{"id":9830,"date":"2026-10-08T17:18:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T17:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aspenval.com\/us\/?p=9830"},"modified":"2026-10-08T17:18:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T17:18:39","slug":"us-when-to-start-preparing-to-sell-your-business-by-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aspenval.com\/us\/us-when-to-start-preparing-to-sell-your-business-by-2028\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare Your Business for Sale by 2028 | Aspen Valuations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For US small and midsize business owners aiming for a 2028 exit, launching preparation efforts in 2026 is necessary. Closing a lower-middle-market M&amp;A transaction requires significant advance work, from obtaining a credentialed business valuation to normalizing Seller\u2019s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and preparing for buyer due diligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starting two years ahead ensures that operational risks are addressed before buyers use them as leverage during price negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why US Owners Must Prepare in 2026 for a 2028 Sale<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Valuation Baseline &amp; Normalization:<\/strong> Identifies true underlying earnings (EBITDA\/SDE) and uncovers valuation drags, such as owner reliance or customer concentration, under IRS Revenue Ruling 59-60 standards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Tax &amp; Entity Structuring:<\/strong> Allows tax CPAs time to model asset vs. stock sale implications, state tax impacts, installment sales, or Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) treatment under IRC \u00a71202.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>SBA Loan Pre-Qualification:<\/strong> Ensures historical financials meet SBA 7(a) acquisition financing criteria, including debt service coverage and &#8220;Qualified Source&#8221; appraisal rules.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Quality of Earnings (QofE) Readiness:<\/strong> Prepares internal accounting for rigorous buy-side financial audits and working capital peg negotiations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key Factors Buyers Scrutinize<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To achieve top-tier valuation multiples in US private market deals, exit preparation must focus on key transferability factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Quality and predictability of recurring operating cash flow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Independence of operational leadership from the founder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Diversity of the client roster (no single account >15% of revenue).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Clean, GAAP-compliant financial reporting without unsupportable add-backs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Preparing for a sale early does not force you to sell\u2014it creates maximum flexibility and negotiating leverage. A certified business valuation from <strong>Aspen Valuations<\/strong> provides the independent, standards-based clarity required to execute a smooth, high-value transaction by 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For US small and midsize business owners aiming for a 2028 exit, launching preparation efforts in 2026 is necessary. Closing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","content-type":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-business-valuation-insights"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6.1 (Yoast SEO v28.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Prepare Your Business for Sale by 2028 | Aspen Valuations - Aspen Valuations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Planning to sell your business by 2028? 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