We've sat across from hundreds of small business owners who want to sell.
And after a while, you start to recognize the patterns.
There are really only four types.
The first has a great business, but it lives entirely in their head. Their best customers call their cell phone. Nothing is documented. The financials tell a story, just not a clean one. They'll think about selling "someday." Someday never comes.
The second knows they need to get ready. They've started thinking about it. A few things are in place. But a buyer doing due diligence today would find enough gaps to either walk away or chip the price down significantly. They have time, if they start now.
The third is closer than most. Operations mostly run without them, the team is solid, and they have a rough sense of what the business is worth. But there are still details that aren't locked in. And at this stage, the gaps are easy to miss, which is exactly what makes them dangerous.
The fourth has done the work. Clean books. A strong team. A plan for what comes next. They're not thinking like an operator anymore. They're thinking like a buyer. When the time comes, they'll be ready.
Most owners we meet are somewhere in the first two. Most of them think they're the third.
Are you ready to ask yourself where you actually stand?
