In 2022 I talked with 25 owners who wanted to sell. Six sold. What happened to the rest, and what an owner can work on years before a sale.

A business owner called me ready to retire. When I looked at the business, it wasn't worth anywhere near what he needed. Here is what happened next.

If you want to give a business owner something useful this year, grab one of these books. Each one has been invaluable to my success and should be required reading for every business owner.

I've valued over 40 businesses this year, and one of the most consistent challenges I've seen is that most companies are overly dependent on the owner.

Here's a breakdown of the reports you should be reviewing monthly and how they can guide better decision-making.

Every business owner I know spends time thinking about growth. But not all growth is created equal. You can be incredibly busy and still not be building real value in your company.

The lesson is clear: start building these systems at least 2-3 years before you plan to sell. This owner's decades of hard work deserved a better outcome, but buyers can only pay for verifiable, transferable profit.

Owners assume their company is worth 1x or 2x revenue.

Here are the five warning signs your plan is holding you back—and exactly how to fix each one.

Without systems or delegated authority, every decision bottlenecked at the top, and the owner was the source of the bottleneck.