Podcast

In this episode of the Growth & Exit Digest, the host, Mike Levison sheds light on the present state of the market for selling businesses, influenced by the imminent retirement wave of Baby Boomer business owners. This phenomenon brings both opportunities for younger buyers and challenges for sellers due to potential oversupply and selective buyers. Mike advises business owners to prepare diligently by maintaining clean financial records, diversifying revenue sources, and ensuring operational efficiency to increase attractiveness to potential buyers. He also stresses the importance of valuing the business, investing in enhancing areas, and consulting with professional advisors to navigate the process. Emphasizing the emotional aspect of selling a business, he suggests the Value Builder Score as a helpful tool to start the process by assessing the company’s value and enhancing exit strategies.

In this episode of the Growth & Exit Digest, Mike Levison highlights the significance of tax planning in successfully executing a business exit. He emphasizes the difference between short-term versus long-term capital gains tax and how asset holding duration can aid in reducing the tax burden. Further, he discusses the tax implications of different sale structures, namely, asset sale and stock sale. Mike provides insight on how sellers can leverage transaction costs, net operating losses, and installment sales to minimize tax liabilities while he also touches upon advanced tax strategies including installment sales, charitable remainder trusts, and Qualified Small Business Stock Exclusion. Lastly, he underscores the centrality of considering wealth and estate concerns post-sale and aligning them with long-term financial goals, urging sellers to involve a wealth management professional in the process. It’s not just about finding a buyer, but also about protecting wealth through tax-efficient strategies. He encourages listeners planning a business sale to check the show notes for a link to get their Value Builder Score.

Mike Levison of the Growth and Exit Digest podcast encourages business owners looking to sell to take steps to secure their brand identity. These include understanding your brand’s value, ensuring post-sale brand integration goes smoothly, preserving your business’s legacy, and using legal protections. With a comprehensive brand equity assessment, owners can help potential buyers understand the importance of maintaining your brand. Also, incorporating a structured transition plan into the sales agreement can prevent any revenue loss due to sudden brand changes. Levison also highlights the significant role of legal agreements in safeguarding your brand and legacy.

In the fourth part of the eight-part series, Mike Levison from Value Acceleration Partners addresses the critical areas business owners need to consider when planning to sell a business, focusing on the impacts of a sale on employees, preventive measures for disruption, and maintaining business continuity. The uncertainty a sale brings can lead to decreased morale and voluntary departures among employees, so Levison recommends a proactive communication approach focusing on continuity, reassuring employees, setting realistic expectations, and preventing misinformation. Potential buyers should also be evaluated based on their ability to sustain or enhance the current company culture. In addition, he addresses the pivotal role of retention strategies, emphasizing their cultural and financial aspects in aligning business valuation. Levison concludes that well-managed transitions do not just address ethical obligations, but are also business imperatives, safeguarding business value and ensuring the company remains strong post-sale.

In the episode, Mike Levison, founder of Value Acceleration Partners, explores crucial aspects of selling a business. He discusses the need for personal and professional goals alignment for the seller, contemplating activities, hobbies, and life changes that were sidelined due to business. Mike also considers the role of the seller post-sale, whether remaining attached to the business in a non-operational role or embarking on a new venture. He stresses the importance of understanding financial needs and planning for the sales proceed utilization, considering lifestyle, retirement, or funding for new ventures. He advises about leaving a legacy through charitable bequests. Lastly, Mike offers guidance on preparing for the transition from active business life to a more composed environment, maintaining productivity, and overall well-being. He concludes with the notion of structuring the sale conducive to personal vision, advising the calculation of a Freedom Score to outline future financial readiness.

In the podcast episode, Mike Levison, founder of Value Acceleration Partners, explores the concept of readiness to sell a business, emphasizing that it’s more than a financial undertaking but also a significant turning point in a business owner’s life. He breaks down readiness into three main areas: mental preparedness which includes examining emotional resilience and readiness for change, financial preparedness requiring a deep understanding of the business’s financial health and its market worth, and timing, which considers market and industry trends as well as personal and professional goals. Stressing the importance of having trusted advisors, financial transparency, and strategic timing, Levison ends by offering assistance with preparedness through Growth Acceleration Partners, hinting at their PreScore report which evaluates readiness to exit business.

As we gear up for 2025, I wanted to highlight the top strategies covered this past year on Built to Sell Radio. These insights are designed to help you increase the value of your business and position yourself for a successful exit. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: • Avoid costly mistakes during negotiations that could cost you millions.• Design a subscription model to increase value.• Structure earn-outs so you actually get paid.• Push back against low-ball offers and negotiate better terms.• Navigate private equity deals, including equity rollovers and earn-outs.• Use a 3D negotiation framework to get the deal you want.• Provoke bidding wars to maximize your valuation.• Evaluate acquisition offers to ensure you walk away with the most cash.

Imagine personally guaranteeing millions in debt to fill a $28M order—only to have it yanked at the last minute. It nearly bankrupted founder Adi Gullia as well as Grace & Stella. Yet he overcame it all and sold at a 5.8x EBITDA multiple. In this episode, you’ll learn: A surprising strategy to minimize the impact of a bad year on your valuation—by creating three versions of your P&L.• How to navigate supply chain risk when rapid growth forces risky bets.• How to sidestep the “Amazon seller discount” and protect healthy margins (like selling a 65¢ product for $13.95).

Bluethumb, Australia’s largest art marketplace, spawned SmartrMail—a SaaS business that grew to $2 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). When George Hartley decided to sell SmartrMail, he faced a major setback: the buyer he signed an LOI with didn’t have the funds to close.  In this week’s Built to Sell Radio, George shares the lessons he learned when his first deal fell apart and how he ultimately salvaged the sale.  You’ll discover:  George’s story underscores the importance of running a competitive process to create leverage and ensuring any buyer you sign an LOI with is prepared—and able—to close. 

In this week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow interviews Kaelon Egan, the founder of AccelaSchool, who successfully sold his company to PowerSchool—a giant in the K-12 education technology space.  For most founders, the ultimate dream is to sell to a strategic acquirer: a well-funded, industry leader with deep pockets. Egan shares exactly how he positioned his company to become a natural acquisition target, avoiding common pitfalls along the way.  You’ll discover how to:  If selling your business to an industry powerhouse is part of your long-term vision, this episode offers a practical blueprint for how to get there.