Book Description

Written by Jacob Orosz, one of the M&A industry’s leading authorities and host of the #1 podcast on mergers and acquisitions – M&A Talk. Jacob is president of Morgan & Westfield, a nationwide M&A firm, and author of five books on M&A – The Art of the Exit, A Beginner’s Guide to Business Valuation, The Exit Strategy Handbook, Closing the Deal, and Acquired. Jacob has 20+ years of M&A experience and has valued and sold hundreds of businesses. Less than a third of businesses on the market actually change hands. So what does this mean for you? Think about it — with a significant amount of your wealth tied up in your business, planning your exit is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make. The Art of the Exit contains winning strategies I’ve learned from 20 years in the trenches selling businesses. This definitive guide is broken down into 10 simple steps from preparing your business for sale to orchestrating the closing. This handbook contains essential tips for owners of both Main Street and lower middle-market businesses valued at $500,000 to $10 million. This size range tends to be a no-man’s land for business owners when it comes time to sell. That’s because most business brokers work on smaller transactions, while investment banks are accustomed to handling larger transactions. Another challenge for businesses of this size is that the potential purchaser can be either an individual or a corporate buyer such as a competitor, private equity firm, or other company. The problem here is that the marketing strategies, negotiating tactics, and processes can vary significantly depending on the buyer most likely to purchase your business. MY STORY Twenty years ago, when I began helping entrepreneurs sell their businesses, I scoured the market for useful information. In doing so, I discovered that most of the available literature didn’t address the real-world problems I encountered. Rather, it was theoretical or directed at large, publicly traded companies. It’s difficult finding valuable, actionable information for companies in this size range. This book is loaded with proven strategies on the art and science of selling any business. I walk you through the entire sales process from preparing your business for sale to the closing and reducing risk every step of the way. You’ll receive solutions and proven guidance based on my decades of experience helping entrepreneurs sell their businesses for top dollar. The sale of your business will be one of the most stressful events in your life. Don’t go it alone. What’s Covered in the Book - Statistics on how long it takes to sell a business - A framework for helping you decide whether to sell your business - Guidance on informing and retaining your employees - Lessons learned for building a highly sought-after business based on dealing with thousands of buyers - Advice on building your deal team – including an attorney, broker, and M&A advisor - A concise breakdown of the most common valuation methods and concepts - A simple yet effective model for increasing the value of your business - Recommendations on financing the sale and minimizing the risk of a default - A synopsis of the four types of buyers, what they’re looking for, and their goals - Tips for maintaining confidentiality throughout the process - A detailed analysis of the letter of intent and its key clauses - A prescription for maximizing negotiating leverage - A strategy for maximizing the price and terms - Advice on preparing for and minimizing risk during due diligence - Tips for negotiating the purchase agreement and transaction structure