Guide 00
Start Here
Meet Sound Worth Services, understand why this series is written from the buyer's chair, and learn the language used throughout a business sale.
- How buyers think
- What is in the series
- EBITDA, SDE, add-backs, and LOIs
Back to Sound Worth Services
From the buyer's chair
The Owner's Guide
Straight answers about what buyers look for, what makes them pay more, what makes them walk away, and how a business sale actually gets done.
Read in order or start where you need help
Each guide stands on its own. Together, they follow the full journey from the first decision through the Monday after closing.
Guide 01
Before You Decide
Define what a good outcome means beyond price, understand what you may actually keep, and test whether the business is ready to sell.
- Your goals after closing
- Price versus net proceeds
- Sellability checklist
Guide 02
Getting Your Numbers Straight
Learn what profit means to a buyer, which add-backs hold up, and why clean books can increase both financing and cash at closing.
- SDE and EBITDA
- Defensible add-backs
- First-week financial checklist
Guide 03
What Your Business Is Worth
See how buyers work backward from cash flow, financing, and risk—and what makes one company earn a higher multiple than another.
- How buyers set a price
- Understanding multiples
- Value drivers and risks
Guide 04
Building a Business That Runs Without You
Reduce owner dependence by developing management, documenting the work, transferring relationships, and planning for licenses and people.
- The month-off test
- Building a manager
- Customers, licenses, and key employees
Guide 05
Who Buys Businesses Like Yours
Compare individual buyers, strategic acquirers, private equity, search funds, family offices, employees, and family members.
- Five questions for every buyer
- Buyer types and trade-offs
- First-call red flags
Guide 06
How Deals Get Put Together
Understand the pieces around the headline price: asset versus stock sales, bank financing, seller notes, earn-outs, retained ownership, and working capital.
- Cash at closing
- Seller notes and earn-outs
- What is included in the sale
Guide 07
From Handshake to Closing
Follow the full path from the first conversation through the offer, diligence, purchase agreement, financing, and closing day.
- The four-to-nine-month timeline
- Due diligence
- Why deals fail
Guide 08
After the Sale
Plan a deliberate handoff of relationships and knowledge, communicate with employees and customers, and know when it is time to step away.
- Employment versus consulting
- Telling employees and customers
- A successful transition
Your business. Your timeline.
Let's talk through what you see
If you are thinking about selling this year or in five, we will walk through your business with you. No cost, no obligation, and everything stays confidential.