How to Sell Your Business for Maximum Value: Exit Strategy Insights with Simon Bedard | Ep 278 | DevReady Podcast

·33 min·2 clips

Simon says a seller who wants $10 million may discover the business is worth $5 million.

1. DevReady Podcast episode 278 focuses on how to sell a business for maximum value with Simon Bedard. 2. Simon Bedard is the founder of Exit Advisory Group, and Anthony hosts the conversation because Bedard works on sell-side mergers and acquisitions and exit planning. 3. The episode asks what business owners need to do before a sale so they do not hand control to buyers. 4. Simon says he spent the first half of his life in the investment world and later translated value-creation ideas into business exits. 5. He says Exit Advisory Group exists because many owners know how to build a company but not how to exit properly. 6. He describes his firm as doing valuations, strategy materials, buyer searches, negotiation, and advisory work. 7. Simon says his own search for a business took about 18 months and exposed poor service and weak professionalism from brokers and intermediaries. 8. He says that experience made him think business owners deserved the same level of support that banking clients receive when money is involved. 9. He says many owners are selling their largest asset, often worth more than their home, and still struggle to get calls and emails returned. 10. Simon argues that business owners and buyers see risk differently, using the fear of flying as his analogy. 11. He says owners are inside the business looking outward, while investors are outside looking for ways to lose money. 12. He says legacy matters differently for different owners, and he gives one example of a client choosing the lowest of three offers because the buyer respected the legacy. 13. He also says some owners treat the company as an asset and want only a fair deal without emotional attachment. 14. Simon says buyers should raise risks respectfully because telling an owner they have an "ugly child" usually backfires. 15. He says smaller businesses can be harder to sell because owners are less resourced and the sale process becomes a second job. 16. He says larger businesses are often easier to transact because they have better resources, better advisors, and more sophisticated buyers. 17. Simon says the current market has more money on the sidelines than ever before, and that creates stronger competition for good businesses. 18. He says owners who get a tap on the shoulder should not assume the process will be simple, because corporate buyers can spend 6 to 12 months probing before a written offer appears. 19. The conversation stays practical and advisory, with Anthony pushing for examples and Simon answering in a direct, coaching style. 20. Business owners planning a sale, exit advisors, and founders with supplier or customer concentration would get the most value from this episode. Owners who want a quick sale without preparation should skip it.

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