To play great sport, you need to practice. Before you can entertain your friends and family on the piano (especially with something more than Happy Birthday), you need to put in the effort. Nobody can swim the first time they are thrown into the water.

Achieving great outcomes requires planning and effort. Selling a business is absolutely no different to this, which is why we spend so much time and effort helping business owners with key elements of exit planning.

Firstly, we make sure that you don’t just have a view on the valuation of the business, but on the drivers of that valuation. Without a great swing coach, your golf probably won’t go very far. Similarly, if you don’t know what the market looks for in a valuation, how can you hope to maximise what your business is worth?

Secondly, we help you identify the aspects of your business that are exit-ready and the ones that need more work. Not only does this affect the valuation, but also the likelihood of a successful deal on reasonable terms.

In the bizval podcast, we bring you experienced voices who work with entrepreneurs every day. John Sweeney is one such voice, having founded The Business Exit Academy to help business owners get paid for their life’s work in the form of a business sale.

Here are some of the topics we covered in this discussion:

• Readiness for an exit – personally and otherwise
• The sweet spot for buyers
• Strategic vs. financial buyers
• Private equity buyers and why they shouldn’t be a concern in most cases
• The roll-ups in the UK market and why these deals take place
• Key take-outs for business owners looking to build towards an exit

And for those who prefer to read rather than listen, there’s a full transcript available as well.

Our CEO Graham Stephen isn’t one to turn down webinar invitations. After all, what could be better than sharing our insights and views on what business owners should be thinking about in maximising their value?

Here are a couple of recent examples:

• “Business valuation masterclass” with Forecastr

• “The Million Dollar Mistake – From Dream Deal to Due Diligence Disaster” with Addition Finance

And while you’re enjoying those webinars on our YouTube channel, why not browse around at our other content? There really is so much on there, including this recent webinar on preparing a business for exit that featured Doug Pudney from our UK office.

It’s never too early to start thinking about building an asset of value and planning for an exit. Speak to us to find out how we can help with your strategic planning around valuations, getting exit-ready and finding the right buyer.