Exit Wounds: Why Procrastination Today Can Rob You Of Your Financial Freedom Tomorrow 

Jeffrey Feldberg: Well, hello, Deep Wealth Nation. Welcome to another episode of the Deep Wealth Podcast. And I got to tell you, not a day goes by when I'm speaking to an entrepreneur, but not just any entrepreneur, successful entrepreneurs, whether it's a startup, whether it's been an entrepreneur who's been in business for decades.

And I often hear the same thing. Yes, Jeffrey, I want my financial freedom, but you know what, when it comes time to prepare for my liquidity event, whether that's 22 years away or two years away. I'll start preparing just before because I don't have time right now. The business is going well, my thoughts, my attention, my focus, my money.

I have to deal with what's on my plate right now. I don't have time for anything else. And you know what? It's a nice story that these entrepreneurs tell themselves, but the truth is it's a lie. It's a myth. They're telling themselves that they'll prepare tomorrow or worse yet, they'll prepare right before they're ready to go to market, but that's the worst thing that you can do.

So this episode is dedicated to all those entrepreneurs who are buying into the myth that you have time to prepare [00:01:00] for your liquidity event, and with this in mind, the title for this episode is called Exit Wounds. Why Procrastination Today Can Rob You of Your Financial Freedom Tomorrow. 

And the truth of the matter is, if you believe the myth, it's not your fault. Everyone you speak to tells you the same thing in the business world. Heck, I went through that when I was growing my business at Embanet. I heard the same narrative time and time again.

Jeffrey, when it's time for you to have your liquidity event, when it's time for your exit, come speak to me. Otherwise, between now and then, keep on doing whatever you're doing with your business. And look what happened. When I didn't prepare it, when I simply showed up, that's when I had that wolf in sheep's clothing, otherwise known as a buyer, give me a seven figure offer.

Thankfully, I said no to that offer. I went ahead and created this system that I use for myself and my business partners, having no idea where it would go or what it would do. But ultimately the system that I created unleashed a nine figure deal. And I learned almost the hard way why. [00:02:00] the myth of, well, you have time to prepare, you can do it tomorrow.

It's a myth. It can rob you of your financial freedom. So for this episode, let's go right into the trenches of strategies and what you need to know of what has to happen for you to get not just any deal, but But the absolute best deal. 

And before we start the episode, a quick word from our sponsor, Deep Wealth and the Deep Wealth Mastery Program. Here's Sanjay, a graduate of Deep Wealth Mastery, and he says, the investment I made in the Deep Wealth Mastery Program, it's a rounding error compared to the value created today and the future value I'll receive.

Or how about William, who says, and I love this, A company that's attractive to sell is also a great one to own. The Deep Wealth Mastery Program gives me the best of both worlds. 

Now speaking of growth and adding value, check out what Leon says. He says that the Deep Wealth Mastery Program changed how and who we hire. We've now begun to hire talent today that we never would have hired if it weren't for the program. The talent we're hiring [00:03:00] today is helping both increase our growth and profits and our future enterprise value. 

Man, I love that kind of feedback because it's that kind of feedback that's what gets me out of bed every day.

Deep Wealth Mastery System, it's the only system based on a nine figure deal. That was my deal. And as you know, I said, no to a seven figure offer, created a system that we now call Deep Wealth Mastery, and that's what helped myself and my business partners all welcome from a different buyer, a different offer, a nine figure deal.

So if you're interested in growing your profits, preparing for a future liquidity event, whether that's two years away or 22 years away, and if you want to optimize your post exit life, Deep Wealth Mastery is for you. Please email success at deepwealth. com. Again, that's success, S U C C E S S at deepwealth. com. We'll send you all the information about Deep Wealth Mastery, otherwise known as the Scale for Ultimate Sales System. 

That's where you want to be. You want to be with other successful business owners, entrepreneurs, and founders, just like you, who are looking to create market disruptions. Whether you're a startup, [00:04:00] whether you've been in business for three or four decades, whether you're manufacturing, whether you're high tech, SaaS, low tech, whatever the case may Come in and network with other business owners, with other businesses, just like you, because they all want to lock in their financial freedom and enjoy both success and fulfillment.

Again, that's the 90 day Deep Wealth Mastery program. It has your name on it. All you need to do is take the next step. Please send an email to success at deepwealth. com. 

So I want you to imagine for just a moment, you have a dream from the ground up with your business.

You've poured your sweat, your time, your fashion into every facet of the business. And now it's time to reap the rewards of your lifelong investment. But here's where things get tricky. And this is what I need you to lean into and listen closely because it's crucial. The enterprise value of your business, the big payoff that you're anticipating, it will dramatically increase if you wait too long to prepare for your liquidity event.

Now, you might be wondering, Jeffrey, what do you mean by enterprise value? Well, simply put, it's the [00:05:00] total worth of your business, the number that a buyer is willing to pay to call your business theirs. But here's the kicker. The number is not just a reflection of your earnings, your assets. Your profit and loss, the balance sheet, all those other financials, it's deeply intertwined with your ability to showcase your business's potential in terms of your future earnings, your growth, and what we here at Deep Wealth, what we call X-Factors.

So let's talk about these X-Factors or what we even call Rembrandts for just a moment. These are the unique elements that set your business apart, that they make it more valuable than the competition. It could be something proprietary that you've done, maybe with your technology or your service.

Perhaps it's how you position yourself in the marketplace. Maybe it's your culture or your leadership team or how your customers are so loyal to you. These factors, they're not just any factors. That's why they're X-Factors. They promise continued success and accelerated growth. They paint the hope of a brighter and better tomorrow.

But here's a powerful truth. [00:06:00] If you don't prepare early, if you wait until the 11th hour to pull everything together, you're likely going to overlook these critical value drivers, these X-Factors. It's like you're going to sell your car, and only then deciding to clean it up and fix up that long ignored engine problem. You wouldn't do that, right? Because you know, it just doesn't work. 

 But here's where it gets even more interesting. When you prepare in advance, you take the time, you make the time that you don't have to prepare in advance. You have the unique opportunity to not just identify these X-Factors and these Rembrandts, but you can enhance them to build them into powerful narratives that captivate potential buyers and investors.

This isn't just preparation, it's strategic enhancement of your life's work. Now on this podcast, you've heard them. I've had many valuators come onto the podcast and they've all said the same thing, Jeffrey, the value of a business, 80 percent of it, it starts with the narrative. Yes, financials, it's important.

Data is important, but it's not as important as a narrative. So think [00:07:00] about this in the 90 day Deep Wealth Mastery program. yes, I know it's a shameless plug, but work with me on this. Step one. The big picture, this is where you're finding inflection points. And then step two, your X-Factors, your current X-Factors and the new X-Factors to help you identify and really remove those inflection points that's what goes into these narratives that you're creating for your future buyer or investor. 

So I want you to imagine this. You're walking into a negotiation with a potential buyer or investor, armed not just with your numbers and your forecast, but you have a compelling, undeniable story of growth and innovation.

Your business isn't just functioning, it's thriving. It's pulsing with potential. That, my friends, that's how you maximize your enterprise value. That's how you ensure you don't just get any deal, but the best possible deal. So you may be asking yourself, am I ready to maximize my enterprise value today?

And if your answer is anything less than an unequivocal yes, it's time to start. Because in the world of liquidity events, [00:08:00] time is not just money, it's opportunity.

And remember, this journey of preparation isn't just a task. It's an investment in your future, an act of securing the legacy you truly deserve.

And in fact, here's a testimonial as I was thinking about this from Rachel, she's a participant that went through the Deep Wealth Mastery Program, and it underscores the importance of early preparation to enhance the enterprise value of your business. Rachel says, "I originally thought that I'd go through the Deep Wealth Mastery Program closer to my liquidity event.

Having gone through it, I now know that the system helps take my business to the next level and will result in a higher valuation. "

So the first reason of why you don't want to put your preparation off for quote unquote tomorrow or later on or years from now by avoiding the preparation today you are, believe it or not, you're lowering your enterprise value tomorrow. You need that preparation. So that's the first reason. There's eight other reasons of why you want to start preparing today.

And when you [00:09:00] start doing this, this is how you avoid those exit wounds and why your procrastination today will rob you of financial freedom tomorrow. If you don't do these things. And so for the second reason, it's all about deal fatigue. So as we continue this journey, it's not just about any liquidity event.

As you know, as we love to say here at Deep Wealth, it's not any deal. It's the absolute best deal. So let's peel back another layer of the strategy onion and let's focus on a sneaky saboteur that can absolutely undermine even the most seasoned business owner, aka deal fatigue. So think about the last time you were making a significant decision.

Maybe it was buying a new house or deciding on a new market to enter with your business. Now imagine you're under a tight deadline. The pressure is mounting. Information is flying at you. Decisions need to be made yesterday. Not right now, but yesterday. Are you feeling stressed yet? My goodness, I'm feeling stressed just talking about it.

This is the playground of deal fatigue. 

 Deal fatigue sets in when you and your team, you're [00:10:00] overwhelmed by the sheer complexity and the duration of the negotiations during the liquidity event. It's like running a marathon, but you've only trained for a sprint. Your energy dips, your focus blurs, and the finish line seems to stretch even further away.

And what I love about preparation, when you're prepared, it means you're in market less time. If the buyer or investor starts asking all of these questions, you've likely done that ahead of time. You can point them to your data room. You can point them to the reports that you've already done. And let's face it, when you're in market speed always wins. When you're in market and out of market as fast as you can, number one, you're avoiding deal fatigue, but nobody knows what tomorrow brings. There could be another pandemic, heaven forbid. There could be some kind of a market crash. Who knows what's going on? The quicker you're in and out of the market, the better off you're going to be.

Because here's the truth. Deal fatigue isn't just about being tired. It's about how being tired leads you to make decisions that aren't in your best interest. It's about how under stress, [00:11:00] you might miss critical details or even worse, settle for less than what your business is truly worth. Now you may be thinking, well, wait a minute, Jeffrey.

Don't you have advisors that are there? They're going to protect me and I'm hiring them. I'm paying them a lot of money to help. Yes, they're there to do that. But at the same time, let's be honest about this. And we always are here at Deep Wealth for your advisors they just want a done deal. They want a deal over the best deal because for them, they want to pick up, move on, work on the next deal.

Something is better than nothing. And so it's up to you to absolutely ensure you have that peace of mind. That crystal clear clarity that you have energy to know what to do and what not to do.

 So imagine this scenario. You're so close to closing the deal. You're so ready to be done that when a buyer comes back with a demand or a lower offer, instead of negotiating or walking away you accept it just to get it over with your advisor saying, Hey, Jeffrey, come on, we've gone this far. It's yeah, it's a small request.

It's not exactly what you want, but let's just move on. Let's just go ahead. [00:12:00] You are feeling exhausted. You're tired. You want to get back to life. You want to get onto the next chapter, whatever that looks like for you. 

Does it sound familiar? Because I know we've all been there.

But here's where you turn the table on deal fatigue.

This is what we're all about at Deep Wealth. What's the secret? Early and Thorough Preparation. You enter the liquidity event with not just a strategy, but you have a deep understanding of your business's value. A clear vision of what you want and don't want. These acceptable terms, we call them deal points.

What you don't want, no-fly zones. And most importantly, the stamina to see it through. And how do you build that stamina? Well, it's like training for a marathon. You start early. 

And we talk all about this actually in Step 5 Winning Mindset. You and your team, you map out the course. You seek advice from each other. You're going to have each other's back. You're creating narratives of what it feels like, what it sounds like when you're in deal fatigue and you practice of, okay, if I'm talking like this, if I'm sounding like that, Oh oh, I'm in deal fatigue. [00:13:00] Have my back. 

Now, what is some of that self talk that I'm going through? What do I want? What don't I want? Why is that just an excuse for me to actually do the right thing? Because doing what's right often isn't easy. So you prepare mentally, you prepare strategically, and when the road gets tough, and believe me, it will, no matter how prepared you are, you keep on running.

Your eyes stay on the prize and you don't falter. 

Because, let me tell you, when deal fatigue tries to whisper in your ear that good enough is good enough, you'll be ready to shout back no, only the best is good enough for you. And as I'm talking about this, I'm reminded of a conversation I had on the Deep Wealth Podcast with Jonathan Jay.

Now, Jonathan, he buys businesses. During the pandemic, believe it or not, and you better believe it, you He made 48 business acquisitions, and he created the fourth largest group in the sector in under three years. Now, in the words of Jonathan, and this is a buyer of buyers, and I quote, he says: 

 "People get tired. We call it deal [00:14:00] fatigue. They get tired of the whole thing, and they lose interest. So it takes a long time. And if you're making it up as you go along, you can make expensive mistakes. And in business, there's no such thing as an inexpensive mistake. 

Every mistake in business costs money" end quote. 

Now the one exception here is when you're following what we call the Deep Wealth Scale for Ultimate Sales System or Deep Wealth Mastery in our nine step roadmap you have that winning mindset. You're prepared for deal fatigue. And as I referenced earlier, in one of our launch plans you and your team, you'll create a method, a system to let you know when you're heading into deal fatigue mode, and you'll then deploy strategies to ensure that you and the team, that you don't get there. 

Now stay with me because in the next section, we're going to talk all about why losing control over the liquidity event can cost you not just any deal, but your financial freedom from lack of preparation and what you can do about it.

So let's now shift gears and we're going to talk about the inability to control the liquidity event process because you're not prepared. And I want to focus on a pivotal [00:15:00] aspect that so many entrepreneurs overlook no matter if they've been in business a decade or five decades. And by the time they get there is too late, the control of your liquidity event process.

Now, you may be one of the entrepreneurs who says, Jeffrey, look, I've got a lot of runway. My liquidity event is decades away. I can't even think about it. Come back someday. Come back tomorrow. 

Well, this is specifically for you because I want you to think about one word and that one word is control. 

It's a powerful word, isn't it? 

In the context of your business liquidity event, it means having the upper hand, steering the ship, directing the course of your future.

After all, it's not as though nudge, nudge, wink, wink, your financial freedom is on the line. Now imagine that you're losing the control when you're trying to exit your business. And maybe you're not fully exiting the business. Maybe you're getting some investment. Maybe you're taking some chips off the table, whatever it is.

And that's why I love those two really posh, stuck up words, liquidity event. They describe all of those scenarios, but whatever it is, the very [00:16:00] entity that you've built from scratch, do you really want to lose control? It sounds alarming, right? Well, here's the stark reality without proper preparation too many business owners find themselves not driving, but being driven during the liquidity event process.

And yes, I know you may be thinking to yourself, well, I have all these advisors and I have the world class advisors and they're there to help. Yes, they can, up to a point. The best investment banker, the world's best investment banker, it's the old garbage in, garbage out scenario. In other words, they're only as good as what you've put into it, heading into the liquidity event.

Because once you're in motion, you have the momentum of the liquidity event. Now, momentum can work for you or against you. When you're not prepared, when your strategy isn't laid out well in advance, when you're not in the driver's seat anymore, the momentum is working against you. Your buyer or investor, sometimes even well meaning advisors, they can end up dictating the terms.

 Think about that for a moment. 

These are the very terms that will [00:17:00] define your financial and professional legacy, your life legacy. And you can end up watching from the sidelines because you didn't set the rules of the game early on. 

Now, let's visualize a different scenario, one where you're fully prepared.

You've done the preparation, you and the team, you've put in your time, nudge nudge, wink wink, you've gone through the Deep Wealth Mastery Program, you know what your business is worth, you understand the legal intricacies, you have a timeline that works for you, not against you, you've taken your time and in the process, you've saved your health, money, and time because you've done the preparation on your time even though your liquidity event was years or decades away. So in this scenario, you're calling the shots because you came to the table ready, ready to negotiate, ready to maximize your gains and ready to protect what you've built. 

Now imagine walking into a negotiation room where you set the agenda, where every discussion point has been anticipated and planned by you. Here you're not reacting, you're orchestrating. This isn't just about keeping control, it's about being [00:18:00] so impressively prepared that the buyers respect and align with your vision of the deal.

And it's not just the buyers, my friend, it's also your advisors. 

So how do we achieve this? 

It starts with a mindset shift. It begins with a commitment to deep, thorough preparation long before you even announce you're selling, or having a liquidity event, or raising capital. It's all about the strategy, about foreseeing the challenges and turning them into opportunities.

And yes, it requires effort. Yes, it requires that you invest the time that you don't have. You've got to make the time and the resources into understanding and Every facet of a liquidity event, because I want you to think about this. 

How can you win at a game you'd never played before? 

The skills that built your business are not the same ones to run it. And there's certainly not the same ones for your exit or your liquidity event. 

But I want you to think of this as the final project on your business journey. The capstone to all those years of your hard work. Now, as you're thinking about that in the next section, we're [00:19:00] going to explore the absolute devastating impact of unresolved issues, otherwise known as those skeletons in the closet, that they come back to haunt you if left unchecked during a rushed liquidity event process or one where you're not even prepared.

 So the fourth reason why you don't want to put off preparation to tomorrow or never is all about the skeletons in the closet. And in this section, we're going to do a deep dive on the complexity of a liquidity event, of preparing for a successful business liquidity event.

Jeffrey Feldberg: We're going to discuss the critical areas that too many entrepreneurs overlook until it's too late. And we're going to address those skeletons in your closet. And again, here, it doesn't matter whether you've been in business for years or decades. Every business has skeletons in the closet. In fact, even startups have skeletons in the closet and that's the power of the Deep Wealth Mastery system, the nine step roadmap.

Every step along the way, we're finding those nasty skeletons in the closet and we're removing them. 

So when I say skeletons, I'm talking about those hidden issues that you might not even think are a big deal, or [00:20:00] maybe, just maybe, you're hoping they'll stay hidden. And believe you me, they will never stay hidden because the buyer that you're going to be dealing with, the investor that you're dealing with, they do this all day long. When you're going, they're already coming back. They know exactly where to look and what to do. 

Now, a skeleton, it could be anything from financial discrepancies to unresolved legal matters. That's the kind of stuff that can turn a promising business deal into a nightmare where a future buyer or investor will do one of two things.

They're either going to run, run as fast as they can in the opposite direction, and you've just lost a deal. Congratulations. Or they'll set the deal table, but, and there's always a but, they will put a huge penalty on your enterprise value that is likely not even worth the effort for you to continue moving forward. 

So as I'm talking about this, I want you to imagine this. You're close to sealing the deal. The buyer's diligence is almost complete. You can taste the victory. You're right at the finish line. And then at the very last moment, the buyer or the investor comes back and they uncover something that you didn't fix, or maybe you didn't even know was a [00:21:00] problem.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the deal that you're counting on to open up the door to your financial freedom, the next chapter of your life is now hanging in by a thread. Oh, wow. Talk about a cliffhanger here.

My friend, this isn't just a minor hiccup. We're talking about issues that give the buyer an upper hand. Now, they might leverage these skeletons and negotiate a lower price, like I spoke about earlier, or even worse, they can back out of the deal entirely. And by the way, you can say goodbye to all your time, effort, and money that got you up to this point.

It's all been for naught. 

Why? 

Because you put off your preparation. You thought you had another week, another month, another year to prepare, or you get to it when you're less busy. Again, those are the myths you've got to stop believing and you've got to stop telling yourself. It's like finding a crack in the foundation of your house, right when you're about to sell.

Would you leave that to chance? 

Now, let's take a moment here and think about what unresolved issues might be lurking in your business. Are there financial irregularities, contract [00:22:00] irregularities, or contract disputes? Or are there compliance deficiencies? 

These aren't just problems, they're threats to your financial security and your business reputation.

 I know it's a real downer what I've been talking about here. So let's now go to a different thought experiment. Let's visualize together. 

Jeffrey Feldberg: You're at the negotiating table. You're fully prepared with all your affairs in order. There's no last minute scrambling, no sudden unpleasant surprises. You've addressed every potential issue head on. You've created trust and confidence with your buyer or investor. That's not just good practice. It's actually A power move. 

And here's how you've gained this level of control. You've adopted a proactive approach. You started your liquidity event planning early. You brought on the right advisors, the right experts at the right time to conduct thorough audits of your financials, your operations, everything that you can imagine, you've even used the Deep Wealth in our nine step roadmap Step Four Due Diligence. You've used our due diligence list. It's close to 400 points for you to go through. 

And you treat these audits as opportunity to clean house, to fortify your position. Now, I want you to [00:23:00] imagine for just a moment, how does it make you feel? Oh, you're confident. You're more than confident. You know, that you've left no stone unturned, that your business, it's robust and it's as transparent as it appears. 

That it's not just about making your business more attractive to buyers. It's about protecting your legacy. So as you're thinking about that, again, it's reason number four of why you can't put off your preparation for tomorrow, or in this case, never. 

You stop believing that myth.

And as you're thinking about that, we're going to go to the fifth reason of why you can't put off your preparation for your liquidity event, whether it's years away or decades away, and it's all about leverage. Specifically leverage in negotiations, because this train wreck, otherwise known as waiting until the last minute to prepare for your liquidity event, that's when you lose leverage.

And losing this leverage, it's like going into a game with one hand tied behind your back. You're at a severe disadvantage right from the start. 

So imagine if you will, entering a negotiation room, across the table sits a group of well prepared [00:24:00] buyers. They do this all day every day. Every day. They've done their homework.

They know every inch of your business, of your industry, maybe even better than you do at this particular moment in time. Here's the critical question. How well prepared are you to face them? 

Yeah, I know it's a pause, a silence. I want you to think about that because this is not fiction. It's fact. 

Now I want you to picture this scenario.

You're unprepared. You're unsure of your financials, your business metrics aren't at your fingertips, and you're vague about your market advantages. 

Heck, that sounds a lot like me when I showed up for that first seven figure offer. That's one of the reasons why we got that seven figure offer because we weren't prepared.

Now this buyer senses the uncertainty and they see an opportunity. They're going to push harder as I've had the buyers on this very podcast. They say, Jeffrey, when we smell blood in the water, we become even more aggressive. We demand even more concessions and we're going to offer less.

So this isn't just uncomfortable. It's a dangerous position that's not only costing you millions, it [00:25:00] could cost you your financial freedom. It's what happens when you, as the owner, as the entrepreneur, as the founder, you enter into negotiations, even with the best of advisors, without your arsenal ready.

The buyers, oh boy, they're coming prepared to exploit every weakness to tilt the deal to their favor. 

But now, let's flip the script. Imagine you're walking into the same room, only this time, you're armed with the reports, the clear insights into your financial health, the compelling arguments for your business valuation.

You, your advisors, you've had time to prepare for this. They have all the information as well. Now, with this preparation, you retain the power to steer the negotiations, because you've done it right, because you've followed the Deep Wealth methodology. It's a competitive process. You have more than one group at the table.

If you don't like what you're hearing from one group, you'll go on to the next and to the next. And the investors, the buyers, they know this. So you're putting them on their best behavior. They're putting their best foot forward and your preparation adds to that. So you're now setting the pace because you dictate the terms and you hold the line on what's [00:26:00] acceptable.

Again, it's those deal points, those no-fly zones that you created earlier on in our process. And this is what leverage and negotiation looks like. And here's the secret. It's not just about having the information, it's about using it to maintain control. Leverage isn't just a tool, it's a strategic advantage, and that ensures that you never have to accept any deal that undervalues your life work.

Leverage isn't just a tool, it's a strategic advantage that ensures you never have to accept any deal that undervalues your life work, that you're going after the absolute best deal for your financial freedom and your legacy. 

So I want you to think of your upcoming liquidity event as a chess game.

Every move you make, every piece of information that you gather, every strategy you develop, it's all part of leading up to that checkmate moment. You can just feel it. You can taste it. Again, you have the peace of mind. You have a great night of sleep. You have that clarity because you've prepared. 

So again, reason five of why you don't want to put off that preparation, whether your liquidity event is years or decades away, When you put off your [00:27:00] preparation today, you're losing that leverage in the negotiations tomorrow that ultimately can cost you your legacy as well as your financial freedom. 

And while you're pondering on that, not a great thought, I know, but again, you now have the strategies of what you can do.

It's that one simple word. Don't confuse simple with simplicity. 

It's preparation. While you're thinking about that, the sixth reason of why you don't want to put off preparation today is the negative impact on your legacy and your reputation. 

So are you starting to see a theme coming out of the myth that you have lots of time to prepare for your liquidity event and it may be years or decades away and you'll get to it when you get to it? 

It's sad, but true. 

But too many business owners, too many smart and successful business owners realize that what they believed about the preparation or lack of it was completely wrong.

But by the time this happens, it's already too late. They've lost before they begun. 

What happens next goes well beyond dollars and cents, and it touches the very essence of your life's work, your legacy, your reputation, your financial freedom. And as we explore the impact of your liquidity event, remember, it's [00:28:00] not just about what you leave behind in terms of wealth, but it's also the relationships and the respect. Most business owners that I speak to say, Jeffrey is not just about me.

My team members they're more than just employees or team members. They're like family to me. And yes, when I move on to the next chapter, I've earned this. I deserve this, but I want to make sure that they're also in a great situation. I want to make sure that my clients are in a great situation. I want my legacy to speak for me. I want my business to be taken to the next level. 

So consider this. Your business isn't just a business. It's a network of relationships built over years and decades with employees, customers, suppliers, and even the community. And every one of these relationships, it's a thread in the fabric of your legacy.

Now imagine if due to a poorly managed liquidity event, these threads begin to unravel. Yes, that happens. And it can happen in the blink of an eye. So let's paint this picture. You're ready to sell and in the rush, Critical details are overlooked, you didn't prepare. Communication breaks down, promises made to employees and partners start slipping through the cracks. Trust erodes, and [00:29:00] suddenly the reputation that you spent years or decades building is now under threat.

Well, how does it feel knowing that the lasting memory of your leadership might be tainted by a final act of oversight? 

You didn't prepare.

This isn't just a scenario. It's a potential risk, a very real risk. If your liquidity event isn't strategized with the care it deserved. A botched liquidity event, it can lead to unhappy employees who feel betrayed and angry, customers who feel abandoned and suppliers that are left in the lurch. Each of these echo in the industry long after you moved on. 

But now let's flip it. Envision an alternative where your liquidity event is meticulously planned as your business strategy. Where every stakeholder is considered, informed, and respected throughout the process. This isn't just good ethics, it's good business.

And in fact, Step Seven Timing and Execution, it's all about that. 

What do you say? When do you say to whom do you say it? 

And how do you say it? 

Before you [00:30:00] even start your liquidity event, you're mapping out a communication plan because timeliness is next to godliness and saying something too early or too late can have negative or positive repercussions depending on when you do it.

So you and you alone, you have the power to ensure that your professional legacy is not one of disruption and dissatisfaction. But one of integrity and respect. But to do this, you've got to start planning now, engage openly with your team, reassure your customers and honor your commitments with all your suppliers.

Because I want you to think of your liquidity event as the final chapter of your business story. 

How do you want that chapter to read? 

I know it's a rhetorical question. You know me, I love my rhetorical questions. 

Will it be a rushed and chaotic farewell, or will it be a thoughtful and strategic closure that enhances your reputation and honors your life's work?

Remember the true measure of your success. It isn't just in the wealth that you accumulate, but in the respect that you garner and the integrity you maintain your liquidity event. Is your legacy and you better make it count. 

So as we [00:31:00] wrap up the sixth reason of why you can absolutely not put off your preparation for your liquidity event, regardless of whether it's years or decades away, in doing so, it has a negative impact on your legacy, your reputation, and yes, your financial freedom. 

So now let's talk about the seventh reason of why you absolutely cannot put off your preparation because it's all about the stress when you're not prepared for your liquidity event. How it not only affects your business dealings, but it profoundly impacts your personal life. And we're going to delve into the emotional and financial toll that it takes to and what you can do about it today to protect yourself from it tomorrow.

The seventh reason of why you absolutely cannot put off your preparation, regardless of whether your liquidity event is years or decades away. It's all about the financial and emotional stress. 

So as we continue our journey through the intricacies of a liquidity event, it's absolutely crucial to address a less discussed and that's the financial and emotional toll of you and your family. When you're rushing your liquidity event, it not only jeopardizes your business success, but it [00:32:00] deeply affects your personal life. 

Imagine this, the clock is ticking louder each and every day. As you scramble to get ready for your liquidity event strategy, you're already in the process, the pressure's mounting.

It's not just on your shoulders, but it permeates with your entire family. Picture it, sleepless nights. Endless worries about the deal falling through, or all these reports that you have to do, or how you're still trying to deal with the business, and now the liquidity event , and this relentless pursuit to tie up all these loose ends.

Now picture that the stress you bring it into your home, it's not just about you bearing this burden. Your family feels it too. They watch as you transform from this passionate, loving entrepreneur that they admire into someone consumed by the tension and the uncertainty.

How does it feel knowing that your loved ones are caught up in this emotional turmoil? 

Because here's the truth. You tell yourself today that you have time to prepare before your liquidity event. You tell yourself that, yeah, I'm busy today, that you'll go and you'll get it done next week or next quarter or next year.

You get caught up in the urgent and the preparation is all but a [00:33:00] distant memory. And when you do decide to start your liquidity event, well, congratulations! You now have a second full time job, that's right. In addition to running your business that you're already too busy doing, you're now in the liquidity event hot seat.

Another congratulations, you and your team just lost your health, money, and time. 

And you may be saying, Jeffrey, what do you mean we lost our health, money, and time? 

Well, with the pressures from your investment banker and your M&A lawyer and your advisors, you and your team start gathering the information needed in the early mornings, in the late evenings, but you find you can't keep up with the pace because again, you're still running the business and now you put aside your weekends.

You still can't keep up with that and you become exhausted mentally and physically. The stress is unbearable. But it's too late. You're already partway through the liquidity event. So out of desperation, you hire these expensive outside consultants to put together the information that you and your team could have done if you would have started your preparation years back.

Sure. The outside consultants, yeah, they get the job done, but at a significant financial cost, you're draining your cash and your savings, and there's still no guarantee that the liquidity event will be not [00:34:00] any deal, but the absolute best deal, or maybe even no deal at all, and the stress continues to pile on.

Stress, as you know, it's more than just an unpleasant emotion. It's a physical state that manifests in harmful ways. It affects your health, and by extension, your ability to make sound decisions. I want you to think back to a stressful situation where you couldn't think clearly, everything was a blur. Or you lack the energy or the focus and the negative outcome that came out of that.

The very decisions that your financial freedom, that your life work depends upon, it needs you to be in health, in vibrant health. Because the science is now showing that just about all sickness and disease, it comes from the same place. 

Guess where the place is coming from? 

Stress. It's the stress that robs us of our health.

After all, what's the point of financial wealth if you're bankrupt with your health? 

But let's steer towards a brighter scenario. So imagine now you're approaching your liquidity event and you've given yourself a lot of time. Your strategies are in place. You have a clear timeline. You have a [00:35:00] support system that includes not only your advisors, but your family as well.

Now, in this scenario, you're not just surviving the process. You're thriving as you go through it because it's being done on your time. You're not in your liquidity just yet and if you make mistakes, which I promise you, you will, it's not the end of the world. You pick it up, you learn from it and you move on. 

Wow, what a different scenario. You owe it to yourself and to those that you love to manage your liquidity event as diligently as you've managed your business. And the way that you do that is you begin your planning as early as possible because that's what reduces the stress. That's what aligns you with your liquidity event, with your personal values and the lifestyle that you aim to have.

So consider this. A well planned liquidity event, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon with a pace that keeps you at peak performance, but you're not burning out, and that's the key. It's about crossing that finish line with your health, your relationship, and your finances all intact. 

So let's make this real. You can start by scheduling your preparation today. Not [00:36:00] tomorrow, not next week, not next quarter, because the last time I looked at my calendar, I've never seen a tomorrow. 

Share your concerns, share your victories with you, your family, your team. When they're part of the journey, that burden becomes shared and the journey becomes part of your family legacy.

And as you think about this, I want you to think of those two scenarios. One where you're stressed, one where you're not. 

Where do you want to be? I know, again, it's one of those rhetorical questions that I love, but what I love about preparation, it's the gift that keeps on giving. And the seventh reason of why you don't want to put off your preparation, whether your liquidity event or your exit is years or decades away, you will avoid the financial and emotional stress when you start preparing today, even though it's well in advance of your liquidity event. 

So as you think about that, we're now going to go into the eighth reason of why you cannot put your preparation off, whether your liquidity event is years or decades away, and that's all about missed opportunities for tax optimization. 

So let's now do a deep dive on an often overlooked yet critical aspect of your liquidity event, tax [00:37:00] optimization.

Again, it's not about how much you get in the deal, it's how much you keep.

And it's all down to meticulous tax planning. Oftentimes, it can take years to do. 

So imagine this, you've just closed the deal of a lifetime. The culmination of years of hard work is now done. You've crossed the finish line and you're ready to celebrate. But then comes a tax bill. Uh-oh, suddenly a significant chunk of the proceeds.

It's eaten up by taxes simply because there wasn't enough planning ahead of time. 

How does it feel watching your hard earned money slip away because you couldn't find the time let's call it for what it is you couldn't find the time to prepare well in advance? 

Now consider this, let's flip it. 

What if you could have foreseen this?

What if with the right planning and advice, you could have structured the deal to optimize your tax implications as a fancy way of saying, you've minimized the taxes, you're keeping more of your hard earned money from the deal. This isn't just a possibility. It's an opportunity that requires attention well before you ever enter the [00:38:00] negotiation room. Well before you ever speak to your investment banker. 

Tax planning is not an afterthought. It's a crucial component of the liquidity event strategy. Rushing through the process or even leaving it to the last minute, not only increases your tax liability, but it also diminishes the overall success of your liquidity event.

But I have great news. You have the power. That's right. You have the power to change this narrative by engaging tax professionals early, by understanding the tax implications of every decision that you make during the liquidity event, you protect your money. This is about the stewardship of your wealth, ensuring that every decision maximizes your financial gain.

I want you to think of your liquidity event, once again, I'm going to use a chess game where every move is taxed unless you plan strategically. 

Well, the goal? 

To checkmate the tax burden, not just the buyer. 

But to do this, it requires the foresight, planning, and proactive engagement with tax experts who are helping you navigate the complexities of a liquidity event.

Again, how do you win at a game you've never played before? Well, you haven't, but your tax advisors have at least when [00:39:00] it comes to tax. So let's get practical for a minute.

Start by consulting with a tax advisor who specializes in business transactions. Discuss what your long term financial goals are and how your liquidity event strategy needs to fit into your plans. Consider the timing of your liquidity event, the structure of the deal, and the potential tax saving mechanisms such as trust or charitable contributions that you can begin to deploy today.

Remember, your goal isn't just about the liquidity event, but when you're doing the liquidity event, you're going to do it as smart as you possibly can, that minimize taxes. It's about ensuring that when you do step away from your business, you're not just leaving a legacy, but also securing your financial freedom in the most tax efficient way possible.

So I want you to think about this, and it's a big one again. The eighth reason to start your preparation today, even though your liquidity event is years or decades away, you absolutely must leverage those tax optimization strategies today. You cannot miss out on those, it could cost you your financial freedom.

And so all of that said, we're now going into wrap up [00:40:00] mode. The ninth reason of why you must absolutely start your preparation today, regardless of when your liquidity event is, because forget a liquidity event. If you don't start this preparation today, you may not even be in business tomorrow. And this is all about legal and compliance risks.

So let's pivot the focus now to an area that can silently erode your success if you don't manage it correctly. And let me even take it a step further. The legal and compliance risks can put you out of business because business is getting more complicated by the day. New laws, new rules are coming out.

It's about the hidden traps in the legal landscape that can spring up long after you celebrate your liquidity event. I want you to imagine this. You've signed the papers. The deal is done. You think you've crossed the finish line, but then weeks, months, maybe even years later, you receive a notice. There's a legal issue that wasn't addressed.

Maybe a compliance failure, something you overlooked, you weren't even aware of. And this oversight, it's not just a headache. 

It's now threatening your financial freedom after your liquidity event. This is where too many business owners falter. They breathe a [00:41:00] sigh of relief far too soon. They missed the critical legal checks that should have been done. They should have been ironclad parts of the liquidity event preparation. The consequences, well, they're severe ranging from financial penalties to ongoing legal battles that tarnish your well earned reputation. So I want you to consider for just a moment the legal missteps that can happen because you weren't prepared.

Yes even the best M&A lawyers, the best advisors, they can make mistakes when they're under pressure because they haven't had the time. You haven't had the time to get all the information in front of them. They can only work with what they have. Again, the garbage in, garbage out principle. If you haven't prepared, you may be putting garbage in instead of platinum in.

So it's not just about the money. It's now about your peace of mind. Being drawn back into legal entanglements after liquidity event. Well, wow, that is a big drain on your resources and it distracts you from your next chapter of your life. Perhaps your retirement, perhaps your enjoyment, all because you didn't take the time today to prepare.[00:42:00]

Think about that for a second. I know it's a horrible thought. I can't even bear thinking about that. So let's change gears here because there is good news. 

You can mitigate those kinds of risks. You may be asking, well, Jeffrey, how do I do that? You begin today. This is what I love about preparation.

You begin to integrate a comprehensive legal review as a non negotiable part of your liquidity event strategy. This means more than just a cursory glance. It involves a deep dive into all of your contracts, your agreements, your compliance audits, and it's conducted by seasoned legal professionals who understand the stakes.

I want you to imagine having a legal shield around your liquidity event where every possible compliance issue or contractual loophole it's been identified and it's addressed. It's not just prudent. It's not just good business. It's essential for safeguarding the assets, your financial freedom that you've worked so hard to accumulate.

 So start today. Don't wait. And we actually talk about this in Step Four Due Diligence, where you begin the process of assembling the right team of advisors right now [00:43:00] and have them scrutinize every aspect of your business through the lens of a potential buyer or investor, or even a very stringent auditor.

Make the investment in legal preparation to turn this potential skeleton, this potential risk into a non-issue. issue. I want you to think of your legal preparation as the armor that protects your castle. It's robust, it's meticulously crafted, and it's ready to defend against any siege that might come before, during, or after the deal is done.

And with this armor in place, you can truly move forward with peace of mind, with clarity, and with confidence that no past issues will call you back into battle. 

So there you have it. That's the ninth reason of why you must not put off your preparation, regardless of when your liquidity event is, because you want at all costs, you absolutely must avoid legal and compliance risks.

So as you wrap up today's deep dive into the crucial preparations for a successful liquidity event strategy, let's demolish that dangerous myth. That belief that you're hearing from your friends, [00:44:00] your advisors, from everyone else out there that you have plenty of time to prepare for your liquidity event, that you can put off your preparation for whenever you're going to do it, because this myth isn't just wrong, it's a threat to your financial freedom, your health, and your wealth.

I want you to think about this. Each and every day that you delay your preparation for your liquidity event, you're not just postponing a task, you're actually gambling with your future. 

The stakes? 

It's your financial freedom, your peace of mind, your health, and the legacy that you leave behind. 

So let's break it down.

Without adequate preparation, you face decreased enterprise value, legal nightmares, tax nightmares, and the overwhelming stress that doesn't just strain your bank account, it strains your heart, your health, and your relationships. 

Yes, I know it's intense, but it can all be avoided because now I want you to envision a different scenario.

Imagine stepping into your liquidity event, you're fully prepared. Every legal document is vetted, every tax strategy is optimized, and every potential pitfall, it's foreseen and diffused. 

You're not just ready, you're in control. This isn't a luxury, it's a [00:45:00] necessity for anyone serious about maximizing the liquidity event, not for the sake of the liquidity event, but for your financial freedom to be healthy and wealthy.

And the time to start? 

No, 

it's not tomorrow, it's not next week. It's today.

Because every day you wait, you're not just losing time. You're risking tangible value that rightfully belongs to you, your family. Again, for your business, you've poured your blood, sweat, and tears into this. So I want you to take a moment right now, commit to beginning your liquidity event immediately.

Seek out the advisor, start the conversations and initiate the reviews that you need to do. Better yet, reach out to us here at Deep Wealth, with our 90 day Deep Wealth Mastery program, the Scale For Ultimate Sales system, the proven system, the system that I created when I said no to a seven figure offer, I created this very system, and that later helped myself and my business partners to say yes to a nine figure deal.

Because your future self, which is now financially secure and at peace, will, thank you for your decisions that you're making today. Because remember in the world of liquidity [00:46:00] events, timing is everything, but in a way that you might not realize. It's not about finding the right time to sell. It's about being ready to sell at the right time and readiness requires preparation long before you think you need it.

So, as I begin to wrap this up, I challenge you to shift your mindset, reject the myth of plenty of time, and embrace the reality of preparation pays. Preparation is the gift that keeps on giving. 

Preparation starting today this is your call to action, not just to avoid loss, but to achieve the extraordinary gains that are possible when your liquidity event, you do it on your terms, your timetable, your way on your turf with your deal points and your no-fly zones. So there you have it. 

Because those are the exit wounds of why procrastination today can and will rob you of your financial freedom tomorrow. Your journey to a successful liquidity event, it starts with a single, decisive step.

Take that step. Take it today. Secure your legacy, secure your financial freedom. And in the process, you're protecting your future. And again, you will [00:47:00] never underestimate the power of being prepared.

So there you have it, Deep Wealth Nation. What did you think? So with all that said and as we wrap it up, I have another question for you.

Actually, it's more of a personal favor. Did you find this episode helpful? Have you found other episodes of the Deep Wealth Podcast empowering and a game changer for your journey? And if you said yes, and I really hope you did, I have a small but really meaningful way that you can actually help us out and keep these episodes coming to you.

Are you ready for it? The dramatic pause. I'll just wait a moment. Drumroll, please. Subscribe. Please subscribe to the Deep Wealth Podcast on your favorite podcast channel. When you subscribe to the Deep Wealth Podcast, you're saving yourself time. Every episode automatically comes to you, and I want you to know that we meticulously craft Every one of our episodes to have impactful strategies, stories, expert insights that are designed to help you grow your profits, increase the value of your business, and yes, even optimize your post exit life and your life right now, whatever you want that to look like.

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So all that said. Thank you so much for listening. And remember your wealth isn't just about the money in the bank. It's about the depth of your journey and the impact that you're creating. So let's continue this journey together. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you [00:49:00] so much for listening to this episode.

And as we love to say here at Deep Wealth, may you continue to thrive and prosper while you remain healthy and safe. Thank you so much. God bless.