The Entrepreneur Whisperer? – MD Of Sakura Business Shares His Thoughts on Getting SME’s ‘Exit Ready’

Damian Connolly – MD of Sakura Business Solutions appears on UK business podcast The Bulletproof Entrepreneur to discuss his experiences of helping SME’s prepare for a sale or EXIT from their business.

With a wave of SME business owners now at the stage of either considering whether to continue to focus on the growth of their business, or alternatively with retirement now firmly on their radar – when do you need to start preparing for a sale or ‘Exit’ from your own business ?

1. Most business owners only sell once and are often unsure how or where to start
2. Many are completely unprepared for what is the most significant financial transaction of their lives
3. Often business owners are leaving substantial ‘money on the table’ at the point they sell or exit

Damian Connolly has, during the course of his career, been closely involved in the preparation of SME businesses ahead of sale to third parties. Whether for privately owned businesses to generate a life changing sum for their owner(s), or for private equity backed businesses looking for a secondary exit.

Now with his own business, Sakura Business Solutions, Damian is helping SME business owners who are thinking about a change of scenery, an upcoming retirement or with health issues, to begin to plan 2, 3 or even 5 years ahead of a sale or ‘Exit from their business.

On the UK based Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast, Damian has shared the 5 key issues to focus on several years out from a potential exit—and the one thing that will crush any value if you don’t fix it.

There is also a wild story about a founder he worked with who turned down an offer of £80m, believing his business was worth more, and came to regret that decision - an important lesson in timing and knowing how much is enough.

Damian also explained during the podcast the optimal time to begin the pre-exit journey and the 3-step process he uses when working with entrepreneurs and business owners.

Sakura Business Solutions is an accountancy practice that works with SMEs providing outsourced bookkeeping and finance team solutions, Xero and Quickbooks software development and support, Fractional CFO services and ‘Exit ready’ planning for €1.0m + turnover businesses.