by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 8, 2026 | Uncategorized
The THREATS Framework exists because most business owners prepare for the exit they expect and never prepare for the seven situations they do not see coming. Every one of the seven categories in the THREATS Framework has destroyed a business sale — not because the...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 7, 2026 | Uncategorized
The Barefoot Test answers the two questions every mid-market seller must answer before going to market — can your team run without you, and are you mentally ready to leave. If you cannot answer both with certainty, you are not ready to sell regardless of what your...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 6, 2026 | Uncategorized
The Titan Thesis is the most powerful tool a mid-market business owner can bring to a sale — and the one almost nobody builds before they need it. It is the pre-built proof document that assembles everything a buyer would ask for before they ask for it. The seller who...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 5, 2026 | Uncategorized
One of the things not talked about enough in exit planning is key person dependency. If you are a founder, owner, or CEO who has never had the conversation about the transferability of your knowledge — this is the conversation that determines whether you walk away...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
There is a bakery on the North Shore of Oahu called Paalaa Kai Bakery. Six to seven minutes from Haleiwa heading toward Waialua. And they have a thing called Snow Puffies. Puff pastry filled with Chantilly cream, chocolate on top, confectioner sugar dusted over...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
If you want an advantage in business meetings — the kind that makes people remember you, talk about you, and want to work with you — sometimes you have to look at what the market is doing and do something completely different. This is why I am a huge fan of gelato...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
You negotiated a deal to sell your business. The number looks right. Then you get to the closing documents and see it — a hold back. A percentage of the purchase price being held in escrow after close. Most sellers sign it without fully understanding what it means,...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
You got offered a deal for selling your company — an amount of money up front and an earn out as part of a condition. Most sellers hear the word earn out and nod along because they do not want to appear unsophisticated. Most of them regret that nod for years. Earn...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
One of the most important metrics not talked about enough in mid-market business sales is quality of earnings. Whether you are looking to be more profitable, looking to scale, or looking to sell — quality of earnings determines how defensible your profit number...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Apr 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
When it comes to growing your business or selling your business there are four fundamentals that have to be in place before anything else matters. Not frameworks for advanced operators. Not strategies for businesses already running at peak efficiency. These are the...
