The Exit School

The Exit School At The Exit School, we teach professionals and founders how to buy the right business, structure the deal, and build freedom without starting from scratch.

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09/11/2026

Most people think buying a business is about finding one you can afford. It's not. It's about buying one you're qualified to run.

The wrong business doesn't just underperform. It buries you in work you weren't built for, with a loan you can't walk away from.

In this video I break down a real deal that looks strong on paper, spot the one number I don't trust, and show you how to know if a business actually fits you.

Watch before you start looking. And if you're not sure what the right fit looks like for you, let's talk it through. Book a call and we'll help you figure it out.

08/27/2026

The fastest way to waste six months buying a business is to start looking before you know what you're looking for.

Most people think step one is finding deals. It's not. Step one is your buy box: the kind of business that fits your life, your skills, and your buying power.

And here's what first-time buyers get backwards. The worst case isn't failing to find a business. It's buying the wrong one, ending up in something over your head, working harder than you wanted with a loan payment you can't walk away from.

Your buy box prevents that. What can you actually run? What do you bring? Where will you look? What financing do you need, and does the deal fit it?

Get those right first and the whole search gets faster and far less stressful.

If you want help building yours, book a call with us. We'll walk you through what buying a business really looks like.

08/20/2026

If you've ever looked at a business and thought "this is a great business," here's the question that matters more. Is it bankable?

A business can look great to you and still look like a risk to a lender. That disconnect is one of the most expensive mistakes first-time buyers make.

Lenders don't fund potential. They fund predictability. Stable cash flow. Tax returns that match the books. A deal that works on real numbers, not a best-case scenario you had to talk yourself into.

So before you fall in love with a business, look at one number: the debt service coverage ratio. If it's healthy, the business is probably priced right and likely to fund. If it's not, the deal probably dies at the bank, and you don't want to spend weeks finding that out the hard way.

If you're serious about buying a business that actually funds, book a call with us. We'll walk you through how the process works.

08/19/2026

If your plan for the first seller call is to run down a checklist, you're already losing the deal.

The questions matter. But they're not the first job. The first job is trust.

Why are they selling now? What do they want the transition to look like? What would make them feel good about handing their business to you? Get that wrong and it won't matter how clean the numbers are. We've seen deals with perfect financials collapse because the two people never connected.

This seller becomes your partner through diligence, through the handoff, and for years after. Treat the first call like the start of that partnership, not an audit.

That's how deals close at this size.

If you're ready to buy the right business the right way, book a call with us and we'll show you how the process works.

08/13/2026

Smart people buy bad businesses all the time. It is rarely the math.

They get tired of looking, get attached to one deal, and start paying for potential instead of historical performance. That is where the trouble starts.

Check the books. Check the margins. Check when the cash actually comes in.

Discipline is what protects you here.

If you are evaluating a deal right now and want a second set of eyes on it, book a strategy call and we will look at it with you.

08/07/2026

A wide buy box is not an advantage. It is a delay.

Looking at everything means most of what you look at was never a fit. Wrong lifestyle, wrong skill set, a model you do not understand well enough to run or defend.

It shows up in financing too. Lenders want a business plan and a business resume that connect your experience to the business you are buying. If you cannot explain why you are the right operator, that is a problem before you ever get to the numbers.

Narrow the buy box. Then go look.

08/04/2026

A business making money and a business paying you are not always the same thing.

This trips up almost every first-time buyer. They see top line revenue, assume it cash flows, and picture that number landing in their pocket. It rarely works that way.

Here is what actually determines your take home. Start with seller's discretionary earnings. Subtract your debt payments. Then account for what the business really needs to grow, because sellers often stop investing right before they sell. Do you need to hire someone? Add their salary. Does marketing need a real budget? Add that too.

Whatever is left after all of that is what you can pay yourself.

Run that math and some deals that looked great start to look small. That is not bad news. It is clarity.

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