It all started when I met Helen...
a Business Owner thinking about selling her business.
Helen (not her real name) had built a highly successful professional service business. Originally run from her home while she raised her children ... her business had outgrown her home and become one of the stars in her industry. Her children were also grown, and it was time for Helen to focus on her dream of being a hands-on grandmother.
A mutual friend connected us and we had an exceptionally long first call. Helen asked lots and lots of good questions. I did my best to answer all of them. In the end, she did not hire me. She said she would call but she didn't… at least not for a while.
She did call two years later to tell me that she had been working on the things we discussed. I couldn't really remember what we discussed, but she could. She remembered that I suggested she change her company name from Helen Jones Associates to something else. She had. In fact, she had made lots of changes. She had a list of things I suggested and she had implemented most of them.
She said she was now ready for me to sell her company. And I did. Her company was sold to a large, strategic buyer. The changes she made to her business during those two years proved exceptionally valuable in the transaction process and in the proceeds she received.
After the sale, she sent me this message:
Thank you so much for shepherding me through this long and tempestuous process. Your advice from the beginning -- how to set up my company for a sale and your tenacity in finding the right buyer was much appreciated. I believe your guidance and interventions helped me to get the best deal possible.
I similarly thanked her, because the time she put into getting ready made the whole thing a lot easier. And what had she done? She had simply decided to approach the sale process the same way she approached her business. She wanted to understand it, to know what actions would improve her odds of success, and to be able to influence the outcome. She did not want to leave things to chance. Good thing really, when you consider statistics like these:
76% of business owners are planning an exit within the next 10 years.
and
Only 1 in 3 businesses that are marketed for sale actually sell.
These are terrible statistics. 1 in 3, can’t be. That sounds ridiculously low. 1 in 3 is low, but not ridiculous. Businesses are living entities. They have a life cycle. There are many, many reasons why a business won’t sell. But, in my experience, one of the main reasons is the owner and their mindset. What they know and what they don't know about a process that they have probably never been through before.
Selling a business is not easy. There are twists and turns in the road. And the road is long. Some owners have no idea how long or if they're even on the right road at all. And without experience to guide them through the ups and downs, many just give up. Keeping the business may seem, by comparison, easier than selling it. A known vs. an unknown. The M&A Mastery Program will level the playing field for you and make the selling process a “known”. How it works, what to expect, and how to stay on the road until you get what you deserve.
A Program for Owners who want to control their exit.
Their terms. Their timing.
Who don't leave things to chance.
A New Perspective:
Selling a business is complex, but it's not a mystery.
Matt Coyne has been selling privately held businesses for over 20 years, His perspective ...
- The things an owner needs to do to make their business more valuable and attractive are surprisingly few.
- The investment needed is usually time and attention vs. money. And the payback is often astounding.
- The best thing most owners can do to improve the outcome when the sell is to simply start.
The M&A Mastery Program is that start.
A start and a huge leap forward in just 8 weeks. You will be exposed to everything you need to know about winning the M&A game. And by the time you finish, you will have a toolbox full of the stuff you need to do just that..
We are Looking for more owners like Helen
Business owners who want to approach the sale of their company with intentionality.
Who want to understand the game from a player’s perspective. Who expect to win.
Owners who don’t have time to waste.
Who want the know-how, the tools, and the mindset to be do what Helen did. Crush it.
Expected Outcomes
Deliverables
How Does This Program Work?
When Does It Start And Where?
The 8 Weeks - A Topic Overview
1. The Opportunity
2. The M&A Game
3. What's It Worth?
4. The Book
5. Marketing The Business
6. Interfacing With Buyers
7. Diligence to Documents
8. Closing and Beyond
Some Things We're NOT Going To Do...
❌ Make you an investment banker. We are not going to make you a "stand‐in" for the investment banker or M&A Broker you should be hiring someday. We will make you an informed client who can see around the corner. Who holds the their M&A advisors accountable because you know what they are supposed to be doing.
❌ Make you a lawyer. This is not law school. We will review the key documents (real ones) that you should be familiar with. But we will do so using a “cliff‐notes” approach, giving you a critical path list to look for.
❌ Make you an accountant. But we will teach you how to price your business in real time. Yes you. There are surprisingly few numbers that matter in M&A. We will put them on one page for you so you can do the same whenever you want.
❌ Talk about Exit Planning. This is not exit planning. Exit planning can mean a lot of things. Closing a business is an exit. Giving it to the kids is an exit. This is all about the one exit (a sale) that gets you paid.
Everything is Laid Out For You
What to do and how to do it. From really and truly understanding the M&A process for businesses like yours, to building your team, to writing your book.
Effective Formula
This format is designed to allow even the busiest business owner to move from the sidelines onto the field. You will learn what you need to learn, create the materials you need to have, and get the results that you deserve.
Prime Access
You will have access to live coaching during the program whenever you think you need it. No limit. And this access will extend for another 10 hours after the initial 8-week program.
Imagine what your life and your business will look like...
- When you know exactly how you will sell your business when you're ready
- When you know what it is worth and how to make it worth more
- When you are confidently positioned as that rare business owner who can run their sale process just like they run their business
- When you can crisply articulate why your business is worth your price
- When you can finally see beyond the sale and let yourself imagine your life without work... like a teenager again, but with money this time
An Actionable Plan...
This is not your typical educational / training program. Because learning new things doesn't necessarily change your business or your life. We did not design this program for people who want to learn for the sake of learning. We designed it for people who want results. Who want to learn so they can win. That is why each module will progressively expand your knowledge base, your toolkit, and your action plan. We will give you what you need to know and the tools you need to put what you learn to work. You'll use what you gain in the M&A Mastery Program to ...
- Start running your business with a totally new perspective. Building the story you want to tell.
- Stop working on things that do not matter. Moving those activities to others or killing them altogether.
- Create a business that is worth what you want/need and know when it actually is.
- Resist the urge to just "keep it because that is easier than selling" because it won't be for you anymore.
- Align and balance your needs and desires with those of the people who got you where you are today (your employees). Stop guessing about your future and theirs
If this has piqued your interest, let’s talk. Please click the button below and book a confidential call with me at a time that works for you.
We'll use our time together to answer any questions you might have and to consider together whether or not this program is right for you.
I look forward to speaking with you.
All the Best, Matt Coyne
