Maximising your private business exit: seven steps you can take now

If you are a private business owner, you need to think about your eventual exit, if you want to get the most out of what you have put in.

This doesn't mean you take your eye off the ball, but it does mean that you should regularly review and assess your business through the eyes of a potential buyer.

No-one knows your business like you do. But there are common themes when it comes to selling a privately owned business, whether to another (possibly larger) private company, a public company, a private equity firm or an international buyer.

Here are some of the things buyers are looking for and ways you can maximise your exit value – that is, increasing the amount you are paid with the least possible ongoing risk.