In this episode, we are joined by Bill Snow, author of Mergers & Acquisitions for Dummies and an experienced M&A professional with over 30 years of professional experience, including almost two decades as an investment banker. We talk about all aspects of mergers & acquisitions, how to properly plan for a deal and avoid the most-likely pitfalls, along with Pulp Fiction, poker, Milwaukee Cheesehead manufacturing, and the long-lost Chicago Bears. Bill's work includes business sales and capital raises for middle-market companies as well as buy-side services for acquirers seeking middle-market companies. Bill has written articles for online sources, as well as books about mergers & acquisitions, early-stage capital, and personal marketing. He has presented at universities including Northwestern University, DePaul University, IIT-Kent, and Harvard Business School, as well as the Thomson Reuters Midwestern M&A/Private Equity Forum, Chase Bank, Huntington Bank, Ice Miller, the Illinois CPA Society, and the University Club of Chicago. Bill is a Vistage speaker and has presented to groups in Chicago, New Orleans, Louisville, and Cincinnati. He has lectured internationally in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Bill has an MBA and a BS in finance, both from DePaul University, and he’s a FINRA-registered Investment Banking Representative.

Selling a business is the American dream, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the reward for years of hard work. Successful entrepreneurs make countless sacrifices in hopes that they would someday reap the benefits of their labor and live a new life of vacations, recreation, and prosperity.

You only exit your business once, so you should feel confident passing this milestone. A successful business exit reflects the preparation done beforehand. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

The owner of a privately held company has several alternatives on how to exit their business. In the absence of an exit strategy, events will inexorably dictate the final exit plan. A costly involuntary exit may be caused by death, disability, divorce, disagreement, or distress.

Selling Your Business with David King will help you take control of the sale process and make it positive one.