Introduction

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

– Alexander Graham Bell, American Inventor

Congratulations on the decision to sell your business. As with any complex multi-step process, you should begin with preparation. To be sure, some businesses get sold with minimal groundwork – or none at all. But that’s the exception, not the rule. If you have the time, patience, and dedication to get your business ready and you don’t need to sell right now, jump right into this chapter. If you have already begun the sale process, you can skip this chapter and come back to it when you have the time to make quick fixes while your business is on the market. If you have the choice, I highly recommend that you fully prepare for the sale to maximize the value of your business and increase the chances of a successful sale.