New E-Book Teaches Business Owners How to Beat the Odds When It Comes Time to Sell

"Too many business owners wait until they are ready to exit to begin planning how to extract the value that resides within their business."

That's according to the new e-book, Value-Focused Business Planning, authored by Rich Gunn, an experienced exit planning advisor and Partner at BPM, a top 50 accounting and advisory firm with locations up and down the West Coast. This fact explains, Gunn continues, why 70% of privately held businesses that go to market do not sell and those that do sell fail to achieve a satisfactory sale price. "Focusing on value acceleration and planning for an exit gives business owners options. The more options one has available, the more the business owner is in control of the process," says Gunn.

Packed with insights derived from Gunn's more than 25 years of experience helping business owners proactively plan for the future, the e-book introduces readers to the core concepts of business exit planning and value acceleration tactics. The e-book also addresses the core concepts and major concerns driving both business exit planning and value acceleration.

"Exit strategy is one of the most critical elements of a robust, long-term business plan, but procrastination often prevails because no one likes to think about what comes later," Gunn says. "You may think ?I'll work ?til I drop' but, it is often the unexpected, such as health, disaster or a pandemic like Covid-19, that drives the decision to sell. Without a plan, the owner is not in control.

"Teams playing in the Super Bowl don't wait until they enter the field to plan to win," he adds. "They set a strategy that is years in the making. That same level of planning applies to business owners who want to maximize the value of their life's work."

The idea for the e-book occurred to Gunn after observing in his conversations with business owners a surprising lack of literacy surrounding this critical element of business and life planning. That's why among the many topics Gunn covers are included the seven biggest mistakes that sabotage business value, as well as insights such as:

• Why it is never too early to think about retirement
• The lies advisors tell you about business exit planning
• How to prepare your business for a transaction

Business owners are invited to download their free copy of Value-Focused Business Planning now. To learn more about BPM's Value Acceleration and Exit Planning services for business owners, visit our website.

About BPM

Founded in 1986, BPM is one of the top 50 public accounting and advisory firms in the country. With more than 800 professionals along the West Coast ? and an office in Bengaluru ? the Firm offers a cross-functional team approach that gives clients direct access to the best and most qualified resources. To learn more, visit the BPM website.