If I Could Get You to the Closing Table in 90 Days… Would You Close?

By Tipp Spradlin

It’s a simple question, and most business owners answer with an emphatic yes.

Until I slide a purchase agreement across the table for their signature.

That’s when the hesitation shows up. Because as much as they want to sell, they’re not always emotionally prepared to follow through.

Selling a business isn’t just financial. It’s years of work, identity, and control. Walking away takes clarity about what’s next—and confidence in the decision.

It’s not all that different from retiring after a long military career. There’s a transition plan. Structure. Support. Small business owners don’t get that built-in support.

Most are left to figure it out in real time, and for many, it becomes a strange mix of excitement and pressure all at once.

Knowing what your business is worth is usually the first step. But it only answers half the question. If the number makes sense, then yes—you’re open to selling.

The 90-day question answers something different. It tells you when you’ll be ready.

That’s one of the main reasons a good business broker won’t rush you to market. Most of the real work happens on the front end—sometimes years before a business is ever listed.

We reach out early on purpose and by design. Not to sell you something—but to start the process before you need to sell.

Think of it like a NASCAR pit crew boss.

Your business is the car. It’s built to run, to perform, to keep making laps. Our job isn’t to wait until something breaks—it’s to keep everything dialed in while you’re still running strong and figuring out what your next chapter will be.

We’re checking the financials, tightening operations, making small adjustments along the way, so when it’s time to come off the track, you’re not limping across, you’re finishing exactly how you planned.

If selling is even a “someday” thought, it’s worth getting ahead of it now. Reach out and let’s have a real conversation about what that could look like for you.

Tiphanie “Tipp” Spradlin is a Business Sales Advisor with First Choice Business Brokers of NW Florida. Tipp.Spradlin@fcbb.com or (850) 532-8882.