After a Tough Year, Is It Time to Think About Selling Your Business? (Part 1)

In This Article: I discuss why a difficult year can cause business owners to rethink the future, and why the question of selling deserves thoughtful preparation rather than a quick reaction. I also explain why buyers see your company differently than you do, what owners often miss before going to market, and why the right outside perspective can help protect the value you have spent years building.

Part 1: Seeing Your Business Through a Buyer’s Eyes

I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve lived it.

You have made decisions without clean answers. You have watched margins, talent, interest rates, customer behavior, and market confidence shift in ways that make even seasoned CEOs pause. You have carried the weight of the business, the people, the family, the numbers, and the next move.

And for many owners I speak with, a quiet question has started to surface:

Do I want to keep doing this, or is it time to think about selling?

That question does not always come from fear. Often, it comes from clarity.

A difficult year has a way of stripping away illusions. It forces you to look honestly at your time, energy, risk, family, legacy, and appetite for the next chapter. Maybe you still love the business. Maybe you are tired. Maybe you are curious what it is worth. Maybe you are wondering whether now is the right time, or whether you should take two or three years to prepare.

Those are not small questions, and they shouldn’t be answered alone.

Selling Your Business Is Not Just a Transaction

Owners often assume the sale begins when they call an attorney, banker, broker, or private equity contact.

In my experience, the sale begins much earlier.

It begins the moment you ask yourself, “What would this company be worth to someone else?”

That is a very different question from, “What is this company worth to me?”

You know what it took to build the business. You know the late nights, the risks, the payroll pressure, the loyal customers, the personal sacrifices, and the moments when quitting would have been easier. A buyer does not see all of that the way you do.

A buyer sees risk, transferability, cash flow, recurring revenue, leadership depth, customer concentration, systems, growth paths, and the degree to which the business can succeed without you at the center of everything.

That difference matters.

The Exit Planning Institute reports that only 20% to 30% of businesses that go to market actually sell, which means many owners discover too late that the business they built is not yet the business the market wants to buy.

You Cannot See the Picture When You Are Inside the Frame

There is an African proverb I often share:

“You cannot see the picture when you are inside the frame.”

After years, and sometimes decades, of building your business, you know it from the inside. You know why certain decisions were made. You know which customers matter most. You know which people hold the place together. You know where the bodies are buried, and you know which issues are not really as bad as they may look from the outside.

That inside knowledge is useful as an operator.

It can be a blind spot as a seller.

A buyer is not buying your history. A buyer is buying future performance, with as much confidence and as little perceived risk as possible.

That is why perspective is one of the most useful things a coach can bring to the exit process. My role is to help you step outside the frame long enough to see what a buyer, investor, lender, advisor, or successor is likely to see.

Not to criticize what you have built.

To protect what you have built.

Think About Selling Your Home

If you have ever sold a home, you know the feeling.

You have lived there for years. You stop noticing the small crack in the wall, the dated fixture, the strange layout decision, the closet that never quite worked, or the room that could show better with a few changes.

Then a buyer walks in.

They see everything.

They see what needs to be fixed. They see what lowers confidence. They see what gives them room to negotiate. They see what could be beautiful, but only if they can look past what has not been addressed.

The smartest homeowners do not wait until the open house to think about presentation. They bring in people who understand buyers. They make the right changes before the buyer forms an opinion. They decide what to repair, what to explain, what to feature, and what not to overinvest in.

Selling a business works the same way.

The difference is the stakes are much higher.

What I See Owners Miss

I have worked with enough CEOs and business owners at this stage to see patterns.

The company may be strong. The leadership may be smart. The earnings may be healthy. The story may be impressive.

Then we step back and look at the company through a buyer’s lens, and gaps begin to show.

The business may depend too heavily on the owner.

The financial story may not be as clear as it should be.

There may be customer concentration a buyer will view as risk.

The leadership team may not be ready to run without the founder.

The growth story may live in the owner’s head rather than in a clear plan.

There may be cultural issues, talent gaps, or unresolved decisions that have been tolerated for too long.

None of this is unusual.

But if a buyer finds these issues first, the conversation changes.

You are no longer shaping the story. You are defending the business.

That is not where you want to be.

Why Preparation Changes the Conversation

I began my career in senior marketing roles at Fortune 500 companies. That training shaped the way I think. You study the market. You study the buyer. You find the advantage. You position the company so the right people see the right story.

That same discipline applies when preparing a business for sale.

An exit is not only about finding a buyer. It is about making the company easier to understand, easier to trust, and easier to believe in.

That may mean reducing owner dependency. It may mean clarifying the financial story. It may mean strengthening the leadership team. It may mean naming the next phase of growth in a way a buyer can understand and support. It may mean addressing risks before they become negotiation points.

This is where I can help.

I am not there to replace your attorney, banker, CPA, wealth advisor, or broker. Each of them has a role.

My work is different.

I help you think like the CEO and the seller at the same time.

That means asking the questions others may not ask early enough:

• What is the business worth without you?
• Who is the right buyer?
• What would make them believe in the next phase?
• Where would they push back?
• What must be fixed now?
• What should not be overworked?
• What do you want life to look like after the deal?

Those questions take time. They also take honesty.

Before You Decide, Prepare to See Clearly

If the thought of selling has crossed your mind, even briefly, you do not need to rush into the market. You do not need to have every answer. You do not even need to know whether selling is the right decision yet.

But you do need to begin looking at your business differently.

The earlier you understand how a buyer would view your company, the more time you have to strengthen what matters, address what creates concern, and decide what kind of future you actually want.

That is the work that protects value.

It also protects you.

Because selling a business is not only a financial decision. It is a leadership decision, a personal decision, and often one of the most important transitions of your life.

In Part 2, I will discuss what buyers really need to see before they feel confident, why perfection is not the goal, and why the personal side of selling your business deserves just as much attention as the deal itself.

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Start Here

We created a free assessment at Coach4Execs to help you answer two critical questions:

• How prepared is my business for an exit?
• How much value am I potentially leaving on the table?

You can take it here: Business Exit Value Questionnaire

You’ll also get access to a free downloadable guide outlining the key steps to prepare and sell your business the right way.

📘 Download your free Exit Timeline & Resource Guide, a roadmap to prepare your company and yourself.
🧭 Take the free Transferable Value Assessment to see where you stand today.
💬 Let’s talk. As your Exit Coach, I’ll help you design the plan that turns your business into a legacy—and your exit into a launchpad.

Georganne Goldblum,
CEO of Coach4Execs
Exit & Executive Coach, Vistage Florida Chair

About Georganne

Georganne Goldblum is a seasoned executive coach with over 20 years of experience, specializing in coaching senior executives to outperform their goals and competition. Drawing from her impressive background as a Fortune 500 executive, management consultant, entrepreneur, and private investor with over 25 years of management experience, Georganne brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her coaching. She helped 7 companies optimize their business exits in the last 5 years, netting over $1.1 billion. Over the last 9 years, assisted 13 companies in achieving exits totaling over $2 billion.

An MBA graduate from the renowned NYU Stern School of Business, her impact and influence in the industry are evident through the numerous accolades and awards she has received, including the prestigious Charles “Red” Scott Award. She has been recognized as one of the Most Influential Businesswomen in South Florida. Connect with her on LinkedIn.