MyEO Lunch & Learn: Preparing A Business for Eventual Sale

This working lunch session will walk through the end-to-end sale process and the foundational steps owners should be taking now to maximize valuation and minimize surprises later.
About this event
Most owners only sell a business once. Getting the process wrong can leave money on the table, create unnecessary disruption, and derail long-term family or retirement plans.Over lunch, we will provide a practical, plain-English overview of how business sales actually work in the middle market—and what you can be doing now, even if you don’t plan to exit for several years.This session will connect the dots between day-to-day operations and a disciplined, future-ready exit strategy, using time-tested best practices rather than fads.

What we’ll cover

1. Laying the groundwork for an eventual sale

• How buyers evaluate privately held businesses
• Key financial, legal, and operational “hygiene” items to get in order
• Common red flags that reduce offers or scare off buyers
• Timing considerations: when to start preparing and typical sale timelines

2. Understanding the sale process end-to-end

• Typical stages of a sale: preparation, marketing, diligence, negotiation, closing
• Who’s at the table: roles of owners, management, advisors, and buyers
• How valuation is determined and negotiated in practice
• What to expect during due diligence—and how to avoid last-minute surprises

3. Governance, risk, and legacy planning

• Aligning ownership, management, and family expectations
• Thinking ahead about leadership transition and continuity
• How the sale fits into broader estate, tax, and retirement planning

Who should attend

This session is designed for:

• Business owners considering a sale in the next 3–10 years
• Owners who have received unsolicited interest and want to be better prepared
• Family business leaders who need to align stakeholders around a long-term exit plan

You will walk away with

By the end of the session, participants will have:

• A clear, step-by-step view of the business sale process
• A practical checklist of items to begin addressing now
• A better understanding of how buyers think and what they pay for
• Concrete next steps to start de-risking and professionalizing the business for a future transaction

Tentative agenda

• 11:30 – 11:45 AM – Check-in, networking, and lunch
• 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM – Presentation and facilitated discussion
• 12:45 – 1:00 PM – Q&A and next steps

Format
This is an in-person, working lunch session with presentation, real-world examples, and time for Q&A. Attendance will be capped to maintain a focused, conversational environment.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Entrepreneurs' Organization of Minnesota