“I Don’t Need Exit Planning — I’ll Just Sell When I’m Ready”

Myth-Busting What Your Mate Down the Pub Thinks About Exit Planning

“I’ll sell when I’m ready, mate. Don’t need all that planning malarkey.” Sound familiar? Yeah, probably because it’s exactly what your mate Dave said after his third pint of lager and a bag of pork scratchings.

🥴 The Myth about Exit Planning

It can wait until you’re ready to retire or sell.

In pub logic, this makes total sense. You build your business, rake in the cash, and then—when you’ve had enough or hit a magic number—you stick a “For Sale” sign on the front door and wait for the chequebook-wielding buyers to turn up like it’s a car boot sale in Kent.

If only it worked like that.

🍺 The Cold, Flat Pint of Truth

The reality is a little less fizzy.

A successful exit usually takes 2–5 years to plan and execute properly.

Let that sink in. That’s not just "thinking about it over Christmas." That’s long-term strategic work—positioning your business, cleaning up your numbers, documenting how it runs, and making it attractive to buyers who don’t know you from Adam.

And if you wait until you're “ready,” chances are the business isn’t.

Worse still, the market may have peaked, your industry may have shifted, or your energy levels may have dropped faster than your margins during lockdown.

🧾 What Buyers Actually Want (Spoiler: It’s Not Chaos)

Buyers aren’t dreamers, they’re risk assessors.

They want:

• ✅ Clean accounts (no mysterious “consultancy” payments to your cousin Terry)

• ✅ Documented processes (so it runs without you—and your questionable filing system)

• ✅ Recurring or predictable revenue (ideally not all from that one customer who still pays by cheque)

• ✅ Growth potential (that doesn’t depend on your daily charm or wizard-like email inbox)

If your business depends on you being the glue, the genius, and the general dogsbody—it’s not really a business. It’s a job. And buyers don’t want to buy your job, they want to buy your system.

💰 The Right Way vs. The Pub Way

Here’s the big truth your mate down the pub doesn’t want to hear:

The right way will not only increase your chances of actually selling… it will almost always lead to better terms, more money, and fewer headaches.

We're talking:

• Higher valuations 💷

• More attractive deal structures 🧾

• Less due diligence drama 🕵️

• Reduced risk of deals falling apart at the eleventh hour 💣

Versus the pub plan:

• Rushed listing ✅

• Buyer uncertainty ✅

• Dodgy accounts that make due diligence a horror show ✅

• Fire-sale terms ✅

Remember: You only get one shot to exit clean. Don’t mess it up because you didn’t want to think about it in advance.

⏳ Timing Is Everything (And You're Probably Already Late)

Imagine your business is like a house. Would you flog it with mouldy walls, peeling paint, and an old boiler that wheezes like your Uncle Steve after Sunday lunch?

Or would you spruce it up, stage it, fix the cracks, and time it for a spring sale when everyone’s looking?

Exactly. Same goes for your business.

Peak value comes from positioning, presentation, and planning. Not from a last-minute flurry when you’re knackered, done, or desperate.

🧠 Plan Like a Pro or Gamble Like a Pub Bloke

You’ve spent years building your business. Blood, sweat, missed birthdays, and enough sleepless nights to kill a lesser person.

So don’t throw it all away with a shrug and a six-month listing that leads to tumbleweeds and tyre-kickers.

Start now. Even if you’re 5 years away. Especially if you’re 5 years away.

Exit planning isn’t about leaving — it’s about maximising value, reducing risks, and putting yourself in the strongest possible position when the time comes

.

🍻 Bottom Line?

“I’ll just sell when I’m ready” is the business equivalent of saying “I’ll start revising the night before the exam and still ace it.”

It happens about as often as a stress-free pub lunch with toddlers.

A well-planned exit isn’t just smart. It’s strategic, profitable, and dignified.

And at the end of it, you won’t just be exiting your business — you’ll be walking away proud, richer, and ready for whatever’s next.

Right way or wrong way?

It’s your money, mate.

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Right then, if you’ve ever muttered, “I’ll think about selling one day, maybe when things calm down” — let’s be honest, they probably never will. That’s why you need a proper plan, not just wishful thinking scribbled on a beer mat.

This article’s proudly brought to you by the good folks at ExitPlanning.co.uk — and yes, they do exactly what it says on the tin.

No fluff. No faff. Just straight-talking business experts for owners who’ve worked their socks off and want to put their feet up without cocking it all up.

So if you're starting to think about selling your business — whether that's next year or five years down the line — don't wing it.

👉 Get in touch with this lot at exitplanning.co.uk/contact-us and let them help you sort your exit out properly. You only get one shot. Make it a belter.