6 Value Drivers to Steer the Sale of Your Company towards Success
Selling a business is one of the toughest decisions an entrepreneur has to make. After investing so much time and money to build this venture, it’s understandable that you want the best value for it. Whatever drives the exit event, you have an opportunity to make money at this point. But how do you do this?
Value drivers make all the difference when selling a business. These are characteristics that potential buyers look for in a company they wish to acquire. These features reduce the risk associated with owning the business for sale. Alternatively, these essential characteristics boost the prospects of the company to thrive in the future.
By improving performance in these areas, you steer the sale of your company towards success. Here are some of the key value drivers you should focus on for a successful business sale.
1. Broad Customer Base
A diversified customer base is one of the strongest assets when selling a business. Strive to create a customer base where no single client accounts for above 5 to 10% of total sales. This approach insulates your company from collapse in case it loses a single customer. If you realize the company relies heavily on one account, it’s time to invest heavily in extra capacity to attract more customers.
2. Experienced Management Team
An experienced management team is a key value driver. It assures buyers that the team customer relationships are easy to maintain. A quality management team can capably lead your business even after your exit. It gives a sign to buyers that your business will continue operating successfully.
3. Potential for Growth
Potential buyers seek to acquire your business for its future income streams. For this reason, you should develop a realistic growth plan. With a documented growth plan, you demonstrate to buyers the value in your business even after the acquisition.
4. Stable Cash Flow
When buyers assess your business, they first check the bottom line and cash flow. Stable and predictable cash flow is a major attraction for buyers. If there are opportunities for an increase in cash flow, you have better chances of closing the deal.
5. Financial Systems/Performance
Potential buyers go beyond the numbers you present. They look at more than the high levels of turnover and profit margins. Use different tools to show the accuracy of your data through efficient reporting, planning and forecasting.
6. Operating Systems and Procedures
Are there systems, procedures and policies in place to guarantee continuity of your business after the sale? Automated and manual procedures assure buyers of continued operations after your departure.
Some systems required include personnel recruitment, training and retention, employee manuals and customer acquisition. Others are inventory and fixed asset control and business performance reporting. These systems point to guaranteed stability which is a major attraction for buyers.
Developing an Exit Plan
We help you develop an exit plan that incorporates these value drivers. Our mission is to boost your company’s transferable value and make it more attractive to buyers. We appreciate a business sale is tough, and we work with you to create a custom exit plan that perfectly suits your goals.
Our team helps identify and articulate these value drivers and use them to maximize purchase price. If you plan to sell your business, contact us today and let’s develop the best business exit strategy together.
Let’s hop on a quick call to discuss the timing and prospects of an exit based on your goals and the current state of your business. Schedule your free exit consultation today.
You're guaranteed to come away from the call with:
Clarity about your business
Knowledge of the landscape
A high-level exit plan
A rough valuation
Actionable insights
Specific next steps
Testimonials
What our clients say
In my career you get to deal with a lot of service providers. There are the below average, the average the the above average. Then there is one category that no one talks about which is the exception. We engaged Hello Exit to source acquisition targets for us. The communication, personal service, attention to details, availability, interaction with the team has been nothing short of exceptional. If ANYONE wants further in-depth conversation about the exceptional experience please reach out.
I worked with Hello Exit for the sale of a business and everything went smoothly. The team was very hands-on and provided a lot of guidance throughout every part of the process. They took the time to get to know my business well and were able to communicate our operation effectively to potential buyers. The sale was a success and I couldn’t have done it without them.
Hello Exit was great working with me to help sell my software company. They made everything clear, were patient, never over pressured me, but kept a strong sense of urgency. I would recommend Hello Exit to anyone looking to sell their business and plan on working with them again in any capacity that I can.
The team Hello Exit is simply incredible! Their expertise and support throughout the entire process of selling my company were a game changer. Their expertise and guidance throughout the entire process was invaluable. They took the time to truly understand my needs and goals, and helped me navigate every step of the way with ease. Hello Exit is exceptional, and they truly go above and beyond to ensure their clients are not only satisfied, but actually excited about their exit!! I cannot recommend Hello Exit enough! Their professionalism, knowledge, and dedication to their clients are unmatched. If you’re looking for a top-notch company to help you sell your business, look no further than Hello Exit. Thank you guys, for all that you do!
It was a pleasure working with Hello Exit and they have my most sincere recommendation. They bring a sophistication and etiquette that is very hard to find in the lower, lower middle market – outstanding preparation, excellent sell-side coaching, a rationale / unbiased disposition, and so on. In addition, they bring a powerful network to the conversation and can add value well beyond the transaction. I hope to work with Hello Exit on many more deals to come!
Hello Exit added tremendous value for our portfolio of companies. They made a complex sale process easier and significantly more efficient. We received 5 offers (two above ask) and were extremely happy with the outcome. As a serial trouble maker that has acquired 7 companies and sold 4 we will be using Hello Exit for future exits.
Hello Exit has built one of the best online business brokerages out there. As a buyer, the company has continuously provided us with acquisition targets that have been very well qualified. Every opportunity has fit directly into the criteria we’ve been looking for which has saved a ton of time on due diligence. If you want to get a jump start on your acquisition pipeline, it’s easy to recommend Hello Exit.
Hello Exit is one of the most knowledgeable business brokerages out there for tech & web businesses. We used they to buy a significant business operated by 15+ employees. Our work in diligence was substantially reduced given the strong & accurate information package he provided. All questions were proactively answered, all supporting data was there and presented in the right format, and everything was accurately represented. This saved us weeks of work! In discussions & negotiations, they played a fair role & helped resolve issues by understanding the issue from the perspective of both buyer & seller. With their knowledge and experience, they were able to make smart suggestions and helped everyone reach a common ground quickly. I would surely work with Hello Exit again. They are super!
What can I say other than Hello Exit delivered on everything they promised… and then some. At first, I didn’t believe it when they said he would sell my agency in a few months. But they were so passionate about working together, a part of me believed they would deliver. And they did. We had 3 offers in 30 days and went under contract with the highest offer. 3 months later we closed on the sale at the price they evaluated us on. During the entire process, their knowledge and experience helped immensely. Any time there was confusion or a hurdle that myself or the buyer had, the team stepped in and smoothed every over. Selling a business is one of the most invigorating yet stressful experience I’ve ever went through and I’m so grateful that I picked the right broker to help me through it. I’d use Hello Exit again in a heartbeat.
The Hello Exit team was great to work with. They helped increase our deal flow with strategic deals. If someone is looking to increase their targeted deal flow I would definitely recommend working with Hello Exit.
Hello Exit was awesome to work with on the deal. They provided great support and advice all through – from initial interest discussions, negotiations, contract closure to execution. They’re very prompt and proactive which sails the deal making through. They also provided great support and mediation help post transition on some key contract payout clauses, which is highly appreciated. I recommend Hello Exit highly to SaaS business owners and entrepreneurs.
I’ve known Dustin (Hello Exit’s Founder) for over 10 years, and actually acquired a SaaS company he founded. I’ve always found Dustin to be extremely sharp, fair and honest, reasonable to deal with, and the kind of person you would want to do business with again in the future (which is rare these days). I’m currently mentoring and incubating over 150 international startup companies, and have already talked with Dustin about bringing Hello Exit into these businesses to broker the exit once they are profitable and solidly into their momentum phase.
Hello Exit is one of the best and most trustworthy SaaS advisories and brokerages in the industry! If you run a SaaS business, and Hello Exit contacts you, you should definitely talk to them! Even if you decide not to sell, it will be a very worthwhile and fruitful conversation.
