How to prepare a business for sale in six stages: assess readiness, clean up the numbers, document, reduce risk, package and launch, with a guide for each.

Segment the buyer universe, rank each buyer by fit and ability to pay, tier the outreach and handle competitors. A method for building a buyer list for a sale.

Reduce owner dependence before a sale: map the owner's roles, build a second management layer, document processes and hand off relationships.

Tactics for reducing customer concentration before selling: diversify, extend contracts, add relationships, price by customer, and what to do if it stays.

Tax planning before selling a business: the questions for the owner's CPA and attorney on entity, structure, basis, state tax, timing and installments.

When to tell employees, customers and suppliers a business is for sale: a sequence by audience, the message to use, leak plans and how buyers meet key staff.

Score your company in six areas the way a buyer will: reporting, customers, people, operations, legal records and your role. See quick fixes versus slow fixes.

How far ahead to prepare to sell a business: a plan counted back from launch in slow, medium and fast changes, and why buyers credit results only over time.

A cleanup checklist for sellers: monthly close, reconciliations, revenue cut-off, inventory, related-party items and tax return ties, and which fixes move earnings.

Do you need audited financials to sell a business? Compare audited, reviewed and compiled statements, when buyers accept less, and how a sell-side QoE fills the gap.

What is in a CIM: each section of a confidential information memorandum, from the executive summary to normalized financials, and what to hold back until later.

How to prepare a management presentation in M&A: its purpose, who presents and who stays quiet, the storyline, hard questions, projections and follow-up.

How to build and run a virtual data room for selling a business: folder index, staged access by bidder, masking, the question log, audit trail and version control.