Whether you were an entrepreneur from the get-go or built your business later in life, you're likely here because the lure of retirement or the desire to change paths has you ready to exit your lower-middle market or middle-market company. Among the many learning curves that come with business ownership, understanding the process of selling a company can be overwhelming.

Top Reasons to Consider an Exit Strategy

Exit strategies are the foundation of successfully selling your business. They'll help set up your business to maximize its value, identify the best fit potential buyers, and ensure you have your paperwork in order when a prospective buyer goes through the due diligence process.

Some company owners try to put together their exit strategy. However, those who don't have previous experience selling a business usually find themselves in over their heads with paperwork, technicalities, and closing on a lower price than their business deserves. 

For these reasons, when looking at the typical business owner exit strategy versus an M&A exit strategy, hiring the help of an M&A specialist is advantageous. We'll talk more about the role of an M&A advisor soon. For now, let's look at ten reasons why having a well-planned exit strategy is critical before you sell your business.

1. Identifying Buyers 

2. Taxes

3. Preparation for Opportunities 

4. Foundation for Goals

5. Business Valuation

6. Seamless Transition

7. Timing

8. Personal Emergencies

9. Offer Options

10. Recession

Andrew is the owner and managing director of Rogerson Business Services, a licensed business consulting, M&A Advisory located in Sacramento, CA. His services include business brokerage; helping owners sell and/or buyers purchase a lower middle-market business including medical practice from $500,000 to $50 million.

Would you like to schedule a 10-minutes discovery call to see if we are a good fit? Just grab a suitable time on my calendar - link - https://www.midmarketbusinesses.com/qualification-form

Andrew Rogerson

The most expensive thing a business owner will ever "buy" 

is a free valuation.

It sounds like a bargain. 
It’s actually a trap.

In M&A, you get exactly what you pay for. 
And when you pay zero for a valuation, 
you aren't getting a deep financial analysis. 

You are usually getting a listing pitch.

I see founders make this mistake constantly. 
They hand over their financials to a generalist broker offering a "complimentary assessment."

The result is almost always a disaster. 

Here is why.

The "Listing" Bias: 
Free valuations are often inflated to flatter the owner into signing a representation agreement. 

It’s vanity metrics, 
not market reality.

The Missing Add-Backs: 
An automated or quick-turn valuation rarely does the heavy lifting of recasting financials. 

They miss the discretionary earnings that drive your multiple.

The "Algo" Error: 
Generic tools treat a specialized manufacturing firm the same as a retail shop. 

They lack the semantic nuance to understand 
your IP, 
your team, 
or your recurring revenue quality.

A "free" valuation that undervalues your life's work by $500k cost you $500k.

That is not a saving. 
That is a catastrophe.

True valuation requires forensic accounting, 
market comparables, 
and human judgment. 

It is an investment, 
not a cost.
________
Business owners: When you look back at your exit, was the initial number you had in your head anywhere close to what the market actually paid?

I Help You Maximize The Value Of Your Business Before Selling | Focus on Sell-Side M&A | Serving Lower Middle-Market Business Owners in California

The most expensive thing a business owner will ever "buy" is a free valuation. Andrew Rogerson's take on free business valuations. 

I founded Sierra Pacific Partners to serve founders navigating critical inflection points. Our focus is M&A and capital advisory for companies in healthcare, technology-enabled services, and other industries where innovation and scale meet new avenues for value creation.

We partner with entrepreneurs and management teams to design and execute transactions that align with their goals, whether pursuing a sale, raising growth capital, or evaluating strategic partnerships. I draw on a background in dealmaking and corporate law to deliver both disciplined execution and practical perspective for founders navigating critical transactions.

Our work spans healthcare innovation and services, tech-enabled business models, and business and industrial services, along with other founder-led sectors where growth and transition opportunities emerge. What remains constant is a founder-first philosophy: Guiding entrepreneurs to create clarity, attract the right partners, and achieve outcomes that preserve vision while building lasting value.

Based in Reno, Nevada, I advise founders nationwide, working closely with owners as they navigate exits and strategic decisions.

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