Time after time, client after client, research study after research study, the answer remains the same—business owners’ number one goal at exit is to achieve their financial win, whatever amount that might be. In our experience, the most common financial goal is to reach financial freedom, which we define as getting to the point where working is a personal choice, not a necessity. Money cannot buy happiness, but business owners who have successfully reached financial freedom seem to smile on a regular basis.
Take two Mercedes-Benz sedans of the same make and model, offer them both for sale, and one vehicle will sell at a higher price than the other. There are many reasons this occurs: one car may be newer, have lower mileage, include more amenities, be more collectible, or has a better service record. This phenomenon, of course, is not unique to Mercedes-Benz automobiles. The same reality happens with cars of every brand. Some conditions will universally (at least nearly so) make one car more valuable at sale than a peer of the exact make and model.