Business is like a puzzle
Building long-term value in your business is like putting together a puzzle. Up until that last piece is in place, you have that sense of incompleteness. As you near placement of the last few pieces, you can feel the momentum and satisfaction growing. It's the same with building your business except for the fact that the end stakes are significantly greater. As I frequently meet with company owners and CEO's, a very common question I get is, "how much time will it take me to prepare my business for a great future exit outcome?"
My answer is when you have the 5 key puzzle pieces in place, you can begin your exit and will have the confidence and liklihood of achieving a great outcome. However, if lacking one of these puzzle pieces, my experience has shown 2 years at a minimum is required. This is because you need to allow time for planning the improvement, making the change and allowing time for the change to take hold and prove the targeted result. And if your business is missing multiple pieces of the puzzle, you are looking at several years of hard work remaining. This is why I encourage owners and CEO's to begin preparing their business now and getting the 5 puzzle pieces underway and in place. The longer you wait, the longer it will be to experience the euphoria of a great exit. To learn about the 5 puzzle pieces, (Click here)