Thinking About Selling Your Georgia Business?
If you’re a business owner in Georgia considering an exit, what you do before listing your company is just as important as what happens during the sale.
At VR Business Sales Atlanta, we’ve seen dozens of good businesses lose value—or fall apart entirely—because of poor early decisions. Today, I’m sharing the top 3 mistakes sellers make before they ever go to market—and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Assuming Your Business Is Worth What You Want
One of the most common errors? Believing that your sale price should be based on what you need—not what buyers are actually willing to pay.
📉 Sellers often tell me, “I need $2 million to retire.” But if your business can’t support that price based on its cash flow and risk profile, the deal dies before it begins.
Fix it: Start with a formal valuation based on Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE), market multiples, and buyer financeability. We run these every week for Georgia-based owners.
Mistake #2: Hiding Weaknesses Instead of Fixing Them
Buyers are doing due diligence. If you’ve got poor bookkeeping, undocumented processes, or over-reliance on one customer, it will come out—and cost you.
🕵️♂️ One buyer backed out of a $1.5M deal last quarter after finding $300K in undocumented vendor payments.
Fix it: Spend 60-90 days strengthening weak areas. Clean financials. Diversify customer base. Document roles and systems.
Mistake #3: Talking to Buyers Without a Strategy
Talking to “interested buyers” without an advisor or a confidentiality strategy is a recipe for lost leverage—and possibly lost employees or clients.
🤐 Once a seller in Marietta shared sale details with a friend-of-a-friend buyer. Word leaked to staff. Panic followed. The deal collapsed.
Fix it: Use blind listings. Pre-screen buyers. Set expectations with NDAs. Let your broker handle introductions.
Expert Summary
Selling a business in Georgia isn’t just about revenue—it’s about preparation. Avoid the top 3 mistakes: unrealistic pricing, weak operations, and unstructured conversations with buyers. A professional broker like VR Business Sales Atlanta helps you protect value, maintain confidentiality, and close strong.
FAQ Section
Q: What’s the #1 reason buyers walk away?
A: Unclear or inflated financials. That’s why we start every deal with clean books and formal valuations.
Q: Should I talk to buyers before hiring a broker?
A: Only after they’ve signed an NDA and you’ve verified their financial capability.
Q: How do I know if I’m ready to sell?
A: If your business can run without you for 30 days and your books are clean—you’re close.
Here is checklist to get your business ready to sell: Exit Strategy prep