Test Your Assumptions About Exit Options

Five years ago we met with the owner of a successful business who told us he wanted to exit in the next few years. When asked if he knew who he wanted to sell the business to, he responded: “I guess I will sell to a third-party buyer”. He didn’t at all seem excited about that, so with further questioning, we learned that he was moving ahead under the assumption that a sale to a third-party was his only option. We also discovered that his real desire was to sell to a key employee who had been instrumental in building the business, and a son working in the business. Also, he had already spoken to a strategic buyer who was interested in buying his business and expanding into the area.

In 2019 with our help he successfully sold his business to the key employee and his son. The moral of this story is to test your assumptions pertaining to how you will eventually exit your business. And, it’s best to have an expert test those assumptions…because you don’t know what you don’t know, and you may not even recognize where you’re making assumptions. Our client assumed he would not be able to sell his business to whom he wanted to, and had actually started down a path that he really didn’t want to travel down. With the right help, his assumptions were identified and tested, and in the end, he was able to do what he really wanted to do.

Identifying and then testing assumptions is essential for a successful exit. Our client realized what he really wanted to happen because he took the first step in seeking expert assistance.