Build a Business Buyers Want | Matt Tortora | EP27

Would a buyer want the business you are building? Matt Tortora, founder of Drive Equity, joins Bill Canady to explore what makes a founder-owned company more valuable—and why exit preparation starts years before a sale. A strong profit number is only part of the story. Matt and Bill discuss founder dependence, customer concentration, recurring revenue, gross margins and clean financials through a buyer's eyes. They explain why a headline valuation can look very different from the cash and risk a seller takes away from a deal. The conversation then turns to acquisitions: defining what to buy and why, considering equity, debt and seller financing, building an organization that can absorb another company, and assessing cultural fit. Matt also shares the personal adjustment of moving from founder to employee after an exit. IN THIS EPISODE • Build systems and a management team that can perform without the founder. • Work backward from an exit goal using realistic assumptions and sustainable earnings. • Prepare the acquisition thesis, financing and integration plan before pursuing a deal. CONNECT WITH MATT TORTORA Drive Equity: https://www.driveequity.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtortora FREE CEO TOOLS Business Valuation Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/business-valuation-calculator/ Profitable Growth Scorecard: https://the8020institute.com/profitable-growth-scorecard/ Profit Concentration Analyzer: https://the8020institute.com/profit-concentration/ Price Increase Impact Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/price-increase-calculator/ LBO Calculator: https://billcanady.com/lbo-calculator/ Profit Map Calculator: https://billcanady.com/profit-map-calculator/ All free tools: https://the8020institute.com/free-tools/ BOOK A CALL WITH BILL CANADY Meet with Bill: https://calendly.com/billcanady/meet-with-bill Command 100 — talk directly with Bill: https://calendly.com/billcanady/command-100 CONNECT WITH BILL CANADY Bill Canady: https://billcanady.com/ The 80/20 Institute: https://the8020institute.com/ The 1000-Day CEO: https://1000dayceo.com/ Subscribe for practical conversations about decisive leadership, profitable growth, operational discipline, and building lasting enterprise value: https://www.youtube.com/@billcanady?sub\_confirmation=1 If you stepped away for 90 days, what would your business need to keep growing without you? #The1000DayCEO #ExitPlanning #BusinessGrowth