How to Successfully Exit Your Service Business
Exiting your business is one of the most significant financial events of your life, yet most service business owners spend years building without ever preparing for the day they'll leave. This session gives you the framework to plan your exit on your terms.
- Date & time: to be confirmed
- Format: in-person or virtual, TBD
- Hosted by David DiBiase & Patrick O'Brien
Common exit paths. Most owners only know one.
Years out is when planning should start, not months.
Shot to get the biggest financial event of your life right.
The difference between a life-changing exit and a stalled deal
Whether you're five years out or five months out, understanding your options and getting the right pieces in place can mean the difference between walking away with life-changing wealth or having your deal stall at the finish line.
We'll cover the most common types of exits available, from strategic or brokered sales to internal succession and private equity, so you can identify the path that fits your goals. You'll also learn what buyers actually look for: the right advisors, financial systems, and legal structures that make a clean transition possible, plus the value drivers that matter most, like recurring revenue, owner independence, client concentration, and team stability.
By the end of this session, you'll have a clear framework for thinking about your exit, a better understanding of what your business may be worth, and actionable steps to start building toward the outcome you want.
What you'll walk away with
Understand the 3 exit paths
Learn the most common types of exits, strategic or brokered sale, internal succession, and private equity, and which is the best fit for you.
Know your value drivers
Identify the top value drivers inside your business, including recurring revenue, owner independence, client concentration, and team stability, that increase sale value.
Align your goals
How to align your personal goals, financial goals, and goals for the business to create a successful exit.
Three roads out. Which one fits you?
Strategic or Brokered Sale
Selling to a third party: a competitor, strategic buyer, or through a broker who runs a formal sale process.
Internal Succession
Transitioning ownership to a partner, family member, or key employees over time.
Private Equity
Partnering with or selling to a PE-backed platform looking to consolidate or scale service businesses.
This session is for you if…
- You run a service-based business and have thought about, but never mapped out, your exit.
- You don't know which of the three exit paths actually fits your business or your goals.
- You want to know what your business might be worth, and what would actually move that number.
- You're ready to stop treating your exit as "someday" and start building toward it now.
Led by advisors who've been on both sides of the table
David DiBiase
With over a decade of experience owning and operating small businesses, and as a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, David built and scaled Fish Window Cleaning into one of the top-performing franchises in the country before transitioning into financial planning. He brings an owner's perspective to every exit conversation.
Patrick O'Brien
Patrick's career spans entrepreneurship, banking, and serving as a CFO, experience he now brings to helping business owners understand the financial systems and structures that make a clean, well-timed exit possible. His focus is removing the financial obstacles that stand between owners and the outcome they want.
Start planning the exit you actually want.
Space is limited. Registration details, including date, time, and location, will be confirmed shortly.
Registration will ask for your name, contact info, business name, industry, and rough exit timeline, so David and Patrick can tailor the session to the room.
Securities, investment advisory services and financial planning are offered through qualified registered representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC, Member SIPC. Supervisory office: 280 Congress Street, Suite 1300, Boston, MA 02210. This material is for educational purposes only and is not intended as tax, legal, or investment advice. Please consult your own advisors regarding your specific situation. Check the background of your financial professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck.