Exit Planning & Strategy

A Smarter, More Strategic Path to a Successful Business Exit

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At First Choice, we take a fundamentally different approach than most business brokers. When a business owner reaches out asking, “How much is my business worth?”—we don’t rush to list it. Instead, we pause. Because what we’ve found is that most owners aren’t actually ready to sell—and listing prematurely can lead to wasted time, missed opportunity, and deep frustration.


Rather than push owners into a one-size-fits-all 12-month exclusive contract based on an inflated asking price, we focus on understanding your story, your goals, and the current health of your business. Using the Three-Legged Stool framework—Business Value, Owner Readiness, and Personal Financial Preparedness—we help you answer the questions that matter most:


  • What is my business worth today?


  • What would I need to sell for—after taxes and fees—to achieve my personal goals?


  • Am I, and is my business, truly ready for a transition?


This approach is rooted in the insights of the Exit Planning Institute and the International Business Brokers Association, whose research shows a sobering reality: 70–80% of businesses listed for sale never sell. That’s because many owners go to market unprepared, often misled by brokers focused on volume rather than value.


We’re here to change that.


We work with a vetted network of professionals to help you build value, reduce risk, and prepare both your business and yourself for a successful exit. When the time comes to sell, the process is faster, smoother, and more lucrative—for everyone involved.


This is not just exit planning. This is exit strategy, done right.

PREScore

Personal Readiness to Exit (PRE)

The Personal Readiness to Exit or PREScore™ tool, which requires no financial information, takes 8 minutes to complete and helps you explore your customer's future vision, deal structuring capacity, personal detachment from the day-to-day tasks, and how they will involve their team in this process. 




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Sellability Score

How Buyer-ready is your business?

The Sellability Score is an evaluation system driven by an algorithm that evaluates a business on the eight core value drivers that acquirers take into consideration when buying companies. The score gives a comprehensive assessment of the "Sellability" of your business, whether you want to sell next year or just to know that you're building a valuable asset for the future.

Get Your Free Sellability Score

Freedom Score

Can you close your wealth gap?

The "Freedom Score" within the Value Builder System is a report that assesses a business owner's financial readiness to exit their business and sustain their desired lifestyle. It essentially evaluates whether the business can provide the necessary financial resources for the owner's future, considering factors like cash flow, revenue stability, and profitability.

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Merger & Acquisition Services

FCBB M & A Advisors

Senior Associate Advisors offer a personal approach for lower middle market M&A, guiding you through 8 Steps to sell your business.

  1. The Initial Consultation: Your FCBB Advisor will listen and work with you to help you define your goals, compile needed documentation, discuss financial modeling and obtain financing letters of interest.
  2. Market Price Analysis Valuation: A thorough review of your financial statements will be conducted to provide a Market Price Analysis report for the valuation of your business. We will carefully review our findings with you to determine if the current market value will meet your expectations.
  3. Marketing for Results: We’re not interested in listing your business, we’re interested in selling it! Once a determination of value has been discussed and a price set, the creation of marketing materials will immediately begin. Your FCBB Advisor will develop a marketing strategy and confidential business profiles aimed at highlighting your business history, future predictions and your business strengths. Using these materials, we will discretely search for the appropriate buyer, both within our current database and outbound marketing focused on strategic buyers for your business.
  4. Creating the Buyer Pool while maintaining confidentiality: Once buyers are identified and they have expressed a substantial interest level based upon general information (without the disclosure of your company name and address), they will be asked to execute a non-disclosure agreement. Once signed, the buyer will be provided with the initial confidential business profile. If their interest continues, the buyer will then be asked to provide proof of funds or source of funds. If the funds appear appropriate the buyer will then be provided with a full confidential business profile package on your business.
  5. Buyer & Seller: The buyer has by now received enough information to determine whether a face-to-face meeting or conference call is warranted. If he or she wishes to move forward, meetings and/or conference calls are scheduled. Meetings can either take place at the business location, typically outside of business hours, or at the FCBB Advisor’s office.
  6. Fielding Offers: Expressions of interest may be presented in several different forms. Two of the most common are the LOI (Letter of Intent) and the Purchase Agreement. Each have their advantages and disadvantages based upon the number of interested buyers and their respective offering abilities. Keep in mind, there may be several iterations prior to a full acceptance.
  7. Offer Acceptance and Due Diligence: Once an offer is accepted, the buyer’s due diligence period will begin. The due diligence process may involve several players, depending on factors such as buyer sophistication and the type of business being sold. These individuals typically include the buyer’s CPA (due diligence consultant) and/or his or her attorney.
  8. Due Diligence Release and Closing: Once the due diligence and contingencies have been released, preparations for closing will be made by a neutral third-party entity. This entity is either a closing attorney or an escrow officer, depending on the state your business is located in. At closing, the proceeds (funds) are wired to you as the seller and the ownership documents are wired to the buyer for ownership transition.