selling a business Archives - Your ExitMap

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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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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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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Creating the Plan to Eventually Depart Your Business

David Lupberger — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Creating and Editing Your Plan I am now 66 years old. It seems like a strange statement to write here. Where did that time go? I have a grown son and my spouse and I are now empty nesters. It is just us now, but we do get to enjoy some delightful visits from my son when he can get away from his own business to join us. Does that sound familiar to you? We will all be addressing a similar outcome as we age into our later years. This will also affect our busines lives. All business owners will exit their businesses, either ... 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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The Exit Planning Fallacy – A Business Owner’s Perspective

John F. Dini — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:59:40 +0000

One of the most common sales pitches you might hear from someone claiming to help you “enhance value” goes something like this: “I’ve reviewed your company and believe it’s worth $4.2 million today. With the right planning, it could be worth $7.7 million. Would you rather exit with $4.2 million or $7.7 million?” That’s not really a question—it’s a setup. Of course, no business owner would willingly choose the smaller number. But the real issue isn’t which number you prefer. It’s what it actually takes to bridge that gap—and whether you’re being given a full picture. Are You Falling for the Planning Fallacy? There’s a ... Read more

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Build a Successful Business Exit Plan by Using a Planning Process

Steven Zeller — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:32:13 +0000

As a business owner, planning the exit from ownership of your business is probably the single most important decision you will make. When to exit, how much to walk away with, who to sell it to, what’s the most tax efficient strategy in your circumstance, what timeline is most suitable, and what are the areas of business that need to be improved upon to make it marketable, etc.? Those are just some of the things that need to be considered.

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Purpose – Life After the Sale Part 3

John F. Dini — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 15:03:10 +0000

The third component of life after the sale is Purpose – “Having as one’s intention or objective.” Many exit planning advisors discuss the three legs of the exit planning stool – business readiness, financial readiness, and personal readiness. In our previous two articles, we focused on two of the “big three” components of a successful life after the sale, activity and identity. The third is purpose.

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Private Equity Reputation

John F. Dini — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:33:02 +0000

We began this series by saying that Private Equity reputation is as the Great Satan to some, and a savior to others, depending on the personal experience of the speakers. In fact, both reputations are well deserved, but neither can be universally applied.
The “Great Satan” Private Equity Reputation - PEGs buy companies for the express purpose of improving their performance. That often comes with considerable pain for employees.

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Private Equity and Privately Held Businesses

John F. Dini — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 15:22:17 +0000

Depending on who you are talking to, Private Equity is either the Great Satan or the savior of small and mid-market companies in the United States. The stories depend a lot on the personal experience of the speakers.

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Seize The Moment: Strategically Timing Your Retirement When Selling Your Business

Kerry Boulton — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 15:49:54 +0000

Imagine standing at the edge of a cliff, ready to take a leap into a new chapter of your life. That’s retirement. Now, picture this adventure interwoven with the sale of your business. Exciting, right? Just like any daring journey, timing is everything. Let’s talk about finding that perfect moment to embark on your retirement while selling your business. It’s not just about calendars and clocks; it’s about aligning the stars to make the most of your hard-earned efforts.

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Addressing the Value Gap – Truth in Pricing

John F. Dini — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 16:56:55 +0000

Truth in pricing is a common issue when discussing the sale of a business.

The selling price of their company is a point of pride for any owner. When they are willing to share the price they were paid, they usually include everything that was listed in the purchase agreement. While there is nothing inherently dishonest about that, it’s often not exactly the truth either.

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