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Lesson · Business · exit

Fire yourself. Then sell for more.

A business that needs you isn't sellable — it's a job. The exit starts years early: build the systems and team so the machine runs without you, then it's worth buying.

7 WEEKS
Two buyers waiting. Zero documents delivered.

EXIT READINESS

If you vanish tomorrow?

You touch every dealTeam closes without you
Buyer buys a jobBuyer buys an asset
Survives two weeksSurvives two years

WORKED EXAMPLE

Same profit. Two prices.

SDE: $400,000SDE: $400,000
Multiple: 2.0xMultiple: 3.5x
Price: $800,000Price: $1,400,000

How it works

Have this ready today

1
Three years of tax returnsFiled, and matching your books
2
Clean P&L and balance sheetMonthly, current inside 30 days
3
Written SDE add-back scheduleEvery add-back documented

Key points

What kills your multiple

Only you can price jobs
Customers ask for you
No org chart
Passwords in your head
One key employee, no backup
Books six months behind

KNOW YOUR NUMBER

SDE vs EBITDA

Owner-operatedManager-run
Adds back owner payOwner pay stays in costs
Smaller dealsLarger deals

Free download

The Preparing to Exit Your Business field guide — one page

The strategy, the checklist, the key numbers, and links to the actual tax code. Print it, take it to your CPA. Free, no strings.

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Field guide · PDF

Preparing to Exit Your Business

Cliff notes + checklist + the law

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