03/03/2026
Are you a Business Owner with an EXIT PLAN or an EXIT ILLUSION?
This is a conversation with a business seller posted by Mike Finger, Founder of Exit Oasis in the USA.
The reason for me sharing it, is that I find myself in the exact same situation in South Africa every day!
It really is very sad!
"You can't sell this business" I said.
"I don't follow," she replied, "I have to sell."
For her, this business was her life’s work. It was the "Grand Plan." Now, in her late sixties with a daunting health diagnosis, she was finally ready to pull the lever on the retirement she’d earned.
She needed the exit. She needed the liquidity. But most of all, she needed a win.
"This is my entire retirement fund," she told me, her hands trembling slightly on the table. "The money from this sale is what I’m supposed to live on."
"I’m trying to find a way to say this gently," I started, struggling to find the right words. "But based on the numbers... you aren't going to get that valuation. Not even close."
"In fact, in its current state, this business isn't sellable."
She gripped her chair. "How can you say that?"
"Because a buyer isn't buying your hard work—they're buying a return on investment," I explained. "You’ve told me you’re in the office seven days a week. You’re barely breaking even. You’ve sacrificed your salary for years just to keep the lights on in an industry that's getting more crowded by the day."
"I’ve poured everything into this," she interrupted.
"I know you have," I said. "But you’re asking a stranger to step into a high-stress, low-profit situation and pay you for the burden. From a buyer's perspective, the math just doesn't work."
I watched the color drain from her face.
"If we had eighteen months, we could pivot. We could build systems. We could find a path to profitability," I added. "But you told me you need to be out in ninety days. In that timeframe... there is no market for this."
She looked away, staring at the wall as she fought back tears. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"I just took it for granted that someone would want it."
This is the kind of heartbreak I see far too often in the world of small business.
We call it the "Exit Illusion."
Founders spend decades building a company, assuming that the sheer volume of their sacrifice will eventually translate into a massive paycheck. They treat their business like a savings account, only to find out at the very end that the account is empty.
Hard work does not equal "sellability."
Systems, profit, and independence equal "sellability."
If your business can’t run without you being there every single day, you haven't built an asset. You’ve built a cage. And it’s very hard to sell a cage.
My question for the Business owners out there...
If you had to walk away in three months, would anyone actually buy what you’ve built?
For a no-obligation Exit readiness chat please email [email protected].
