What this guide covers
Most business owners discover the problems that kill their deal during due diligence. By that point it is too late to fix them. The owners who get full value from a business sale are not the ones with the cleanest businesses. They are the ones who started the preparation process early enough to fix the problems before a buyer ever saw the financials.
At a 5x EBITDA multiple, every $100,000 in EBITDA improvement adds $500,000 to your sale price. This guide covers the specific financial work that moves that number, passes buyer scrutiny, and gets you to closing at the price you want.
What's inside — 8 sections plus a checklist- Why most owners start too late and what it costs them
- What buyers actually evaluate and how they price risk
- The EBITDA work that moves your valuation number
- Quality of earnings: what it is and why it matters
- The financial documentation buyers require
- The 24-month preparation timeline in four phases
- How a CFO fits into the exit process
- Due diligence preparation checklist: 6 categories, printable