Answer first

When should I sell my business?

Compare four things: what you want after the sale, whether the business records are ready for review, how the company would operate after your departure, and the terms buyers would actually offer. There is no useful two-out-of-four score. One unacceptable condition can matter more than three favorable ones.

1. Personal plans. Write down what you want the sale to make possible, the income you would need afterward, and whether you would accept a transition role. Discuss after-tax proceeds and your financial plan with qualified advisers.

2. Business readiness. Can you produce reliable financial records, current contracts and an explanation of how the business earns money? List missing documents and unresolved obligations before assuming a buyer can assess the business.

3. Owner independence. Which customer relationships, approvals and operational tasks still require you? Name who could take them over and what a buyer would need from you during a transition.

4. Market and deal terms. Compare actual indications of interest, payment timing, conditions, retained risk and your required involvement. A headline price alone does not answer whether the offer fits your plans.

For example, a fictional owner who wants to leave within six months may reject a higher offer requiring three years of continued involvement. That mismatch is not canceled out by strong accounts or a favorable market. The next step is to test different terms or a different timeline with the transaction team.

Before sale timing becomes the question

• Check personal readiness, business readiness, market timing, and whether the company depends too much on you.
• List the conditions that would make a sale acceptable and the facts still missing. Use that list with transaction, tax, legal and financial professionals; do not turn it into a readiness score.
• This page is not transaction, investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice.