The Art of the Exit: The Complete Guide to Selling Your Business

Written by Jacob Orosz, a leading authority and innovator in the M&A industry and host of the #1 podcast on mergers and acquisitions – M&A Talk.

Jacob is the president of Morgan & Westfield, an international 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 over 20 years of M&A experience valuing and selling hundreds of businesses.
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Less than a third of businesses on the market actually sell.
Think about it — a significant amount of your wealth is tied up in your business. Planning your exit is one of the most critical endeavors you’ll undertake.
The Art of the Exit contains winning strategies I’ve learned from more than two decades 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 businesses valued from $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 bankers are accustomed to handling larger transactions.
Another challenge for businesses of this size is that the potential buyer can be an individual, competitor, private equity firm, or other company. The problem here is that the marketing strategies, negotiating tactics, and processes vary depending on the buyer most likely to purchase your business.
It’s difficult finding valuable, actionable information for companies in this size range…..until now.
The Art of the Exit 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. Reduce risk with proven guidance based on my experience helping hundreds of 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.
Here’s what you’ll learn:

Statistics on how long it takes to sell a business

A strategy for maximizing your price and terms

A concise breakdown of the most common valuation methods

Advice for helping you decide when to time the sale of your business

Guidance on telling your employees about the sale

Tips for building a highly sought-after business

Advice on building your deal team – including your attorney, broker, and M&A advisor

Recommendations on financing the sale and minimizing the risk of non-payment

A synopsis of the four types of buyers, what they’re looking for, and their goals

Tips for maintaining confidentiality

A prescription for maximizing your negotiating leverage

Advice on preparing for and minimizing risk during due diligence

A detailed analysis of the letter of intent and its key clauses

Tips for negotiating the purchase agreement and transaction structure