# Exit Strategies

> Confidential guidance for business owners on valuation, exit options, and next steps. We help owners understand what their business is worth, compare exit pathways, and map a practical plan.

Exit Strategies advises lower and middle market business owners across the U.S. on strategic sales, private equity recapitalizations, ESOPs, management buyouts, family succession, and mergers. Every conversation is confidential and there is no obligation.

## Pages

- [Home](/): Overview of what we do — valuation, exit options, and advisor conversations.
- [Exit Options](/exit-options): Compare strategic acquisition, private equity, ESOP, management buyout, family succession, and mergers.
- [Valuation](/valuation): Get a confidential business valuation range and see the readiness factors that drive multiples.
- [Value Builder System](/valuation/value-builder-system): The eight drivers of company value and how to raise your Value Builder Score.
- [Resources](/resources): Guides, videos, articles, and tools for owners preparing to exit.
- [Blog](/blog): Educational articles on valuation, selling, and exit planning.
- [FAQ](/faq): Answers to the most common owner questions on valuation, timing, exit options, due diligence, and confidentiality.
- [Contact](/contact): Talk to an advisor. (814) 564-5252.
- [Locations](/locations): All service areas across Northwest Indiana and the south Chicago suburbs.

## Service Areas

- [Crown Point & Dyer](/locations/crown-point-dyer): Exit planning and valuation for Crown Point, Dyer, St. John, Cedar Lake, and Lowell, Indiana.
- [Schererville & Merrillville](/locations/schererville-merrillville): Valuation and exit planning for Schererville, Merrillville, Hobart, Griffith, and Winfield, Indiana.
- [Munster, Highland & Hammond](/locations/munster-highland-hammond): Exit planning for Munster, Highland, Hammond, Whiting, and East Chicago, Indiana.
- [Valparaiso & Portage](/locations/valparaiso-portage): Valuation and sale preparation for Porter County, Indiana owners.
- [South Suburban Chicago](/locations/south-suburban-chicago): Exit planning for Lansing, Calumet City, Homewood, Tinley Park, and Orland Park, Illinois.

## Blog

- [How to Value Your Business Before You Sell](/blog/how-to-value-your-business-before-you-sell): Valuation methods buyers actually use and the levers that lift your multiple.
- [Selling to Private Equity vs. a Strategic Buyer](/blog/selling-to-private-equity-vs-strategic-buyer): How the two buyer types differ on price, terms, and legacy.
- [The Exit Planning Timeline: 36, 24, and 12 Months Before You Sell](/blog/exit-planning-timeline-36-months-before-you-sell): A month by month roadmap for preparing a business for sale.
- [Due Diligence Deal Killers: 7 Issues That Sink Business Sales](/blog/due-diligence-deal-killers): The findings that most often retrade or end a deal, and how to clear them before market.
- [How Much Is My Business Worth?](/blog/how-much-is-my-business-worth): How buyers value privately held companies using adjusted EBITDA and market multiples.
- [When Should I Sell My Business?](/blog/when-should-i-sell-my-business): Seven signals across personal readiness, business performance, and market timing.
- [Business Exit Strategy Options](/blog/business-exit-strategy-options): Seven exit paths compared on price, timeline, tax, and your role after closing.
- [How Long Does It Take to Sell a Business?](/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-sell-a-business): A phase by phase timeline from preparation through closing.
- [Due Diligence Checklist for Selling a Business](/blog/due-diligence-checklist-selling-a-business): The documents buyers request and how to organize a data room.
- [How to Sell Your Business Confidentially](/blog/how-to-sell-your-business-confidentially): Blind profiles, NDAs, staged data room access, and employee communication.
- [Working Capital: The Line That Surprises Sellers at Closing](/blog/working-capital-adjustment-business-sale): How the net working capital peg works and why the target is the real negotiation.