Exitology: Unlock Your Profits, Unlock Your Potential

CSG Partners - David Blauzvern, VP and Jordan Burg, CMO. Since 2000, CSG Partners has helped hundreds of closely-held companies nationwide realize the unique benefits of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). What are the commonalities with ESOP and Exit Strategies? - multi-generational and family owned and owners aging and easing out. Massive client concentration risk (manufacturing industries)...

CSG Partners - David Blauzvern, VP and Jordan Burg, CMO. Since 2000, CSG Partners has helped hundreds of closely-held companies nationwide realize the unique benefits of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Origins of the ESOP Louis O. Kelso created the ESOP in 1956 to enable the employees of a closely held newspaper chain to buy out its retiring owners. ESOP gained traction after the Employee...

CSG Partners - David Blauzvern, VP and Jordan Burg, CMO. Since 2000, CSG Partners has helped hundreds of closely-held companies nationwide realize the unique benefits of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Silver Tsunami - baby boomers aging out of business ownership and management.  Half of American private businesses are owned by individuals 55 or older.  ESOP is one of many exit and success...

P.T. Barnum - “There’s a sucker born every minute” The way people behave in groups is wired in our DNA. Reverse engineer and distill principles to make the world a better place Never deceive and leave people better than you found them. Adding a little bit of color into the world is not a bad thing Manipulate the media, it’s desirable to be memorable Flip your weaknesses into strengths, package you...

Human beings are wired to be much more attracted to being against people or ideas than being for people or ideas. Reference The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers 1st chapter in book - Make War Not Love By answering these questions, you will have a story to tell about their su...

How are you sought out in your industry?  Dale Carnegie one of the greatest influencers with hype artists strategies . Charles Manson took a Dale Carnegie course in prison and used his strategies for his cult. Warren Buffet also used his strategies in finances. David Bowie used his strategies for his artistry and career.   Believe in what you're doing and use a certain tool set to achieve fame. Th...

Michael F. Schein is the Head Hype Artist at MicroFame Media, a company that specializes in making idea-driven businesses famous. The word “Hype” originates from hyperbole or exaggeration In the Hip Hop community, the hype man is responsible for energizing the group. People and businesses find creative ways to get your name out there.   It is easy to say this is how you are successful. When you ar...

“We love to be intrigued and challenged and we hate to be bored.” Brain chemistry shows up in the value acceleration and exit process and helps us manage anxiety. How do you separate an adrenaline junkie who decided to become an entrepreneur and separate the part of their brain that needs to take action? Leverage the part of the brain that helps make good decisions. Pay attention to what is going...

How do we help closely held businesses exit from an empowered place as opposed to a reactive place? Most Requested - Ready for Next Advisory Group Transition Options Analysis.  Learn about the 7 ways to exit a privately held business other than an IPO. When selling your business to a third party, 70% to 80% of the businesses that go to market with a good strategy for selling to a third party fail....

“Failure rate on family business transitions is very high. By the time you get down to 3rd or 4th generation, you are down to single digit survival rates.”  Learn about the Ready for Next Curve Spanning Model. Span Fealty - a relationship that is created between the successor generation and their customers.  TImeframe and energetic transfer of trust, relationships, customers, suppliers between gen...

Sean Hutchinson, CEPA, Partner at Ready for Next Advisory Group has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the exit planning space.   Learn some of the anxieties that entrepreneurs and business owners, particularly over the age of 65, experience as they are looking to exit.  What are the stressors around entrepreneurship anxiety around exit planning and the actual exit itself? “You are the CEO. You a...

Current trends happening right now include “buyer slow boating" and lenders taking an exorbitant amount of time to get deals done. Velocity of deal flow and money/lending into the environment is slowing down. Reduction in a purchase price to support lender services. Explore creative mechanisms for deal structuring and risk mitigation. “The only thing that kills deals is trust.” - Gary Goldwasser....

Whatever the seller will pay for your business is what your business is worth. Appraisals don’t really represent what the market is dictating in appraisals. What is the multiple on cash flow of a business? What are you going to do to get the value you want for your business? - Use an Exit Strategist, marketing, continue what you are doing and get the same results 3 years from now. Educate yourself...

What is a Business Broker? Choose a Business Broker before the transaction, during the transaction and after the transaction along with forming a team of people to help you. Team - exit strategist, transaction attorney, bookkeeper, CPA (not just tax prep), lender, banker Look at a business from the acquisition lens Perspective of potential buyers first  Pre-qualification A buyer wants some type of...

Gary Goldwasser, business broker with Transworld Business Advisors of Colorado, sold 52% of all business sales in Colorado in 2022.   Business owners don’t spend the time thinking ahead and getting the business ready to sell.  Ideally, meet with sellers years in advance but in most cases it’s last minute. What are buyers looking for - good clean books, accounting software, the building clean and o...

“Most entrepreneurs spend 99% of their time working on their business and 1% on their business goals.” A bank is not going to finance 100% of your acquisition.   Discover ways to generate internal cash. Establish a credit line for growth after financing an acquisition. Explore the two forms of bank loans (pros/cons), investors and preferred stock mergers. It is important to have someone on your te...

“You probably want to say no to a bunch of deals until you say yes to the right one to acquire.”  Organic growth - slower, potentially more consistent, probably requires innovation. Acquisition growth is a series of questions - What are you acquiring? Have you built your due diligence library? Financing the deal? See a path for the next 7-8 figures in your business, have a hungry sales team and ha...

“60% of deals that go to LOI do not close.” Definition of different types of buyers. Expensive Mistakes , book by Stuart H. Sorkin - Learn what to avoid when positioning for a strategic or financial acquisition, management buyout or legacy exit. Letter of Intent (LOI) is the best position for the seller.  The biggest reasons for failure are due diligence and inability to deliver key employees. Alw...

Stuart H. Sorkin is the founder of Business and Legal Advisors , a business consulting firm that serves both start-up and existing small/mid-size businesses in the design and implementation of business growth strategies. “How much would I pay someone else to do what I’m doing?” Every owner will exit his or her business in one of 6 ways The best way to sell a business is an absentee owner. If your...

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” 70% of construction firms are owned by baby boomers. You’ve invested in a great marketing plan but it’s sitting on a shelf. Engineers are introverts; they want to double down on innovative products. Instead of revenue generation Instead of process/optimization Instead of securing their supply chain and future Unbundle in a recession. Bund...

“All Buyers are Liars” “You are only as good as your last job.” “I don’t need a hundred contacts, I need two.” Old way of business is not working anymore.  Time to reinvest themselves. You want a small list to generate big profits. Good sales people never give up. Hired, tired or fired = grow to exit opportunities Find ways for the sales time to build momentum Shorten time to sale, unbundle Get le...

“Engineers should not be business owners.”  Be open to learning. Find people that are better than you and hire them Choice for Engineers - are YOU the Engineer, or are you the Rainmaker? Be ready to let go and invest in your growth. Be willing to not always be the smartest person in the room. #planforexit #growrevenue #exitplanning #manufacturing #learning #engineer  Like this episode? Want to lea...

“Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?” Epictetus - One of the most prominent lessons from the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, is that a key element of mental well-being is the ability to discriminate between what is within our control and what is not. This takes the power away from the areas of life that can’t be changed, no matter how much we suffer. Circle of awareness is vastly big...

“Out of 40 people who want to exit their business, 1 person will be happy 2 years later.” Contact us to participate in an Exitology executive briefing.  Access the Exitology Business Growth Model on our website. Ultimately, we want to help you choose your own exit. Exitology allows you to Buy back your TIME and FREEDOM. Start with your own optionality.  As you get clear, you must choose a path or...

“To everything turn, turn, turn There is a season turn, turn, turn” - The Byrds Streamline your business into a focus area. You need a structure and a path. The way back to the top, is not the way you got there before. Your old $10m/year business will look very different than your next $10m/year business. Changing demographics and less labor invites new methods of work. Value Acceleration Methodol...