Thinking of getting acquired? Don’t let preventable mistakes cost you the perfect deal.
In our latest webinar, we walk through the most common missteps founders make when preparing to sell—and how to avoid them. From unrealistic pricing to missing documents, these mistakes can stall or even kill an acquisition before you ever receive an offer.
Watch the full recording or skip to the key takeaways below. Let’s make sure you don’t leave money on the table.
Who’s Presenting?
Andrew Gazdecki, Founder and CEO of Acquire.com
Andrew Gazdecki is the founder and CEO of Acquire.com and a lifelong entrepreneur. He bootstrapped his first business, Bizness Apps, to $10 million in annual recurring revenue, which he later sold to a private equity firm in a life-changing acquisition. Since then, he’s sold two more businesses, bought one, and founded the world’s largest startup acquisition marketplace.
Having been on both sides of the M&A table, as a buyer and a seller, Andrew knows how complex and difficult acquisitions can be. He started Acquire.com to fix the complex acquisition process and make it easier for founders to get acquired, and he’s excited to share his knowledge with you today.
What Is Acquire.com?
Acquire.com is the best online marketplace to buy and sell SaaS startups. Combining expert M&A advisory and technology, our services help you get Acquire’d fast and maximize your exit.
Since 2019, we’ve helped over a thousand founders sell their businesses, closed over half a billion dollars in deal volume, and registered over 500,000 buyers. Live internationally? No problem – we’re active in over 100 countries and every continent except Antarctica.
Common Seller Mistakes
Most failed acquisitions don’t fail because of bad businesses. They fail because the founders weren’t prepared. These are the biggest deal killers we see daily—and how to fix them.
Highlights
- Unrealistic valuation: Price your business too high, and buyers will skip without a second look. A valuation that doesn’t make sense signals that you’re not serious. Defend your number with real data.
- Messy financials: If your numbers are unclear or unreliable, buyers won’t move forward. Clean, accurate P&Ls are a must.
- No operational clarity: Can your business run without you? Buyers don’t want a job—they want a system.
- Missing transition plan: What happens after the deal? Buyers need to see how customers, support, and marketing will transfer smoothly.
- Slow responses: Time kills deals. If you’re unresponsive or hard to schedule with, buyers lose interest fast.
How Buyers Think
Understanding how buyers evaluate deals is the key to closing one. They’re not just scanning your revenue but asking, “Is this business an asset or a liability?”
Highlights
- Profitability matters. Buyers want assets that generate income—not startups that burn cash month after month.
- Predictable revenue. Stable, recurring revenue beats unpredictable spikes every time.
- Scalability. Buyers want to know the business can grow without needing major reinvention.
- Ease of transition. Can they take over quickly without you being involved long-term?
If your business is profitable, predictable, and scalable, you’re already ahead.
The Due Diligence Checklist
Buyers will do their homework—make sure you’re ready before they ask.
Highlights
- Clean P&L: Month-over-month breakdowns that tell a clear financial story.
- Customer metrics: Show churn, retention, LTV, and other key insights.
- Team structure: Explain who’s responsible for what.
- Supplier and contractor agreements: Any risks? Any dependencies?
- Growth playbook: Outline your acquisition channels and performance.
Preparation here builds trust and shortens timelines.
How to Think Like a Buyer
Want to attract stronger offers? Start thinking like a buyer. The most successful founders prepare their listings with buyer psychology in mind.
Highlights
- Buyers want assets, not headaches. Your business should feel like an investment—not a rescue mission.
- Clarity is king: Financials, operations, customer metrics—make everything easy to understand.
- Transparency builds trust: Disclose risks early. It earns respect and speeds up deals.
- Proof beats potential: Back up your claims with data. Buyers need evidence, not just optimism.
Think ahead: What would you want to know if you were buying this business?
The Must-Have Financials
Buyers want financial clarity, not confusion. These are the essentials:
Highlights
- Revenue breakdown: By product, customer segment, and pricing tier.
- Essential vs. non-essential expenses: What could a buyer cut or keep?
- Growth trends: Year-over-year and month-over-month performance.
- Documentation: Bonus if you use tools like ChartMogul or Baremetrics.
If your numbers are messy, clean them up before going live.
The Must-Have Documents
Beyond financials, these documents show that your business is truly ready for a new owner.
Highlights
- SOPs: Document daily operations to ease the transition.
- Retention and churn metrics: Show what keeps customers coming back.
- Supplier contracts: Highlight any dependencies or exclusivities.
- Marketing strategy: Help buyers see where growth comes from.
Having this organized before listing saves time and shows buyers you mean business.
How to Respond to Buyers
Once your listing is live, buyers will reach out. How you respond matters.
Highlights
- Be fast: Aim to reply within 24 hours. Momentum drives deals.
- Be prepared: Know your numbers and have documents ready.
- Be clear: Avoid vague answers. Build trust through transparency.
- Be confident: You’re not just answering questions — you’re selling your business.
Every response is a signal. Make yours count.
Q&A
How do businesses fail to sell—and how can I avoid that?
A lot of businesses fail to sell because they're simply not ready. They’re declining in revenue, heavily reliant on the founder, or have no clear financials. Buyers feel like they have to pull every bit of info from the seller. To avoid that, do the opposite: be prepared, be responsive, and make it easy for buyers to say yes.
Which financial document matters most to buyers?
If you only prepare one, make it a clean, month-by-month P&L. It’s the fastest way for buyers to evaluate your business.
What if my revenue is inconsistent?
Be honest about why. Is it seasonal? Is it based on big one-off clients? Explain the pattern and show how the business still delivers value despite the variation.
What should I include in a transition plan?
Think week by week. Will you stay on for support? Who answers support tickets now? How do you acquire customers? Are there tools or systems the buyer needs access to? Document everything and make the handoff as smooth as possible.
How do I make my business stand out using its story?
Tell buyers why you started it. What problem were you solving? Where’s the opportunity now? If you were to stay on for another year, what would you do next? That story builds emotional buy-in and shows the upside.
How can I attract multiple buyers to create competition?
Respond quickly. Use a live Q&A doc to answer questions from one buyer and share it with others. That shows traction and transparency, and it helps others get excited. Competition comes from momentum.
My business relies on certain people or tools. How do I make it easier to run?
Document everything. Create a simple internal wiki or Google Doc that outlines how each part of the business works—marketing, support, ops, etc. The more clarity you offer, the more confident a buyer will feel stepping in.
How can I protect myself legally from a buyer who looks at my code, pulls out, and copies us?
Use an NDA before sharing sensitive info. On Acquire.com, you control what gets shared and when—no need to show code upfront. Most buyers are legit, but if someone breaks the NDA, you have legal grounds. Staged access and an NDA are your best protections.
What specific financial documents are buyers most interested in when evaluating a business?
A clean, month-by-month P&L is the most important. It should clearly show revenue, expenses, and profit trends. Bonus if it’s easy to read and backed by tools like QuickBooks or ChartMogul.
What’s the best way to communicate the potential for growth without sounding like I’m overpromising?
Frame it as opportunity, not a guarantee. Say, “Here’s what we haven’t done yet” or “This is where a buyer could expand.” Focus on facts, not projections.