THE PHIPPSCOMPANY

Business transition advisory

Chicago, Illinois

Built with purpose.
Transitioned with care.

For owners navigating the consequential decisions around selling, acquiring, merging, or preparing for what comes next.

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Independent perspectiveOwner-centered processMeasured execution

Preparation changes outcomes

The strongest exits begin
before the business goes to market.

Clear financials, credible forecasts, documented processes, and a transition-ready operation help prospective buyers understand what they are acquiring.

Prepare for an Exit Begin a Conversation

42%

of business owners have a written, formal transition plan for their company

The rest are approaching a sale with no documented plan for buyers, lenders, or their own team to evaluate.

Exit Planning Institute, 2023 — 2023 National State of Owner Readiness Report, 1,162 U.S. business owners surveyed.

75%

of business owners plan to exit their company within the next 10 years

Representing an estimated $14 trillion in business wealth expected to change hands over that span.

Exit Planning Institute, 2023 — 2023 National State of Owner Readiness Report, 1,162 U.S. business owners surveyed.

20–30%

of businesses that go to market actually sell

Most of the rest fail to transact because of valuation gaps, unprepared financials, or value that depends too heavily on the departing owner — the same readiness gaps preparation is meant to close.

Exit Planning Institute, 2023 — National State of Owner Readiness research.

60%

of business owners have had their business formally valued in the last two years

Up from just 18% in 2013 — but that still leaves a large share of owners approaching a sale without knowing what their business is actually worth.

Exit Planning Institute, 2023 — National State of Owner Readiness research.

Where we begin

The transaction matters.
So does everything around it.

Years of work, judgment, relationships, and identity converge in a business transition. Our role is to make the path legible—without reducing it to a single number or a rushed decision.

01

Preparing to sell

Clarify readiness, normalize the story behind the numbers, and enter the market deliberately.

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02

Looking to acquire

Define the thesis, assess opportunities, and maintain discipline through negotiation.

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03

Evaluating a merger

Examine strategic fit, structure, and the practical work of bringing two businesses together.

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04

Planning ahead

Build an exit-readiness roadmap before timing becomes a constraint.

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How we help

One advisory relationship.
Four ways forward.

A focused set of services designed around the decisions owners and acquirers face before, during, and after a transaction.

01

Sell-Side Advisory

Prepare, position, and navigate the sale of a business.

02

Buy-Side Advisory

Pursue the right opportunity with clarity and discipline.

03

Merger Advisory

Bring two businesses together with a clear view of fit.

04

Exit Readiness

Build options before timing becomes a constraint.

A considered process

Clarity before
complexity.

Every engagement is different. The discipline behind it should not be.

  1. 01

    Understand

    Start with the owner’s objectives, the business as it is, and the decisions already taking shape.

  2. 02

    Prepare

    Organize the narrative, identify gaps, and establish a practical path to readiness.

  3. 03

    Navigate

    Move through outreach, evaluation, negotiation, and diligence with steady counsel.

  4. 04

    Transition

    Carry the decision through closing and toward the next chapter with intention.

When the time is right

A confidential conversation can be
the first useful step.

Begin a conversation