Did You Receive an Offer to Buy Your Company? Read This Before You Respond
An offer can feel like the finish line. In practice, it's the starting point of the part of the process where sellers, whether that's the owner, the CFO, or a management team, quietly lose a substantial part of what they thought they'd agreed. Zach Dogar explains the five most common ways this happens, and exactly what to do before you respond to anything.
The Hidden Risks of Using ChatGPT to Sell Your Business Yourself
More business owners are turning to ChatGPT for a first opinion on what their business is worth. The answers sound confident and well-informed. What they leave out is what actually determines whether a sale goes well: confidentiality, negotiating position, and a valuation that can survive scrutiny. Zach Dogar explains where AI genuinely helps, and the five places it quietly costs sellers money.
Why the Best Buyers Never Approach You Directly
Most business owners wait to be found. The problem is that the buyers who approach you without being asked are almost never the ones who will pay the most for what you have built. Strategic acquirers pay strategic premium but you have to find them.
The Fatigue Discount: Why Selling Your Business When You Are Burnt Out Destroys Your Valuation
When a business owner enters a sales process exhausted, experienced buyers exploit that urgency. The result is a lower price, a more aggressive deal structure, and earnout terms they would have rejected in better shape. ETSC founder Zach Dogar explains the Fatigue Discount - what it costs, how buyers use it, and what to do before you go to market.
The Exclusivity Clause: How Buyers Freeze the Market and Take Control
Exclusivity is the moment in a business sale where the balance of power shifts from seller to buyer. Most founders sign it without understanding what they are giving away. Zach Dogar explains how buyers use the exclusivity period to renegotiate terms — and what to agree before you sign.
The Friendly Buyer Fallacy: Why Selling to a Competitor Requires a Buffer?
Selling to a competitor feels like the sensible option. You know them, they know your market, and the conversation starts over coffee. But the moment you indicate you want to sell without independent representation, you hand over your negotiating leverage, open your books to a rival, and find yourself conceding ground you never needed to give away. Zach Dogar explains why a direct approach to a competitor is one of the most costly mistakes a founder can make.