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Exit Advisory Group

Exit Like an Expert  ·  New Book  ·  Simon Bedard

The roadmap to selling your business for what it’s actually worth.

81% of founders wish they had prepared for their exit earlier. Don’t be one of them.

Exit Like an Expert gives you the exact framework to prepare for exit and command a premium multiple when it’s time to sell.

  • Calculate your “walk-away” number.
  • Spot the red flags that kill your multiple.
  • Build a valuable and saleable asset.
Buy the book
Exit Like an Expert, the book by Simon Bedard

The most expensive mistake a founder can make

“One day” is hope.
Not a strategy

Ask a business owner when they plan to exit. You’ll almost always hear the same answer: “One day.”

But one day is not a plan. And hope almost never delivers a premium valuation.

The best exits are engineered years before they happen.

The reality is that exits are won or lost years before the sale. The founders who achieve the best outcomes aren’t the ones with the best businesses on paper. They’re the ones who prepared early, built with intention, and showed up to the table ready.

Whether you’re selling in 12 months or 10 years, the window to prepare is open right now.

81%

of business owners who've sold wish they had prepared earlier.

UBS Investor Watch Survey

61%

believe lack of preparation directly cost them money at the table.

UBS Investor Watch Survey

Your roadmap to exit ready

You don’t need to have it all figured out today.
You just need to start.

Exit planning sounds complex. And yes, there’s a lot to it. But you don’t have to tackle it all at once.

Start with one thing. Then another.

Step by step, the complex becomes manageable, and the overwhelming becomes a clear path forward. Exit Like an Expert breaks the entire journey into four straightforward parts, so instead of feeling like you’re staring down an impossible task, you know exactly where you are, what to focus on next, and why it matters.

Buy the book
  • 1

    Part I · Mindset

    Shift from “one day” thinking to strategic readiness. Align your personal goals with your exit plan before the pressure starts.

  • 2

    Part II · Building a business ready to sell

    Drive up your valuation using the VALUE360™ framework. De-risk systematically and build the transferable value that gives buyers confidence to pay a premium.

  • 3

    Part III · The sale process decoded

    Find the right buyer, negotiate effectively, and keep your business running during the deal without losing momentum or leverage.

  • 4

    Part IV · Life after the sale

    Redefine your purpose, plan the next chapter, and exit without regret. The financial outcome matters, and so does everything that comes after it.

Exit Like an Expert on a desk

Sell your business like an expert

10 things you’ll know how to do after reading this book.

  • Calculate your “Number” and define what a successful exit looks like.
  • Time your exit around readiness and market conditions, not desperation or rumour.
  • Understand different buyer types and how they price risk.
  • View your business through an acquirer's lens and spot value leaks early.
  • Identify and fix risks that are quietly killing your multiple before they cost you at the table.
  • Build a business that is transferable, not dependent on you, and commands a premium multiple because of it.
  • Strengthen the core drivers of value across financials, operations, and people.
  • Prepare for due diligence and avoid surprises that can erode terms.
  • Run the deal journey from go to signed and know what's expected at each stage.
  • Prepare for negotiation with a framework that will keep you focused on what's important.

Trusted by M&A leaders and experts

  • “Simon's book on how to prepare for and realise value is a masterclass with relevance to advisers, investors and business owners.”

    Suvir Varma

    Advisory Partner & Former IC Member

    Bain & Company

  • “Simon nails the reality of the deal process. This book teaches founders how to ensure their business is ready for a transaction so they can focus on negotiations without being caught off guard.”

    Jason Marcus

    Corporate Partner

    Thomson Geer Lawyers

  • “Simon has produced the handbook on how to successfully sell a business for the Australian market. This is a must for all business owners. It outlines how to make a sale that everyone is happy with.”

    Warren Hogan

    Australian Economist

    EQ Economics

See more endorsements

“My goal is to help entrepreneurs build valuable businesses that are saleable. Whether you want to sell or not, a business that is saleable will grow faster, be more profitable, and be a lot more enjoyable to run.”

Simon Bedard · Author, Exit Like an Expert · Founder & CEO, Exit Advisory Group

Simon Bedard, CEO of Exit Advisory Group and author of Exit Like an Expert

Meet Simon Bedard, the author

Simon Bedard

Founder & CEO, Exit Advisory Group · Host, Buy Grow Sell Podcast · National Chair, Australian Institute of Business Brokers

Many people think about growth first and exit later. But the best exits are built into the business early, in the systems, the team, the growth engine, the revenue quality, and the decisions that either create or destroy transferable value along the way.

After working with hundreds of business owners through valuations, exit planning, and live transactions, I kept seeing the same pattern: founders who built great businesses still left significant value behind because they weren’t prepared for the sale itself.

I wrote Exit Like an Expert to change that. It brings together everything we use with clients at Exit Advisory Group. The mindset shift, our proprietary VALUE360™ framework for building transferable value, the sale process decoded, and the question most founders never ask until it’s too late: what comes after?

Whether you plan to sell in one year or ten, this is the roadmap I wish every founder had from day one.

Recognised & trusted

  • Member, Australian Institute of Business Brokers (AIBB)
  • Registered Business Valuer (RBV)
  • Bx Business Consulting Company of the Year 2024
  • Business NSW Regional Awards finalist 2024
  • Australian Small Business Champion Awards finalist

Simon Bedard featured in

Exit Like an Expert Resource Hub

The book tells you what to do. The hub helps you do it.

  • 6 practical tools
  • Free, always
  • + Ongoing content

Every copy of Exit Like an Expert comes with access to the companion Resource Hub. Six practical tools designed to help you apply the framework as you read.

  • 01

    “What’s My Number?” Spreadsheet

    Calculate exactly what you need from a sale to hit your personal financial goals, before you go to market.

  • 02

    Exit Readiness Questionnaire

    Benchmark where you stand today and surface the gaps that will cost you most at negotiation.

  • 03

    The Sweet Spot Matrix

    Find the intersection of value, timing and market conditions that defines your ideal exit window.

  • 04

    “What’s My Valuation Multiple?” Tool

    Understand how buyers will price your business, and what drives your multiple up or down.

  • 05

    VALUE360™ Self Assessment

    Score your business across the full value framework Simon uses with clients before a sale.

  • 06

    Videos, Webinars & Articles

    Ongoing content designed to help you apply what you’re reading, chapter by chapter.

Your first step to a life-changing business exit

Buy the book

More from industry leaders

  • “As a legal M&A adviser, we see deals fall over daily because of poor preparation. Exit Like an Expert is the playbook every owner should read before they engage us. It turns messy businesses into deal-ready assets.”

    Joanna Oakey

    Managing Partner

    Aspect Legal

  • “Most business owners treat their exit as an event. Simon Bedard shows why that mindset costs them dearly. Exit Like an Expert reframes the exit as a strategic journey, practical, clear, and commercially sharp. Essential reading for any founder thinking beyond “one day”.”

    Matt Alderton

    Founder & CEO

    Bx

  • “Exit Like an Expert won't just help you work out what your business is actually worth, it will help you build a more valuable business right now, and exit on the best possible terms in the future. This is the reality check every founder needs.”

    Sara Howard

    Founder, Writers Australia

    Author, Beyond Solo

  • “The sad truth is, after years of blood, sweat and tears, most business owners are profoundly disappointed with their business exit. Simon Bedard is one of the few advisers who intimately understands every key element of successful business exits. If you are starting to think about exiting your business, grab yourself a copy of Exit Like an Expert. It truly is the ultimate guide to achieving a successful business exit.”

    Geoff Green

    Business Exit Strategist

    Author, The Smart Business Exit