About 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 every day, and by 2030 the whole generation will be 65 or older. McKinsey estimates as many as 6 million small and midsize businesses will change hands or close by 2035. Only about 1 million are expected to sell.
That gap is the point. When that many owners head for the exit at once, buyers don’t multiply at the same pace, and they favor businesses with systems already running, not ones that only work with the founder in the room.
None of this means yours won’t sell, or won’t sell well. The owners who struggle are almost always the ones who waited until a health scare or burnout made the decision for them.
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now. A business tended for years is ready when harvest comes. One noticed for the first time the week before a sale is asked to bear fruit it never had time to grow.
You don’t need an exit date to start. A baseline valuation, clean financials, and a simple written plan are the roots.
Is your business ready, getting there, or not started? Wherever you are, a check-up is where it starts. Bad things don’t get better by being ignored.
Reach me directly, even if it's just a thought. I'm on call, and every conversation is confidential: Call Jeff | jeff.jones@tbrag.co
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and Pew Research Center (Baby Boomers turning 65); McKinsey & Company (small and midsize business ownership transfer by 2035).
Jeff Jones, DDS
Built a business from the ground up, ran it for thirty years, and sold it. Now a business broker, advisor, and TREC-licensed real estate sales agent with TBRAG in New Braunfels.
