Sell hope if you want to maximize your company value on your exit.
You read that right.
Sell hope.
Conventional wisdom says that the value of your company is a spreadsheet formula.
As usual, conventional wisdom isn’t as wise as the so-called experts would have you believe.
Who am I, and how do I know?
I was the kid who started his EdTech, Embanet, right out of school with no money, experience, or team.
The truth is I had no business being in business. Failure was my new BFF. All-day. Everyday.
My saving grace was my grit and passion, which unlocked the flood gates of success.
I received an unsolicited offer from a sophisticated buyer who was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The moment I said “no” to the 7-figure offer, I said “yes” to master the art and science of selling a company.
What I learned shocked me to the core.
My Rockstar entrepreneur, the system is set-up against us in every way.
Buyers hope and pray that you make the classic mistakes most sellers make.
Every mistake you make lines your future buyer’s pocket with money. Your money.
When it comes to selling your company, you have one chance to get it right.
What do you do, especially if you want to maximize the value of your company?
Start by knowing that when you sell hope, you maximize the value of your company.
How do you “sell hope,” you ask?
Keep reading to find out.
Spreadsheets Tell The Story Of Yesterday And Today, But Not Tomorrow
The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
When you sell hope, you understand that hope doesn’t show up in a spreadsheet.
Spreadsheets help analyze the value of your company yesterday and today.
Spreadsheets fall short in telling the story of a better tomorrow.
Buyers both need to know and want to know what your company has done both today and yesterday.
But today and yesterday are one small part of a bigger story.
What buyers want to know is what your company is capable of doing for them tomorrow.
Buyers pay a premium for companies that have a bright and prosperous tomorrow.
Buyers are all too happy to pay for what you’ve done today while leaving out the prospects of tomorrow.
Selling your company based on today, and not taking into account tomorrow, costs you money. A lot of money.
Read and prosper from “Do You Know The 7 Mistakes Every Buyer Wants You To Make When Selling Your Business?”
Your future buyer looks to your company as a way to solve a painful problem.
Solving a painful problem for the buyer today creates a more profitable tomorrow.
If you want top dollar for your company, know that you must sell hope of a better tomorrow.
How do you sell hope for a better tomorrow?
Keep reading.
Sell Hope For A Better Tomorrow If You Want To Maximize Your Company’s Value
Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming – David Bowie
Sell hope for a better tomorrow if you want to maximize your company’s value.
Is increasing company value as easy as selling hope, you ask?
The short answer is “yes” and “no.”
If you go into the due diligence the right way, your future buyer knows what you’ve done yesterday and today.
Read and prosper from “The Due Diligence Mindset You Need To Win.”
What’s up to you is the picture you paint for “tomorrow.”
Know this and know this well.
Buyers want to know your vision of the future.
Where most sellers drop the ball is painting a picture for buyers of the same-old.
Buyers know too well that what works today may not work tomorrow.
Painting a picture of the same-old robs you of the opportunity to sell hope.
You’re selling your company with the hope of a better tomorrow. The thought of your exit has you dreaming of getting your life back and increasing your wealth.
You’re excited. And you should be.
Now it’s time to return the favor to your future buyer.
When you sell hope, you’re painting the picture of better tomorrow looks your future buyer.
How do you sell hope to your future buyer?
Keep reading to learn how.
Sell Hope When You Share the Untapped Opportunity For The Things You Couldn’t Do
Hope of a better tomorrow transforms dreams into the new reality – Jeffrey Feldberg
Your future buyer is buying your company for what it can do tomorrow.
Now is the time to share with the buyer the opportunities that you couldn’t realize, but your buyer can.
It was with much excitement that you and your team discussed entering a new market. You were all smiles until you realized that you lacked the talent and capital.
The great news is that your buyer has both the talent and capital.
For years you’ve dreamed of solving a new painful problem for your customers. But it was with frustration that you realized that you lacked time to solve the problem.
Your future buyer has both the time and means to solve this new painful problem you’ve discovered.
Said in another way, your so-called failures are lucrative opportunities for your buyer.
Read “7 Success Secrets Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know About Passion.”
Most sellers view their so-called failures as weakness and hide this from buyers.
Revel in your so-called failures instead of hiding them.
Paint the picture of what your buyer can do with your company that you couldn’t. Be bold when you present your financial projections.
Your future buyer is smart and will determine if this opportunity has potential or not.
You sell hope when you share your unrealized dreams and how your buyer can act on your unrealized dreams.
Hope Transforms The “Impossible” Into “I’m Possible”
The more you can dream, the more you can do – Michael Korda
Hope helps entrepreneurs transform the “impossible” into “I’m possible.”
The idea to sell hope on your exit isn’t the first time you’ve leveraged the power of hope.
Think about it.
Before you started your company, you found a painful problem you were passionate to solve.
It was hope that spurred you into action to help people remove their pain.
Read and prosper from “Make More Money Now By Solving Massive Problems.”
Hope was the game-changer that had you navigate through the challenging times. When the so-called experts said you were wrong, and all looked bleak, hope kept you in the game.
Each of your customers became a customer from the hope of solving their problem.
When you sell hope through a solution that works, you change the world for the better.
Whether you realize it or not, you’ve been selling hope long before you started your company.
Your ability to transfer your hope to your future buyer that will make, or break, your company value.
The hope of a better tomorrow gives your future buyer the confidence to buy your company.
When you sell hope, you play your part in changing the social fabric of society, one day at a time.
Hope And Not Spreadsheets Is Where The Value Of Your Company Lives
The value of a company is the sum of the problems you solve – Daniel Ek
Hope and not spreadsheets is where the value of your company lives. All-day. Every day.
Sell hope through solving painful problems with solutions that work.
Your company thrives from customers who become raving fans. In turn, raving fans create more raving fans.
Sales increase.
If you’re running your company like a cockroach startup, profits increase.
Read and prosper from “Cockroach Startups: What You Need To Know To Succeed And Prosper.”
Whether you sell your company today or keep it forever, sell hope.
When it comes to the value of your company, spreadsheets have a role.
Your investment banker is both “right” and “wrong” in saying value comes from a cell in a spreadsheet.
The value for what your company did yesterday and today is in a cell in a spreadsheet.
Value for what your company will do tomorrow is not in a spreadsheet.
Buyers place a premium value on companies that have a bright future.
The hope of a better tomorrow gives buyers the confidence to both buy your company and pay a premium.
Hope is what fuels the value of your company with buyers, not spreadsheets.
Buyers use logic and spreadsheets afterward to justify your company’s value.
When it comes to selling your company, sell hope to maximize value. All-day. Every day.
Conclusion
Looking to maximize your company’s value when selling it?
Sell hope.
Hope enables entrepreneurs to transform the “impossible” into “I’m possible.”
It’s hope that inspired you to work through your so-called failures for better days ahead.
Last, but not least, it’s hope that turned prospects into customers, and later, raving fans.
Is there a role for hope when selling your company?
An absolute “yes.”
Ready for an insight into your future buyer’s mindset?
The value for a company comes from emotion first and logic second.
Sell hope, and you give your future buyer the confidence to buy your company at a premium value.
How do I know?
I was that kid who started his EdTech right out of school with no money, experience, or team.
The hope for a better tomorrow saw me through so-called failures to success.
The success of my EdTech brought with it an unsolicited offer from a sophisticated buyer.
In saying “no” to the buyer, I said “yes” to mastering the art and science of selling a company.
Two years later, I said “yes” to a 9-figure offer.
The ability to sell hope is a game-changer.
If I can do it, so can you.
The great news is you already have everything you need. Right now.
Where do you begin and how do you start?
Start with the first strategy and stay with it until you master it. Repeat the process for all five strategies.
Sell hope today, and you’ll thank me tomorrow.
You can do it. I know you can.
Here’s to you and your success.
Your BIGGEST Raving Fan,
Jeffrey Feldberg