer Stuck in the “Neutral Zone”

John F. Dini — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:07:44 +0000

Here is how exit planning helped a business owner out of the Neutral Zone. This manufacturer reached out to an exit planning consultant after receiving a book on planning as a gift from a local professional. He was in no particular hurry to leave his business. In the preceding twenty years of ownership, he had grown it from a local vendor to home builders into a nationally known specialty house. The company provided him with a good living, generating roughly $700,000 a year in free cash flow for each of the previous five years. He wanted to continue for at least a few more years ... Read more

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How Much does the Big Picture Count?

John F. Dini — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:41:35 +0000

It is currently difficult to have a business conversation without discussing the Big Picture. The voracious 24-hour news cycle needs plenty of fodder to attract eyeballs. It almost seems like the media must pick and choose what will create the most concern. “Seventeen dead in drone attacks? Let’s put that sixth on the schedule.” Big Picture Issues Wars in Ukraine, Israel, and Sudan. Attacks on shipping. Russian hacker ransomware. The battle between the U.S. executive and judicial branches. Tariffs, sanctions, inflation, interest rates, boycotts. Will the price of raw materials go up? How much will transportation cost next week? Should I load up on inventory—or ... Read more

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Quality of Earnings and Technology Costs

John F. Dini — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:35:23 +0000

When a Quality of Earnings audit identifies deferred technology, the price can be magnified many times. Are you deferring technology costs? A few months ago, a subscriber to our planning tools called with a tech support question. “Your software doesn’t work,” he said. After some investigation, we identified the problem. He was using a version of the underlying engine, (a part of Microsoft Office) that was four or five generations past end-of-life. When asked about his willingness to upgrade he said, “I don’t want to be forced into getting a subscription.” (As a side note, no software developers try to develop for compatibility with end-of-life ... Read more

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The Inexperienced Advisor – An Exit Planning Horror Story for Business Owners

John F. Dini — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:08:53 +0000

This is a cautionary tale for business owners—one that’s “based on a true story.” The facts are real, although the exact sequence of events might raise questions if the IRS were to take a closer look. A small business owner received a $1,000,000 offer to sell his company. He had already been thinking about retirement, and the chance to cash out felt like a perfect opportunity. His original plan had been to sell the business to a long-time employee through a promissory note, but that changed when the cash offer came along. The business’s profits had always been modest, and the employee couldn’t match the ... Read more

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What Business Owners Should Know from the 5th Annual Exit Planners Survey

John F. Dini — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 16:55:45 +0000

Between February 1 and March 2, 2025, ExitMap conducted its 5th annual survey of professionals who help business owners plan successful exits. This is the only survey that gathers insight across multiple advisory specialties—offering a wide-angle view of the professionals supporting entrepreneurs like you during one of the most critical transitions of your life. The survey included 30 questions and was distributed to over 7,000 experienced advisors worldwide. These are professionals with recognized credentials in exit planning, active roles in professional organizations, or who publicly position themselves as specialists in business transition. We received 434 responses from advisors in eight disciplines, representing six countries and ... Read more

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