The Exit Strategy Playbook

The Definitive Guide to Selling Your Business

“You’ve put many thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears into building a successful business, but now it’s time to move on. Maybe you’re heading into retirement, or maybe you’re pursuing a new dream. Whatever it is, you deserve to reap the rewards of your hard work by getting as much as you can out of the sale of your business — and with the least amount of hassle. That’s exactly why I wrote The Exit Strategy Playbook: The Definitive Guide to Selling Your Business.”

—Adam Coffey, author of The Exit Strategy Playbook and mastermind behind $2.5 billion in successful exits

Adam will help you explore the universe of potential buyers and teach you how to assemble a team of expert advisors to properly prepare your business for sale. To help you know what to expect throughout the experience, he’ll walk you, step by step, through a typical investment-banker-led midmarket sale process from start to finish.

This book isn’t about selling fast. It’s about selling smart and achieving maximum value for the time and effort you’ve put into your company. It’s like getting an instant PhD in the art of the business sale!

If you’ve never sold a business before — or even if you have — The Exit Strategy Playbook will give you the confidence to skillfully handle the sale of what is likely your most valuable asset. Adam brings to bear the lessons he’s learned over 20 years as CEO of three private-equity-backed national service companies. Through his experience executing a buy-and-build strategy, he has bought and sold more than 100 companies, ranging in size from $1 million to $1 billion. Selling your business is an art, and The Exit Strategy Playbook is all about teaching you to master that art.

Coffey, who wrote The Private Equity Playbook(2019) and has “bought, sold, and financed around one hundred companies in twenty years,” makes a compelling argument for owners to prepare for a business sale years before they’re ready. Whether or not they heed that sound advice, entrepreneurs are sure to benefit from the author’s wisdom. This four-part “playbook” covers the bases: looking at buyers, preparing a business for sale, working with advisers, and managing the sale process. Part 1 addresses two basic types of buyers: strategic and financial. Coffey compares and contrasts them, supplying insights into each.

Included is a nifty formula to estimate the size of a target financial buyer. A brief section discusses other buyer types, including Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, which are currently in vogue. Part 2 is all about preparing for a business sale; the information shared by the author here is invaluable. Coffey provides a clear definition of the variations of “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciations, and amortization”—“a measure by which all companies are valued by most strategic and financial buyers.” He deftly explains such key financial terms as cash-basedversus accrual-based accounting, generally accepted accounting practices, and quality of earnings. Read full review at KirkusReviews.com

Praise for The Exit Strategy Playbook

Adam is a skilled and determined CEO who has spent a lifetime thinking about growth. In this how-to book, Adam combines his deep understanding of the mind of an entrepreneur with sound and practical advice for anyone looking to sell a company. In The Exit Strategy Playbook, Adam shares his stories of buying and selling companies throughout his career and offers clear options for business owners to capture the most value possible as they navigate one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

—Sandy Ogg

Founder and CEO of Works, former CHRO of Unilever, former operating partner at Blackstone Private Equity

Wherever Adam Coffey shows up—whether he’s at the top of your organization chart, on your board of directors, or in front of your audience—great things happen. He’s an inspiring and compassionate leader with a consistent track record of exceptional results for employees, customers, and investors during economic ups and downs alike. Just like he did in his first book, he gives exceptional, detailed, actionable advice illuminated by his real-world experiences. Read this book to learn how to sell your business and much more from a great leader.

—Dr. John Ullmen

leadership consultant, bestselling author, keynote speaker, professor

Adam’s earlier book, The Private Equity Playbook, has become the go-to work for the ins and outs of private equity, with tips from the master. The Exit-Strategy Playbook builds on the reader’s knowledge, which is critical. Most business owners will sell once in a lifetime, so at the end of the process, they’ve learned a lot. The key to a successful sale is planning far in advance, but many of our clients come to us late in the process without knowing what they could have done earlier. Adam helps them avoid the pitfalls and maximize their returns by learning the ropes before entering into the ring.

—Timothy Lappen

Founder & Chair, The Family Office Group & The Luxury Home Group at the law firm of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP