Exit & Succession Planning
Build a Business Buyers Actually Want to Buy
Most business owners spend years building revenue and never once build sellability. One determines what the business is worth on paper. The other determines what someone will actually pay for it.
The Problem
Profitable and Sellable Are Not the Same Thing
A business that depends entirely on its owner, has no documented systems, and can't produce clean financials under scrutiny will always sell for less than its revenue suggests, if it sells at all. Buyers aren't paying for what the business made last year. They're paying for confidence that it will keep making money without you in the room.
That confidence has to be built deliberately, well before you're ready to sell. The owners who get the best multiples aren't the ones who scramble to tidy things up in the final 12 months. They're the ones who started building a transferable business years earlier.
Client Result
Tobin Sold His Trades Business at an 11x Net Profit Multiple
Tobin ran a trades business built on genuine technical skill, but like most trades owners, the business ran through him. He wanted to grow it to a sellable state but didn't have the business systems or financial clarity that makes a business attractive to buyers.
Over an 18-month coaching engagement, Mark worked with Tobin to build proper management structure, strengthen financial reporting, and document the workflows that let the business operate independently of Tobin's day-to-day involvement. Revenue grew 250% over the engagement. When Tobin sold, the business achieved an 11x net profit multiple, substantially above what he'd expected going in.
“I never thought I'd be able to exit for that kind of multiple. Mark helped me build the business that buyers actually want to buy.”
Tobin
250%
Revenue growth over the engagement
11x
Net profit multiple at sale
18 mo.
From engagement start to exit-ready
Is This You?
Signs It's Time to Start Exit Planning
You're thinking about selling in the next 1-5 years, but haven't started preparing
The business still depends on you for most key decisions and relationships
You don't know what actually drives your business's valuation, or how to improve it
Your financial reporting wouldn't hold up to real buyer due diligence
You've built something valuable but have no documented systems or processes
How It Works
Building the Business Buyers Pay a Premium For
Exit planning isn't a separate skill from good business coaching, it's what good business coaching produces when you start early enough. Mark works backward from your exit timeline to identify exactly what needs to change now.
- Build the management structure and delegation that lets the business run without you
- Strengthen financial reporting so a buyer can see exactly what they're paying for
- Document the systems and workflows that make the business transferable, not just profitable
- Identify and fix the specific gaps buyers use to justify a lower multiple
- Build a realistic timeline and valuation target, then work backward from it
Not Ready to Sell Yet?
That's exactly the right time to start. The businesses that command the best multiples are built for sale years before the owner actually decides to sell. Whether you're 18 months out or still deciding if selling is even the right move, a free clarity call is the place to start that conversation.
Book a Free Clarity CallStart Here
Find Out What Your Business Is Really Worth
A 30-minute conversation about your business, your timeline, and what's standing between where you are now and a business a buyer would pay a premium for.
Book a Free Clarity Call