Selling a Business? Doing it Intentionally is the Right Way
Selling your business isn’t just a legal transaction, it’s one of the biggest strategic and personal moves you’ll ever make. The decisions you make now can directly affect your sale price, the buyer pool you attract, and your life after the deal closes.
At Fourscore Business Law, we’ve guided founders and owners through successful exits across lots of different industries. We know that the most valuable, least stressful sales happen when owners start preparing well before they go to market.
That’s why we created Exit Ready: Your Strategic Toolkit for Selling a Business - a free, plain-language resource that helps you assess your readiness, identify blind spots, and plan for a smooth transition.
What’s Inside the Toolkit
Exit Readiness Checklist
A simple, thorough review of your financials, operations, and strategic positioning so you can fix potential issues before a buyer sees them.
Owner Readiness Deep Dive
Five essential reflections to prepare for the financial, operational, and emotional shifts that come with stepping away from your business.
Accrual Accounting 101
A quick guide to the accounting method most buyers expect and why switching early can save you from last-minute deal-breakers.
The Exit Gap Snapshot
A concise, repeatable self-assessment to help you track progress and adjust your plan over time.
Why Planning Early Pays Off
Waiting until a buyer is at the table often means leaving value on said table. Early preparation allows you to:
Increase your company’s appeal to the right buyers
Address operational weaknesses before they become deal-killers
Protect your leverage in negotiation
Step away with confidence, knowing you’ve planned for what’s next
Ready to Start?
Whether your exit is 10 months or 10 years away, your future self will thank you for starting now.
Common Questions About Selling a Business
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A: You should start preparing well before you go to market. Early preparation lets you fix operational weaknesses, increase your company's appeal to buyers, and protect your negotiating leverage — all things that are much harder to address once a buyer is already at the table.
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A: Before selling, you should review your financials, operations, and strategic positioning. Identifying and fixing potential issues early prevents them from becoming deal-breakers when a buyer is doing their due diligence.
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A: Yes — most buyers expect accrual accounting, and switching to it early can prevent last-minute problems that could derail a deal. If your books aren't set up this way, it's worth making the change well before you go to market.
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A: Selling a business involves financial, operational, and emotional shifts — not just a legal transaction. Before exiting, owners should reflect on how they'll handle stepping away and what their life will look like after the deal closes.
Picture on the top is by Kelly Sikkema and is in the public domain.