Latest news with #exitstrategy
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ali Owaid Jasim Founder of Business Email Database Launches Strategic Exit Framework for Digital Entrepreneurs
DUBAI, AE / / June 8, 2025 / Renowned entrepreneur and digital strategist Ali Owaid Jasim Al-rikabi, founder of Business Email Database, has officially launched a new exit strategy framework tailored for digital business owners - particularly those operating in the email data and marketing automation sectors. The goal? Turning data-driven ventures into acquisition-ready assets with real, scalable value. This new system stems from Ali Owaid Jasim's extensive hands-on experience in building and scaling digital companies that leverage targeted email databases, automated marketing funnels, and global compliance structures. It focuses not on theory, but on what works in real, competitive markets. From Email Lists to Exit-Ready Assets Jasim explains: "Many founders build tools. I help them build actual companies - assets with structure, value, and demand in the eyes of real buyers." He adds: "In the email database industry, it's not just about how much data you have - it's about how compliant, clean, and systemized that data is. That's what buyers are really after." Built on Results, Not Theory This framework is the result of reverse-engineering actual digital business exits. Through real-world analysis, Jasim identified exactly what acquirers are looking for in modern digital businesses: GDPR-compliant, well-segmented databases Automated and transferable systems Consistent, diversified lead generation Minimal founder dependency and clear SOPs Introducing the "Business Exit Ready" Program As part of the framework's rollout, Business Email Database is launching the "Business Exit Ready" program. Digital business owners now have two clear pathways: 1. Partner with a certified strategist trained to implement the framework; or 2. Get certified themselves, applying the system internally to increase company value and readiness for acquisition. The certification program also opens new doors for consultants, digital advisors, and exit planners seeking to work with high-growth online businesses. As more founders look to exit smart, Business Email Database is positioning this certification as a new standard in the space. More details on certification and partnership opportunities can be found at Business Email Database. Why It Matters Now With rising interest in acquiring high-performance digital businesses - and many founders unprepared when the opportunity arrives - this framework offers the clarity and direction that most digital entrepreneurs lack. Ali Owaid Jasim puts it simply: "A successful exit isn't about cashing out and disappearing. It's about walking away free, with your systems running, your name strong, and your next chapter wide open." About Ali Owaid Jasim Ali Owaid Jasim Al-rikabi is a digital entrepreneur and strategist specializing in building scalable, data-driven marketing companies. As the founder of Business Email Database, he has helped countless business owners turn their marketing assets into structured, acquisition-ready companies. He is known for his practical, real-world approach to business transformation and digital exit strategy. About Business Email Database Business Email Database is a digital growth and data solutions firm focused on building compliant, monetizable email databases for entrepreneurs and marketing teams. The company offers training programs, advisory services, and pre-built systems to help digital businesses become acquisition-ready. Contact Information:Company: Business Email DatabaseWebsite: ali_jasim@ Person: Ali Owaid Jasim SOURCE: Business Email Database View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Entrepreneur
06-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
The 5 Biggest Business Sale Mistakes...
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Selling a business is rarely as straightforward as owners expect. I've built, acquired, and sold multiple businesses over the past three decades, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that most sale challenges are avoidable - if you plan well. Having worked with hundreds of business owners through Chalkhill Blue and written The Exit Roadmap to share what I've learned, I've seen the same costly mistakes come up time and again. In a challenging economy, avoiding these pitfalls becomes even more important. Here are the five biggest business sale mistakes I've seen, and what you can do to steer clear of them. 1. Failing to Plan Ahead Most owners wait far too long to think seriously about exit. In fact, a shocking 48% of business owners who want to sell have no exit strategy whatsoever 1 . They assume they can put their business on the market when they're ready, and buyers will be lining up. The reality? According to the Exit Planning Institute, 70–80% of businesses that go to market never sell 2 . Often, that's because the owner didn't plan early enough to address the risk factors or prepare the business for sale. Lesson learned: Start your exit planning at least 2-3 years before your desired sale date. This gives you time to address dependencies, clean up your financials, and build value. As I often say to clients, you can only sell once - do it right. 2. Overestimating Business Value Understandably, most owners are emotionally attached to their businesses. But emotional investment doesn't always align with market value. In fact, 58% of business owners have never had their business formally valued , which leads to inflated expectations and stalled deals. One couple I worked with was convinced their e-commerce business was worth more than double its realistic value. When we looked at their accounts and buyer appetite in their sector, the truth hit hard. Thankfully, they took the advice, grew the business, and exited at a much higher multiple later on. Lesson learned: Don't rely on hearsay or assumptions. Get a formal valuation from someone who understands your sector and how buyers think. Benchmark it against recent sales, EBITDA multiples, and market trends. This ensures you go to market with clarity and confidence. 3. Neglecting Operational Dependencies Many businesses are overly reliant on the founder, a few key staff, or a handful of customers. These dependencies are huge red flags for buyers. One of the most common questions during due diligence is: "What happens if this person leaves?" As I explain in The Exit Roadmap, your business should ideally run without you. A good litmus test? Ask yourself: could you take a three-month holiday without the business falling apart? If the answer is no, you've got work to do. Lesson learned: Reduce dependency on yourself and others. Document processes, empower your team, and decentralise critical knowledge. Not only does this reduce risk, it boosts your valuation - buyers will pay a premium for a business that operates like a well-oiled machine. 4. Inadequate Financial Documentation Nothing kills a deal faster than messy books. Poor financial controls, inconsistent reporting, or incomplete tax records are huge turn-offs. According to BizBuySell, 65% of businesses listed for sale each year fail to sell at all, and in many cases, it's due to issues uncovered during due diligence. One buyer pulled out of a deal with a client I advised after discovering £200,000 in unexplained "miscellaneous" expenses. It didn't matter that the business was otherwise profitable - the buyer lost trust, and we had to start again with a new prospect months later. Lesson learned: Invest in clean, clear, and consistent financial reporting. Get your accountant to prepare monthly management accounts and keep everything audit-ready. The more transparent your numbers, the more attractive you'll be 5. Limiting the Buyer Pool Too many owners put all their eggs in one basket. They get one offer and run with it, only to discover late in the process that the buyer can't raise funding or wants to renegotiate the price. In truth, the most successful sales usually involve 10-20 potential buyers at the initial stage, with 2-5 serious offers received by the seller. Creating competition between buyers can dramatically increase the sale price. I've personally seen final offers come in 40% higher than the opening bid because we generated competitive tension. Lesson learned: Cast a wide net. Use a broker or advisor with deep market connections to reach financial buyers, strategic acquirers, and even international prospects. This not only gives you more leverage, it often leads to a better cultural and operational fit too. Final Thoughts Selling your business isn't just a financial event; it's a personal milestone. And it's likely the biggest transaction of your life. When I wrote The Exit Roadmap, I wanted to give business owners a step-by-step guide to avoid the mistakes I'd seen others make. These five errors - poor planning, overvaluation, operational dependency, sloppy financials, and a limited buyer pool - are the most common, but also the most preventable. Whether you're hoping to sell in six months or six years, the time to start preparing is now. Future you will be grateful.
Forbes
02-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
M&A
Experts across financial, academic and business fields agree that it is futile to try to time the market when making individual investment decisions. However, when contemplating the sale of a business, there are various internal and external considerations about timing the exit process that can help improve the chances of a successful outcome. Once a decision has been reached to sell a business, timing the exit starts with fundamental preparation and strategic planning. This is where engaging with experienced financial and legal advisers early can help enhance the likelihood of a successful outcome. Notwithstanding macroeconomic factors, the business must be seen as a sound investment for the next buyer. In making initial investment decisions, buyers usually focus on recent financial performance, future capital requirements, and the management team's quality. Regardless of a type of transaction or eventual buyer, a strong management team with experienced people in all key positions will be essential in driving the exit process and ensuring value maximization. If there is a significant open position in the executive management or commercial leadership teams, it is prudent to fill that position and allow the individual six to 12 months in the seat before an exit process. With respect to financial performance, the best time to exit is when the business is firing on all cylinders, exceeding budgets and demonstrating continued growth. Much of the buyer's financial due diligence focus will be on the trailing 12 months of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). This cash flow metric and the company's capital expenditure profile are critical when determining the level of indebtedness a business can support and can directly impact valuation. However, equally important are the company's future prospects, which include demonstrating sustainable growth by accessing new markets, introducing new products/services, or taking advantage of industry trends. If, for example, near-term growth prospects require a capital investment, it may be prudent to make the investment and allow some time to demonstrate a ramp-up in financial performance before a sale. Buyers are often reluctant to increase value related to new or unproven growth initiatives, which can lead to a discount on the initiative's implied value or a change in structure (earn-out or future payments tied to the initiative's performance). Any sale process requires significant effort from all parties to facilitate comprehensive due diligence. This involves all aspects of the business, including operations, customer and supplier relations, HR, IT, health and safety, environmental, legal, risk management, financial, and others. The best advisers help business owners anticipate and prepare for such due diligence well ahead of starting the exit process. Due diligence creates significant demands on management's time; being well-organized and prepared minimizes surprises during the exit process. Savvy business owners are generally cognizant of macroeconomic, geopolitical, and other extraneous elements that impact their performance. For instance, timing an exit during a U.S. presidential election cycle is always complicated — not because buyers prefer one party or the other, but mostly due to the uncertainty of potential policy directions until the results are clear. While stock market performance might dominate the airwaves before and immediately after elections, near-term economic indicators, cost of financing, and tax policies are significantly more important to sellers and buyers. Geopolitical issues are increasingly impacting businesses across most sectors of the economy, particularly those exposed to tariffs, supply chain complications, labor issues (think port strikes), and more. One business might directly benefit from new or existing tariffs, while another might experience significant impacts in end-user demand because of prevailing tariffs. An industrial distribution business relying on a global supply chain may be severely disrupted by port strikes. While any single business owner cannot control these issues during a sale process, they should work with their advisers to be prepared to address business impacts and due diligence questions. Transactions that require antitrust, national security or other regulatory clearances may need several months from signing of definitive agreements to final closing. For example, a sizeable specialty materials business with strong competitive position that sells critical minerals to the Department of Defense can expect multiple lengthy regulatory reviews before closing. If this business owner wants to close a transaction before a certain date, they should account for the regulatory approval process and start the exit process early. Timing an exit process for a business requires introspection, strategic planning, and thoughtful preparation, while accounting for a host of internal and external parameters. Control the controllables and have a plan for potential surprises that invariably arise. Contact M&A experts Jeff Johnston and Arindam Basu. Visit Additional insights and market analysis in the technology, energy and Native American sectors. About KeyBanc Capital Markets KeyBanc Capital Markets is a leading corporate and investment bank providing capital markets and advisory solutions to dynamic companies capitalizing on opportunities in changing industries. Our deep industry expertise, broad capabilities and unique ideas are seamlessly delivered to companies across the Consumer & Retail, Diversified Industries, Healthcare, Industrial, Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Utilities, Power & Renewables, and Technology verticals. With more than 800 professionals across a national platform, KeyBanc Capital Markets has raised more than $125 billion of capital for their clients and has an award-winning equity research team that provides coverage on over 500 publicly traded companies. Securities products and services are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and its licensed securities representatives, who may also be employees of KeyBank N.A. Banking products and services are offered by KeyBank N.A. This article is prepared for general information purposes only. The information contained in this report has been obtained from sources deemed to be reliable but is not represented to be complete, and it should not be relied upon as such. This report does not purport to be a complete analysis of any security, issuer, or industry and is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. KeyBanc Capital Markets is a trade name under which corporate and investment banking products and services of KeyCorp® and its subsidiaries, KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., member FINRA/SIPC ('KBCMI'), and KeyBank National Association ('KeyBank N.A.'), are marketed. Securities products and services are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. and its licensed securities representatives. Banking products and services are offered by KeyBank N.A. Securities products and services: Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value Please read our complete KeyBanc Capital Markets disclosure statement.
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How to Increase Company Valuation in 12 Months
What if you could triple the value of your business? It starts now, not later. What if you could triple the value of your business, without working longer hours, hiring a massive team, or waiting around for the 'right' buyer? It's not some daydream, but a formula. And it starts now, not later. Over the years, I've watched small business owners increase their business's value by up to 2.7 times in just one year. Not because they stumbled into a miracle market or launched a new offer that went viral, but because they did one thing differently than most entrepreneurs ever do. They stopped growing for the sake of growing, and started growing with the goal to exit one day. If you're a service business owner, agency founder, or digital entrepreneur looking to sell your business in the next one to three years, this article is your roadmap. Not a fluff-filled checklist. Not a theory. A real-world, doable plan. Here's what I hear from owners all the time: 'I'll sell later… when I'm ready, when the market's better, when I hit seven figures.' It sounds logical. But it's a trap. Time doesn't increase your business's value on its own. In fact, the longer you wait without a clear plan, the more risk you're likely adding, whether you realize it or not. Many founders spend those extra months or years obsessing over revenue goals, launching new offers, or redesigning their websites. But none of that matters if the business still relies on them to operate, can't show predictable cash flow, or feels impossible to transfer to someone else. If you don't take time to de-risk your business, then more time only increases fatigue. Not value. Instead of trying to focus on 50 things to increase the value of your business, let's keep it simple and target your energy on just three specific steps. Just three. First, start with an independent business valuation so you know exactly what your business is worth today—not based on vibes, but real data. Then, take an exit readiness assessment, which measures how easy or difficult it would be for a buyer to step into your business tomorrow. Together, these two assessments show you exactly where the risk lies in your business. And more importantly, what to fix to increase the price someone is willing to pay for your business. From a valuation and an exit-readiness assessment, you can identify the highest-impact changes you can make based on your business model, current systems, team size, and financials. But, you've probably heard all the usual suggestions: 'Systematize your business.' 'Build recurring revenue.' 'Create an SOP for everything.' None of this is bad advice. But when applied in the wrong order or to the wrong business model, it wastes time—and sometimes even decreases value. Here's the problem with generic advice: it assumes the same priorities apply to every business. That's simply not true. If you already have a subscription model but your margins are razor-thin, recurring revenue won't move your valuation. If your business relies on one big client who accounts for 60% of your income, that's a huge risk for buyers, even if your branding is gorgeous and your marketing is optimized. I know business owners who spent years building out operations manuals, only to find that their biggest red flag for a buyer was customer concentration. Others spent months rebranding, not realizing their personal name was still the glue holding everything together. That's why a personalized plan matters more than ever. While your exit strategy should be personal, certain value drivers show up again and again. Here are three of the most common value drivers for owners preparing to exit. If your business can't function without you, buyers either walk away or offer a price that reflects the risk they'll have to take on after you're gone. Buyers don't just want sales. They want sustainable sales without owner involvement. To reduce this risk, start with documentation. Create clear standard operating procedures for client delivery, sales, and operations. Then, begin shifting responsibilities to someone internally, often a second-in-command or operations manager who can take the lead. Finally, detach client relationships from you. If your clients only want to work with you, they're not actually loyal to your business, they're loyal to your name. Buyers see that as a liability, not an asset. Revenue isn't enough. Predictable, de-risked revenue is what makes a business buyer say yes to acquiring your business. Start by productizing your services into repeatable offers. Replace custom work with packages. Convert one-time projects into ongoing retainers. Look for areas where subscription-based pricing makes sense. A business that can reliably forecast its next six to twelve months of revenue—without the owner hustling for each sale—commands a higher price. It also looks a lot less scary to a buyer taking the reins. Predictability equals trust. And trust increases price. Let's talk personal branding. A strong personal brand can be an incredible growth tool. But when it comes to exiting, it often becomes a handcuff. If your clients follow you on social media, sign contracts with your name, and only buy from your face, buyers see the risk: when you leave, so does the revenue. Start transitioning your positioning from 'I help clients do X' to 'Our framework helps clients achieve X.' Introduce your team publicly. Center your client case studies around process and results, not your involvement. Build client-facing materials that live in a system—not your head. When your brand is transferable, your business becomes scalable. And that's what serious buyers are looking for. If you're thinking, 'Okay, this all sounds great, but where do I start?' here's a simple timeline that shows how this can play out across a single year. None of this requires you to work 60-hour weeks. It requires focused, strategic action in the right areas. Here's the uncomfortable truth: most founders wait too long to think about exiting. They wait until they're exhausted, disillusioned, or in a financial pinch. But by then, it's often too late to fix the biggest valuation killers. If you start preparing while your business is still in growth mode—while you're still motivated and engaged—you'll have far more leverage. You'll have time to make the right changes without rushing. You'll have clarity on what buyers want. And most importantly, you'll have options. You can sell, scale, or step back on your terms. Waiting to prepare until you're 'ready' is like deciding to get in shape the week before a marathon. It's not just bad timing, it's risky. Start now, and your future self (and your bank account) will thank you. You don't need to launch a new offer. You don't need to hire a giant team. You don't need a rebrand. If you want to increase the value of your business in the next twelve months, you need one thing: a plan. A real plan. Grounded in valuation. Personalized to your business. Focused on just three areas that will increase what your business is worth—and how attractive it is to buyers. And the best time to start isn't when you feel 'done' with your business. It's before burnout. Before brokers. Before desperation. Because value isn't found at the finish line. It's built in the years leading up to it.
Entrepreneur
26-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Five Questions You'll Need to Answer to Sell Your Company
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Why are you selling? When you're in a job interview, one of the first things people ask is: Why do you want to leave your current company? And you had better have a good answer; otherwise, how are they going to trust you? When you're selling your business, buyers aren't just looking at your numbers; they're reading between the lines, sizing you up, trying to get a read on how real this opportunity is. If you can't explain why you're selling, alarm bells start to ring. Is the market changing? Are the customers disappearing? Are the margins collapsing? It's unlikely someone running a thriving business will call it a day because they've "had enough." That tends to happen when the company is failing, and its founders are tired of living on the breadline. Your reason must make sense both emotionally and financially. In other words, it's got to be compelling. Age, health, or opportunity, these are compelling. Maybe you're in your 70s and you want to spend your twilight years touring the world with the love of your life. Perhaps your health is failing, and you're worried the next office plant might just outlive you. Or it could be that you've taken things as far as your finances, industry, geography, or ability will let you. When we sold City Cruises, I was approaching my 70s. I knew I didn't have the years to carry on making plans that I wouldn't be around to follow through. But, by then, I'd built a team that didn't need me anyway. The truth was we didn't have the resources to take the company global. We'd reached our capacity in London. Literally. We hosted 4 million passengers a year, and we were running out of places to put them. I didn't need to sell. In fact, a huge part of me didn't want to. But if we found a buyer that would pay the right price and could take the brand to the next level, it made business sense to sell. And if it makes sense, you've got yourself a story. Audited accounts …ideally covering the past three years. These are the official records reviewed and signed off by a qualified accountant. They confirm what you've reported to HMRC and Companies House, and they give the buyer a baseline confidence that the numbers are accurate and the business is being run properly. They're not just looking at what happened last month or what you say will happen in the summer. Three years enables them to spot trends, determine if you're growing, and mitigate any outliers. If you have three solid years of growth, that shows the kind of consistency they might be willing to invest in. If you don't, your story will be more crucial than ever. Management accounts Where audited accounts show the official picture, your management accounts show the day-to-day reality. They're internal working documents that help you (and the buyer) understand how your business operates in real-time. These reports might be issued monthly or quarterly, but your buyer will likely want to see at least the past two years' worth. Unlike with audited accounts, here you can tell your story on the document: ● There was a dip in Q2 due to a storm in the harbour ● Q4 is higher than usual because we opened for Christmas ● The cost of petrol went up, so our margins are smaller here. The more accurate these accounts are, the better positioned you'll be to answer detailed questions, justify your numbers, and predict what might come next. The Asset register A list of everything the business owns, with a realistic valuation next to it. It might include vehicles, machinery, equipment, IT systems, property. It's not just about how much the assets cost you; it's about knowing what they're worth today. Your audited accounts will show that your equipment has lost value over time, but the asset register is your chance to say, "Actually, it's still worth more than that." For instance, the accounts might say something's worth £1,000 because it's five years old. But in reality, it's in great condition and would sell tomorrow for £5,000. Buyers also need to know what they're getting. If you purchase a business that supposedly has ten company cars, but when you arrive, you can only find six, you need something to refer back to. Imagine that at scale. Perhaps there are 1,000 employees, and they all have laptops, phones, or tools they keep at home. Nightmare! Everything needs to be written down. When millions of pounds are changing hands, you can't rely on a conversation you had in the elevator. Organisational chart This is more than just a who's who in the company. You need to know what every employee does (what they think they're doing) and who they report to! The name isn't interesting. Your buyer doesn't want to know about Mary and why she's such a strong finance director, or where she worked previously. There's a story to be told, sure, but not about Mary. What they care about are roles and responsibilities. Are the roles clearly defined? Who reports to whom? What happens if a key person leaves or falls sick? Could someone else step in tomorrow? There will be time to assess people on their individual merits; that time is not the org chart. We care about whether the business is properly staffed, which tasks end up where, and how each department connects. It's not about who's in what chair, it's about making sure you even have the right furniture. If you answer the first five questions well, you'll likely get 100 more. Some will be universal, while others will be industry-specific. But one, perhaps unspoken, question underpins them all: What's my risk? So, get ready now! Implement processes, understand the data, and tell your story. The more prepared you are, the more you can mitigate the buyer's risk, and ultimately, make the money you deserve.
