You're booked. Here's what happens next.
Jim Carroll
Licensed Arizona Business Broker, CEPA
Looking forward to our conversation. Your calendar invite, the Zoom link, and a brief note from me are on their way to your inbox right now. While you wait, the rest of this page covers what we'll talk about, how to prepare (you don't really need to), and answers to a few worries owners typically have before the call.
What we'll actually talk about.
Most people booking a call like this have never spoken to a business broker before. So it's worth being clear about how the next 30 minutes will go, what I'm trying to understand, and what you'll walk away with.
I ask. You talk.
I'll want to understand what you've built, how long you've been running it, what your team looks like, and roughly where the business sits financially. You don't need numbers down to the dollar. Rough is fine. The point is for me to get a picture of the business well enough to give you a useful read on it.
Where you actually are in your thinking.
I'll ask about your timeline, your reasons for thinking about a sale, and what your life looks like after this business if you sold it. Some owners are six months out. Some are three years out. Some are still deciding whether they want to sell at all. Wherever you sit on that spectrum is fine. The conversation is the same.
Your readiness, in plain language.
I'll give you my honest read on where your business sits today against what buyers will actually underwrite. If you're ready to go to market, we'll talk about what listing with me looks like. If you're not, I'll tell you what would need to change and roughly how long it would take. Some businesses need six months of preparation. Some need two years. You'll leave with a clear answer either way.
No pitch. No obligation. No cost. Whether we work together or not, you'll leave the call with a clearer read on your business than you had going in.
You don't need to prepare anything.
Genuinely. Show up, answer questions honestly, and the conversation will be useful. But if you're the kind of owner who wants to come ready, here's a short list of things that would help me give you a sharper answer.
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Rough revenue and cash flow numbers for the last 12 months. If you have last year's numbers in your head, that's enough.
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A rough sense of your timeline. Six months out? Two years? Still deciding? No commitment required, just where your head is right now.
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Anything you've already explored. If you've spoken to another broker, looked at a valuation tool, or had an offer in the past, that's useful context.
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The one question you most want answered. Most owners have a specific worry they want addressed. Bring it.
If none of that is ready, don't worry. We'll get to it on the call.
Questions you might be turning over before we talk.
Yes. Every conversation I have runs through Transworld's confidential process. Nothing about your business, your employees, your customers, or your competitors leaves the call. If we move forward, buyers sign confidentiality before they see anything identifying about your business. I'll say it again because it's the single most common worry I hear: every owner I work with has the same fear about word getting out. The whole process is built around making sure it doesn't.
That's most of the businesses I see, and it's a perfectly fine place to start a conversation from. The Quarterback Approach exists for exactly this. If you're not ready to list, I'll tell you what would need to change and roughly how long it would take. I have a bench of advisors I trust who specialise in that preparation work. They do it with you, and when you're ready, the relationship comes back to me. You don't have to be ready today to make this conversation worth having.
The first conversation is free and confidential. If we end up working together, compensation is discussed on the call once we know we're a fit. There's no fee for getting on a call with me. That's true whether you decide to work with me or not.
There are, and a few of them are good. The difference is that most brokers are paid on transaction volume, which means they'll take your listing whether your business is actually ready to sell or not. That's not how I work. I pressure-test the business before it goes to market, not after. If yours isn't ready, I'll tell you, and I'll point you at the right people to get it ready. That's not the standard approach in Arizona. It's the right one.
Almost every founder I work with has done some version of this. It's normal. It doesn't disqualify you. What matters is that we can identify and explain it cleanly when buyers look at the numbers. That's what an add-back schedule is for. We'll talk through it on the call if relevant.
No. The conversation is structured around giving you a useful read on your business. If you decide at the end that you want to move forward, we'll talk about what that looks like. If you don't, we won't. I don't chase people who aren't ready. Owners who aren't a fit today often come back 12 to 24 months later when they are, and that's how this is meant to work.
Between now and the call.
A confirmation email in your inbox.
In the next few minutes. It has the Zoom link, the calendar invite, and a couple of brief notes from Jim on what to expect. Worth a quick scan when you get it.
A short reminder 48 hours before.
One paragraph, addressing the confidentiality question directly. Worth reading even if you've already read everything on this page.
A final note the morning of.
The link again and a couple of housekeeping things. Then we talk.
If anything comes up between now and the call and you need to reschedule, just reply to any of those emails. We'll find another time.
Need to change the time?
Things come up. If you need to reschedule, pick a new time, or just reply to your confirmation email and we'll find one that works.
Email Jim to rescheduleFor anything urgent, Jim's email is jim@bbwstrategies.com.