The Intelligent Exit: The Business Owner’s Guide To A Winning Strategy For Selling Your Company
By Mark Carmichael
Very well written and on-target
“This book is a must read for anyone interested in selling their business, buying a business or mediating the sale… I showed this book to my friend, a former JP Morgan investment banker, and he said the content is dead-on and proceeded to take a few notes of his own. Well written, succinct, there is no fluff, just straight forward, relevant content. Highly suggest purchasing this book.”
Amazon ReviewEasy to understand guide on what it takes to prepare…
“Mark provides a down to earth, easy to understand guide on what it takes to prepare yourself and your company for a sale. His sincerity along the chapters provides reassurance on the given facts. The clarity on each of the stages allows for efficient planning before setting off on the difficult task of an exit. I highly recommend reading it before starting the exit process and as a guide during the process.”
Amazon ReviewThe Intelligent Exit is a hugely practical book
“The Intelligent Exit is a hugely practical book. Most finance books are theoretical in nature and are not addressed to real life situations. Mr Carmichael brings in experiences from M&A and other business situations to provide a succinct overview of what one goes through when selling ones business. My main takeaway is not that I am ready to sell my business armed with this book, but rather I now understand my role, the help I need and the questions i need to ask to begin the process.”
Amazon Review
The essential guide to selling your business at the best price, on the best terms, to the best buyer
Mark Carmichael is one of the few M&A advisors in the world who’s a lifelong entrepreneur himself. Over the course of his career, he’s started and exited 5 of his own companies… and learned the hard way about what it takes to sell a business successfully.
Mark shares his unique personal perspective, along with his decades of business experience in The Intelligent Exit. Before you start on your own selling-your-business journey, you’ll want to read the solid and actionable advice in this book.
Here’s what you’ll discover:
- Why so many capable, experienced business people fail to make the most of their exit attempts
- How businesses are effectively marketed in today’s world (and why most get this wrong)
- How to view your business from the buyer’s perspective, and ensure you receive the best offer
- The foundation and principles that lead to a successful sale
- Why your first phone call when deciding to sell is often the wrong one
- Why a competitive bidding scenario is fundamental to your success (and how to create one)
- Managing the emotions of selling your business (often the most underestimated element, and the most important)
- How to understand what your business is really worth and how value can be calculated but price is negotiated
- Why most M&A advisors fail to create a competitive bidding environment for their client’s businesses
- How to qualify and choose an M&A Advisor
- How to find the right strategic and financial buyers for your business
- Why your business is likely attractive to both domestic and international buyers
- And more!
Throughout the book, you’ll find real-world scenarios and practical advice by an author who’s been both a seller and an M&A advisor – it’s the perfect start to explore the sale of your business.
Or as Mark says: “… know the rules before you play the game… then perform to the best of your ability”
This book shares those rules.
A proven methodology for successful exits
“The Intelligent Exit provides the framework of value-added strategies and comprehensive tools to sell businesses more profitably. Mark’s perspective on the sell-side process is highly unique and will be of significant value to any shareholder, CEO, founder or otherwise who is looking to sell their business. As an active investor myself in numerous companies over the years, I am certain that the approach to selling businesses that Mark has developed and outlines in his book will make a positive difference to any business owner’s sell-side strategy. Any entrepreneur looking to strengthen his/her knowledge on the principles of a successful selling strategy should get to know Mark and his methodology.”
Igor Sill
Silicon Valley early-stage investor in companies such as Salesforce.com, Siebel Systems (Oracle), Weblogic, Square, RedOwl, NetGravity and Threatmetrix. Current/past Advisory Board Member of Salesforce.com, BlinkLogic, IMF, Strawberry Creek Ventures (UCBerkeley alumni investment group) and Red Herring Communications.
