Welcome back to the Mid Market Insider!

Today, I’m breaking down why the negotiation for your business starts long before you ever meet a buyer—and how preparing years in advance can give you a significant advantage when it’s finally time to negotiate.

A lot of business owners assume that negotiating the sale of their business starts when they go to market.

In reality, the negotiation started years earlier.

Every decision you make today is either increasing or decreasing your future leverage in a negotiation with buyers.

The challenge is that most owners only sell one business in their lifetime. The buyer sitting across the table may have completed dozens or even hundreds of acquisitions.

That's not an even playing field. And that’s why I wanted to make today’s video. Where I’m going to show you why understanding deal dynamics before you ever go to market can dramatically increase your leverage, improve your outcome, and potentially bring you much better deal terms.

In this video, you'll learn:

✅ Why preparation—not negotiation tactics—is what drives the best exits…

✅ The hidden danger of relying on AI or Google for answers…

✅ Why accepting a lower offer can sometimes be far better than a higher one.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that the owners who achieve the best outcomes don't wait until they're ready to sell to learn how deals work.

They prepare early.

They understand what buyers value.

And they make intentional changes before they ever go to market.

That’s all for today’s newsletter! Thanks for reading!

In next week’s edition, I’ll break down why avoiding private equity could seriously limit your options when it’s time to sell—and the three different types of PE firms you need to understand before choosing a buyer.

And why the highest bidder isn’t always the best buyer, especially when it comes to protecting the future of your business after the deal closes.

Keep building,
Nick