When we sit down with business owners, we ask: What do you really want out of this sale?
Sure, money is part of the answer. But for most owners, it goes deeper. They want to know their employees will be protected, their customers cared for, and their culture preserved. They want to know their family will be secure and their own future wide open with possibilities.
They want to feel proud of who they sold to and how that decision sets the stage for the next best chapter of their life.
That’s what I call a legacy-level deal—a transaction that delivers financial security, pride, and peace of mind.
What a Legacy Deal Looks Like
A legacy-level deal isn’t just the highest headline price. It’s about aligning the transaction with what matters most to the seller. For some, that’s maximizing value and minimizing taxes. For others, it’s ensuring employees have opportunities, the culture stays intact, or customers remain in good hands.
When a seller’s financial, emotional, and personal priorities are all accounted for, they can walk away knowing they made the right choice.
Why Some Owners Miss It
Some owners never achieve a legacy-level deal because they accept the first offer that comes along. An unsolicited offer can feel flattering, even validating. But those buyers aren’t there to protect the seller’s legacy. Their job is to acquire the company for as little as possible, while shifting as much risk as they can onto the seller. So if anything goes wrong after the sale, it’s the seller, not the buyer, who pays the price.
Without preparation (your role as exit planner) and a structured deal process that creates competition (our role at Cornerstone), owners risk walking away with money left on the table and a future of sleepless nights.
For some, that means years, or even decades, of lying awake, replaying the deal in their head, second-guessing their decisions, and wondering how different life might have looked if they’d done more to protect their future.
How to Get There: POMO™ + Preparation
Preparation, process, and competition are key to a legacy-level deal. At Cornerstone, we deliver the Power of Multiple Offers™ (POMO™).
POMO™ isn’t just about price. It’s about leverage. When multiple buyers compete at the same time, several things happen:
- Values go up. Buyers stretch further when they know there’s someone else at the table.
- Deal terms improve. More cash at close, fewer earnouts, better tax treatment.
- Certainty to close increases. Multiple offers mean your client isn’t hostage to one “take it or leave it” deal.
- Fit gets factored in. With choices, sellers can prioritize what matters most to them—whether that’s financial security for their family, protecting employees and culture, giving back to their community, or simply having the freedom to design the next stage of their life.
Without POMO™, your clients give up control, and all the leverage shifts to the buyer. With it, they’re in charge of the outcome.
The Exit Planner’s Role
As an exit planner, you’re in the best position to help your clients think beyond the transaction. Encourage them to get a Real Market Analysis, assemble the right deal team, and clarify what really matters before going to market.
Because if you don’t define “legacy-level deal” upfront, it’s too easy for owners to accept a deal that gets them an exit but leaves the rest to chance.
Selling a business is not just a financial event; it’s a legacy event. Owners get one shot at it. Your job, and mine, is to make sure they don’t walk away with regrets.
A legacy-level deal is about finishing strong. It’s about turning decades of hard work into the reward they’ve earned and a future they can feel proud of. That’s what every owner deserves.
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