If you're wondering how to sell your business for the best possible price, one of the most important steps is creating a compelling executive summary that shows potential buyers exactly what they're getting—and why your business is worth the investment.

In this episode, I'm walking you through the final step of creating a one-page business executive summary that can help attract qualified buyers and establish the terms of a successful sale.

But creating a great offering summary isn't enough. You also need to recognize the warning signs of unqualified buyers who could waste your time, derail negotiations, or jeopardize your sale.

I'll share how I structure business offering summaries, why I believe sellers should take the lead in proposing financing terms, and what business owners need to understand about seller financing and SBA-backed loans.

*In this episode, you'll learn:*

- How to create a one-page executive summary when selling your business.

- What information to include, from asking price and projected revenue to seller's discretionary earnings (SDE).

- How to identify serious, financially qualified business buyers—and recognize potential red flags.

- Why proposing a transaction structure can strengthen your negotiating position. - How seller financing, SBA loans, and buyer down payments can work together.

- Why a compelling business story and financial forecasts can help support your asking price.

Whether you're preparing to sell your small business now or planning an exit strategy for the future, understanding how to present your business to qualified buyers is essential to maximizing its value. With experience involving more than 650 business sales, I've learned that a successful transaction begins long before a buyer makes an offer.

**Listen now to learn how to prepare your business executive summary, attract serious buyers, and position your business for a successful sale.** For more insights into business valuation, business brokerage, and selling a small business, explore my book, *Glen Cooper on Business Brokerage*, available on Amazon: https://link.amazon/B0ieUmemI

Most business sellers focus on one question: What is my business worth? But before a serious buyer can get comfortable with a price, they are asking a quieter question: What might happen after I take over?

In Episode 10, I turn to a small but important part of the offering summary: the first-year forecast on the executive summary page. Using a real-world machine-shop example, I explain why this compact box can shape a buyer’s understanding of future revenue, expenses, and cash flow—without pretending the future is guaranteed.

I also share practical guidance for making a forecast more believable, where sellers tend to overcomplicate things, and why a well-prepared offering summary is more than paperwork. It is part of the story a buyer must be able to see before moving forward.

If you have already gathered broker opinions of value and started describing your business, I will walk you through the next piece you may not want to overlook.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Why buyers need a view of the business under new ownership

• The role of a forecasted profit-and-loss statement in an offering summary

• What a real machine-shop sale can teach sellers about defensible projections

• The connection between cash flow to the owner, SDE, and buyer expectations

• The next executive-summary element: price and sales structure

➡️ Get Glen's book 📕 https://link.amazon/B0gZlHFSb

Connect with Glen:

📧 Email: glen@mycoloradobusinessbrokers.com

📞 Phone: 303-919-2694 - Leave a voicemail for a return call

What if the biggest obstacle to selling your business has nothing to do with your financials?

In this episode, Glen Cooper, a business broker with nearly 50 years of experience and over 650 business transactions across three states, shares the one thing that separates businesses that sell from those that sit on the market. He reveals why learning how to write a business offering summary starts with just three paragraphs, and how that simple exercise can unlock the entire story of your business for buyers, bankers, and lending committees.

Glen walks through the full structure of a professional offering summary, the seven journalist questions every business story must answer, and why the emotional power of storytelling is the hidden driver behind successful business sales.

Whether you are a business owner preparing for an exit or a broker looking to sharpen your listings, this episode will change how you think about presenting a business to the market.

What you will learn in this episode:

•Why a compelling story makes your business a better lending risk

•The three-part structure of a professional offering summary

•The seven questions every business buyer needs answered

•How to start writing your business story today, even if you have never written one before

Get Glen's book, "Glen Cooper on Business Brokerage," on Amazon: a 300-page resource with 36 chapters covering the five challenges every business broker and seller faces.

➡️ Get Glen's book 📕 Glen Cooper on Business Brokerage Book