How to Sell Your Business - And Get What You Want!: A Pragmatic Guide With Revealing Tips from 57 Sellers

Rating:
Summary: Lots of good insight for sellers of mid to large businesses
Review: Good insight from actual sellers of businesses. Much of the info was repetitive, but this just reinforced certain aspects of the sale of a business that were universal. Nicely organized. Quotes from each seller were organized by chapter, based on nature of who business was sold to (public co, financial buyer, foreign investor, etc). Additional chapters discussed different aspects of the sale process (preparation, brokers, LBOs, price, negotiation, letters of intent, etc). Great starting point to begin research on how to sell a business

Rating:
Summary: Best I have found. Hear from those who have been there.
Review: I have read several books on this subject, and this was the only one I would call truly valuable. If you are thinking of a sale, or a merger with a larger company, I can't think of a better source of wisdom than the hard-earned experiences conveyed here in very concise, and surprisingly interesting, anecdotes from people who have already done so.

I particularly appreciated the numerous comments on situations where the seller expected to stay with the company (as a consultant or executive) after the sale. Things they thought about, and things they *wish* they had thought about, are explained.

However, don't expect to receive extensive advice on how to determine what your business is worth as a specific dollar amount. The advice in this book is more about how to behave, what to worry about, when to get professional help, and so on.

Also don't expect to learn much about selling "weird" businesses. Most of the examples here are from people selling very conventional (and profitable) businesses, such as component manufacturers.

If you're selling any business, this is a good read and an efficient use of time, and may help you avoid mistakes. If you're selling a conventional business and expect to be involved after the sale (not just take the money and run), there is so much advice here that you *need* to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but geared toward larger companies ($10M and up)
Review: If you are selling your business it is probably worth a few bucks to hear some words of wisdom from people who've been there. But I found it more applicable to large businesses, $10M and up, selling to corporations, etc. It is not really applicable to small businesses except in a general way.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of good insight for sellers of mid to large businesses
Review: There are many books of advice on how to start a business - but this one is invaluable for those who want to sell a business without making any mistakes. Very good pragmatic stuff for owners of anything from a small store to a large industry; a good way to learn from the experience of others.