A free Exit Education workshop for Colorado business owners
What if your business is worth 30% more than you think?
One morning. Everything you need to know about selling your business, from valuation to closing day, taught by the firm that has led Colorado business brokerage since 1986.
For owners of businesses doing $500,000+ in annual revenue.
- Business valuation
- SDE vs. EBITDA
- Addbacks that hold up
- Industry multiples
- Exit planning
- Confidential marketing
- Who buys businesses
- Deal structure
- Closing day
Selling a business has nine stages. Most owners plan for two.
Most owners only think about the offer and the closing. The other seven stages decide the outcome, and that's where the value gets made or lost.
Preparation, not negotiation, is where sellers gain or lose 10–25% of deal value.
This session walks the whole map, from "should I sell?" to the wire transfer, so you know where you stand before a buyer tells you.
Deals move at the speed of trust, and trust is built from the first conversation, not at the closing table.
Free to attend. For owners of businesses doing $500,000+ in annual revenue.
The three hard numbers
of small businesses listed for sale never close a transaction.
of business owners have no written exit plan of any kind.
of owners who sell regret it within 12 months, due to inadequate planning.
Today, we change that.
Source: Exit Planning Institute; BizBuySell Insight Reports 2024
Five gaps. Every one is fixable.
These issues show up again and again in FRB's pre-sale assessments. Catch them early, and deal-killers turn into selling points.
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1
Customer concentration
One customer above 20% of revenue, and buyers discount heavily or walk away. The fix is to diversify your revenue base 12 to 24 months before you list.
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2
Owner dependency
If the business can't run without you for two weeks, you have a problem. Buyers are financing a business, not hiring you forever. Document everything. Build a team.
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3
Messy financials
Personal expenses, undocumented addbacks, inconsistent bookkeeping. Clean, reviewed financials can add 0.25 to 0.5x to your multiple.
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4
Lease problems
A short remaining term, no assignment clause, or a landlord who won't cooperate. A lease that won't transfer is the number one late-stage deal killer.
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5
Knowledge & key-employee risk
Undocumented processes and one or two people who can't be replaced. Buyers price that risk into the offer, or make it a walkaway condition.
The entire pricing model, in one line
Value = SDE × Multiple
Or EBITDA × Multiple for larger deals. The model is simple. Getting the two inputs right is the entire game.
From "should I sell?" to the wire transfer.
Five hours, five parts, one complete map of a sale. Here's how buyers actually price, structure and close a deal, and where your business fits.
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Part 1 Opening8:00 – 8:30 AM30 minutes
The 9-stage selling journey
What every stage looks like, where deals get stuck, and where owners need help. The trip from "thinking about it" to the wire usually runs 9 to 24 months, and most of the value is created before a buyer ever sees the business.
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Part 2 Keynote8:30 – 9:25 AM55 minutes
Exit planning: the FRB framework
Why exit planning isn't just for big deals, and why it isn't the same as selling. Business, owner and financial readiness have to stand together like the legs of a stool. Three years out is the sweet spot. One year is reactive.
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Part 3 Deep dive9:25 – 10:40 AM75 minutes
What's your business worth?
Value is what we calculate. Price is what a buyer pays. How brokers actually price businesses, SDE vs. EBITDA, the addback game, what buyers are paying right now, and the banker's test every deal has to pass.
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Part 4 Workshop10:40 – 11:25 AM45 minutes
Going to market
Why the CIM is your business's first impression with every buyer, how buyers actually find you, and how to stay confidential without becoming invisible.
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Part 5 Closing11:25 AM – 1:00 PM95 minutes
Offers, contracts & closing, plus live Q&A
What an LOI really commits you to, how the purchase agreement gets built, and how allocation, escrows and true-ups decide what actually lands in your account. We finish with how FRB works with owners, then open the floor.
Led by the FRB principals
Walk in curious. Walk out with a map.
No theory for its own sake. Here's what you'll leave knowing about your own business.
A free 30-minute one-on-one with an FRB advisor
A look at your business and goals, an initial read on your readiness stage, a preliminary sense of your value range, and a recommended next step. Not a sales pitch, not a commitment to list, and not a formal valuation. Sign up at the back of the room if you want one.
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Where deals really die
Where smart sellers focus their energy, where unprepared sellers lose deals, and the handful of problems that kill most transactions before they close.
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Your number, decoded
How SDE and EBITDA are really calculated, which addbacks survive due diligence and which kill the deal, and the multiple ranges buyers are paying in your industry.
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The banker's test
Why a deal that can't hit a 1.25x debt service coverage ratio won't get SBA financing, and how to model it before you ever set an asking price.
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The paperwork, demystified
The LOI, the purchase agreement and the closing documents, each more binding than the last. Know what you're signing at every stage.
Who's in the room? Owners. Only owners.
Built for Colorado business owners doing $500,000+ in revenue, whether you're two years from a sale or just starting to wonder.
This is for you if
You're one of these three owners.
- The 24-month planner. You're ready to build a real exit strategy.
- The someday-soon seller. You're getting serious and want the full picture.
- The just-curious owner. You're exploring your options, with no commitment yet.
- Your business does $500K+ in annual revenue.
- You'd rather find the gaps now than in due diligence.
This isn't for you if
It's the wrong room.
- You're a buyer, broker, or service provider hoping to network the room.
- Your business does less than $500K in annual revenue.
One morning in Lone Tree
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November 12, 2026Thursday
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8 AM – 1 PMFive hours, in person
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Dr, Lone Tree, COFull address shared after registration
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Free to attendOwners doing $500K+ in annual revenue
Former owners. On your side of the table.
Every advisor is a former business owner, operator or dealmaker. We mainly represent sellers, not buyers.
Luke Billiot
MBA, CEPA. President, Advisor & Broker
Luke is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor through the Exit Planning Institute and the sitting Vice President of CABI, the Colorado Association of Business Intermediaries. FRB's exit planning work is built on EPI's Value Acceleration Methodology, and Luke leads the day.
- MBA, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)
- Sitting Vice President, CABI
- Seller-side M&A, Main Street to lower middle market
The FRB Advisory Team
19 advisors. Decades of combined experience.
Every one of them a former business owner, operator or dealmaker. FRB works Main Street and lower-middle-market deals across Colorado, typically businesses with $500K to $20M in enterprise value.
- Selling Colorado businesses since 1986
- 70%+ close rate
- Sell-side specialists, no dual representation
Bill ScottVice President & Managing Broker
Suzanne M. De LuciaBroker, CBI, Fellow of the IBBA
Thom BeckettBusiness Intermediary, CBI
Kimberley RiveroBroker, CBI
Dave HarrisBroker, CBI
Len AbelsBroker
Benjamin C. 'Ben' MahrleBroker, ABI, AM&AA, CBI
Brian WilliamsBroker
Don HobbsBroker
Greg CollinsBroker
Charles StevensonM&A Advisor
Chris ArmstrongBroker
Justin WellsBroker
Kevin GibbonsBroker
Trampas MarcelM&A Advisor
Ross HoukM&A Advisor
Nathan HuntM&A Advisor, CPA
Amy McKnightM&A Advisor
Do you have a sellable business?
Nothing gets decided in this room. The right question is whether you're ready to find out. Spend five hours in Lone Tree getting the answer before the market gives it to you.
- Thursday, November 12, 2026
- 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM, in person
- Dr, Lone Tree, CO. Full address and venue details are shared with confirmed attendees after registration.
- An optional free 30-minute one-on-one with an FRB advisor
- For owners of businesses doing $500,000+ in annual revenue
For qualifying business owners only.
Ask the question.
The owners who ask the most questions make the best deals. Here are the ones we hear most.
How long does a typical sale take?
Can I sell without telling my employees?
Do I need my books reviewed before listing?
Who is this session for?
Does it cost anything?
Where exactly is it?
Can buyers, brokers, or service providers attend?
Is this a sales pitch?
Know your number before a buyer does.
November 12, 2026 | Dr, Lone Tree, CO | 8 AM – 1 PM