Owners who sell without professional representation typically underprice by 15 to 30 per cent. What a confidential auction does that a direct sale cannot.
The hold-or-sell decision comes down to two numbers: intrinsic value and market value. Why private Canadian businesses trade at a 20 to 40 per cent discount to public comparables.
The sale process does not begin with a valuation. It begins with a written why-sell statement, and why owners who skip it negotiate from a position of weakness.
Retired entrepreneurs face elevated mental health risk from the sudden loss of identity and purpose a business provided. What the BDC and Statistics Canada data shows.