Believe This Before You Sell

June 24, 2025

Exiting your business can happen in many ways – by choice or by accident.

You can close the doors, sell or transition to someone you know, or sell to a stranger.

You can choose the timeline or suffer when this choice is taken out of your hands, by health issues or bad luck.

I see women business owners get hurt and hustled. All. The. Time. I feel protective of my clients, my colleagues, and you, Dear Reader (Bridgerton anyone?)

So, I’m sharing tangibles for women to believe, find, prioritize, avoid, fix, keep secret, learn, lose, negotiate, and plan before you sell. This is the first of ten ‘Do This Before You Sell’ articles I’ve developed to help you navigate your business exit without all the pain.

As my client, Jill, said so brilliantly: “I don’t see the way out, but I see the why out.” She has gotten very clear about why she wants to exit her business - and where there's a why, there's a way…

Today’s Question:

What do you believe about the value of your business?

Here’s the Twist . . .

When you’re raised to think you can’t possibly build a company you can sell, that belief will become real.

You may believe that no one will value what you’ve built – and therefore, they won’t pay to buy your business.

If you believe that, you won’t put the time and energy into positioning your company for your exit and will simply close the doors when you’re ready to stop working.

I asked women why they’re not planning their exit, and these were the top responses:

Need for secrecy and privacy – “I’m not sure how to handle that and who to trust.”
Too busy handling things now – “I don’t have the staff I need to delegate, so I can’t even think about the future right now.”
Denial – “I’m healthy and can keep going as long as I need or want to.”
Lack of a trusted, knowledgeable advisor – “I have no clue how to start and what I need to do. I get different advice from my advisors, which is frustrating and confusing.”

If that’s your thinking, you’re missing out on building wealth and leaving a legacy. If you’re not even thinking about your business exit, it is highly unlikely you can make it happen!

But let’s say you do believe you can sell your business, and you get to work building real business value. Yay!

Even with that foundation, I see women accepting less money and less beneficial sale terms than their male counterparts. Why is that?

The patterns, beliefs, and habits I see as I work with women business owners may be limiting you too. You may be restricting your business growth without even realizing it.

So believe this before you sell: even as a boutique company, you can build value and position your company for your exit. Doing so is a process that takes clarity, intention, and discipline to achieve an Elegant Exit™.

Now What?

Are you stuck in your Second Act?

Have you built a profitable and valuable business but instead of feeling like there's something missing, you’re feeling like there's something more?

If you’ve built an accounting firm, a law firm, a financial services firm, a psychology practice, or a specialty consulting firm that is generating $1 million to $10 million in annual revenue, you are in a prime market.

Larger firms and companies are growing by buying other firms. This has long been the case, but we’re seeing a higher rate than ever.

In a tragic twist, I see too many women who actually lose their company instead of exiting on their own terms. The exit process is filled with pitfalls and complex issues – especially for women.

I’ve built my business as an advocate, and I specialize in helping women founders transition to their Third Act – when you’re ready to do the work you’ve always longed to do.

As your advocate, by definition, I’m looking out for your best interests. I am not taking a brokerage fee, commission, or equity. I am not motivated by how quickly the exit moves or the final dollar amounts. I want what you want – and will help you get it.

Are you ready to exit your business on your terms?

That requires a new way of thinking, new skills, a simple and elegant design, and an advocate by your side. Contact me to learn more.

How exit-ready are you? Find out at: http://she-exits.com/

The ‘Do This Before You Sell’ Series of Articles, by Patty Block

A Note from Patty...

My life’s work is empowering high-achieving women business owners to fine-tune their operations and scale their revenue for strategic growth, creating real business value and emerging exit ready. That value can transform into wealth when they are ready to exit their company - and I believe that wealth in the hands of women elevates society as a whole.