Business Brokers Blog: Guide to Buying or Selling a Business

What Your Birth Rate Says About Your Exit Strategy

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By: Kelcey Lehrich 

In our experience, your age has a big effect on your attitude towards your business and how you feel about one day getting out. Here's what we have found:

For business owners between 25 and 46 years old

Twenty- and thirty-something business owners grew up in an age where job security did not exist. They watched as their parents got downsized, rightsized, or packaged off into early retirement,  this has caused quite a jaded attitude towards the role of business in life. Business owners in their 20’s and 30’s generally see their companies as a means to an end and most expect to sell in the next five to ten years, similar to their employed peers who have a new job or employer every three to five years; business owners in this age group often expect to start a few companies in their lifetime.

For business owners between 47 and 65 years old

Baby Boomers came of age in a time where the social contract between a company and an employee was sacrosanct. An employee agreed to be loyal to the company, and in return, the company agreed to provide a decent living, good benefits, one golden watch, and a pension for a few golden years.

Many of the business owners we speak with in this generation think of their company as more than a income generation tool - they see their business as part of a community and thus, by extension, themselves as a community leader. To many boomers, the idea of selling their company feels a lot like selling out their employees and their community.  This is is why so many Owners of companies in their fifties and sixties are torn inside about selling their business. They know they need to sell to fund their retirement, but they agonize over where that will leave their loyal employees.

For business owners who are 65+

Older business owners grew up in a time when hobbies were impractical or discouraged. You went to work while your wife tended to the kids (today, more than half of businesses are started by women, but those were different times), you ate dinner together at the table, you watched the news or read the paper, and you went to bed.

With few hobbies and nothing other than work to define them, business owners in their late sixties, seventies and eighties feel lost without their business, which is why so many refuse to sell their companies or experience depression after they do.

Of course, there will always be exceptions to general rules of thumb but we have found that – more than your industry, nationality, marital status, success leve, or educational background – your birth date defines your exit plan.


Wondering if you have a sellable business? The Sellability Score is a quantitative tool designed to analyze how sellable your business is, or isn’t. After completing the questionnaire, you will immediately receive a Sellability Score along with instructions for interpreting your results. Take the test here.

There is also a comprehensive report available after you take the Sellability Score, contact our office directly to receive the full report.