Why you need to get “ready for sale” NOW
Think you can wake up one morning, decide to put your business on the market and sell your business in a few weeks or months?
Think again.
Depending on how “sale ready” your business actually is, getting it there can take three years or more. That’s not a reason to panic — it’s a reason to find out where you stand today, not the year you decide you want out.
5 things working against you right now
Unemployment is low, so very small businesses — under $150k a year to the owner — are proving hard to sell.
More baby boomer owners are heading for the exit every year, and that trend isn’t slowing down.
Most brokers won’t take on a business earning less than $250k–$300k for the owner. The real buyer demand sits at the big end of town, $2 million-plus.
Buyers have gone risk-averse. They’re chasing proven, “safe haven” businesses, not question marks.
Finance is still tight, which drags out even a deal that’s ready to go.
How to actually start
- Take my free Saleability Quiz and get a personalised report scoring your business across 7 different areas.
- Know your numbers now — not the week you decide to sell.
- Build it as if you’re going to keep it forever, but could sell it tomorrow.
A well-prepared business, in a sector buyers actually want, sells faster and for more. An unprepared one just sits there — or sells for whatever it can get, if it sells at all.