We recently listed our home for sale. Beforehand we did some painting – organized storage and generally “dressed things up” to get the best price possible. Business owners contemplating a transaction often take this approach too – dressing up the business for sale.

But there is a fundamental difference – what we did with our house was largely cosmetic – business owners need to focus on issues that are truly material to their performance. A colleague of mine, who is an M&A advisor says it simply, “the numbers don’t lie” – I would add -- that you can’t hide the numbers either. Consistent revenue growth and solid margins are fundamental drivers of performance. If your sales infrastructure is not producing – it will certainly reflect in your valuation and may make it impossible to find a buyer.  Continue reading by clicking on the attached pdf.