The Long Goodbye: Why now is the time to start thinking about your endgame

When you first start thinking about selling your business, it’s easy to imagine it being like selling a car or a house—list it, find the right buyer, and a few months later, you’re popping a champagne cork while your team throws you a goodbye party.  

But the reality is much more involved. 

Exiting your business is more like a long goodbye. It’s not a quick transaction but a journey that can take a decade or longer. Consider how you want to exit your business. Contrary to the myth that most boomer generation owners want to pass their business down to family, our proprietary research of over 80,000 business owners shows that 65% plan to sell to a third party.  

Think about your revenue goals as you head toward an exit. Growth expectations can vary significantly by age group. For example, nearly 50% of business owners over sixty years old expect their revenue to stay steady or grow by only up to 10% in the next year. On the other hand, younger owners, like millennials, are more likely to anticipate a 30% or higher growth rate. These different growth outlooks can shape how acquirers view your business, so it’s worth being prepared. 

Every exit is different, and it’s rarely as quick as you might hope. This eBook will walk you through the three essential phases, guiding you through what matters most at each stage so you’re prepared to make the most of your journey. 

While it may feel like a race at times, selling your business is not a simple baton pass—it’s more like a long, slow goodbye. Each phase is an essential step toward achieving your endgame. From laying the groundwork to preparing for negotiations and managing the transition, every choice you make shapes both your personal future and the future of your business. 

If you haven’t started already, the best time to start is right now. The next chapter of your life—and your business—is waiting, and with the right guidance, you can approach it with confidence, knowing you’ve made the right decisions for your future.