What I Do
Exit Planning Support:
Branding and Marketing for Buyout
When you’re getting ready to sell, succession plan, or roll up into a larger entity, your brand is part of the deal math – whether anyone is saying it out loud or not.
Most owners (and many advisors) focus on the spreadsheets, EBITDA, and legal structure, and leave brand as an afterthought. That’s where I come in.
Think of it as curb appeal for your business.
Before you sell a house, a good realtor doesn’t just list it “as is” – they repaint, fix the front steps, refresh the landscaping and stage the rooms so buyers can picture themselves living there.
It’s the same with a business:
- A dated, founder-centric brand can drag down perceived value
- Disjointed visuals and messaging make buyers feel there’s hidden risk
- A clear, elevated brand story can pull in bigger, better-qualified buyers and justify a higher multiple
I often work 3–4 years before an owner exits to “gussy up” the brand so it truly matches the quality and sophistication of the work they’re already doing.
Example: A Boston interior design firm with an outdated, tactical-sounding name and clunky visuals worked with me to rename, reposition, and relaunch their brand. Once the brand finally reflected the caliber of their projects, they sold the business for “many more zeros” than they expected.
How I support your exit team
I’m not a broker or an investment banker – I’m the brand strategist on your exit bench
I collaborate with:
- Business brokers & M&A advisors who want to avoid leaving brand value on the table
- Exit planners & wealth advisors who need a trusted brand resource for their clients
- Fractional COOs/CFOs brought in by private equity or family offices to prepare a portfolio company for sale
- Owners in the lower middle market who know “something needs to change” before they go to market
The work is often fast, focused, and private
- Brand elevation and positioning for lower middle market companies
- Renaming and rebranding for roll-ups and new holding-company structures
- New visual identity, packaging, and web presence that matches the growth story
- Messaging and story frameworks that make it easy for advisors to present and sell the deal
I frequently stay on as a fractional CMO post-launch to help the new brand gain traction in those critical first 6–12 months.
Inspired by Branding for Buyout
In my talks on exit planning (including for the Boston Exit Planning Institute), I reference Ted Schlueter’s book, Branding for Buyout: How to Tell Your Story and Get the Deal You Deserve.
His core point mirrors what I see every day:
Buyers don’t just buy your numbers – they buy the story they believe about your future.
I use that lens to help you:
- Clarify the story a buyer needs to hear
- Align your brand with your exit timeline
- De-risk the deal in buyers’ minds by showing a coherent, future-ready brand
- Protect against the “silent discount” that comes from neglected branding
This exit-planning brand work is a fit if:
- You’re 3–5 years from a sale and want to maximize enterprise value
- You’re already talking to an exit planner, PE firm, or business broker
- Your brand feels outgrown, founder-dependent, or confusing
- You suspect your company is worth more than it currently looks
If you’re planning an exit and want your brand to support – not sabotage – your valuation, this is the moment to bring brand into the conversation.
