Built to Sell: How to Exit with Private Equity- Sean Belnick Ep93

Built to Sell: How to Exit in Private Equity

Have you been thinking of selling your business but don’t understand how to go about it? The process of selling a business is a complex one that can take up to several months and in some cases end up not happening.

That is why in this episode of the Page One Podcast, we have Sean Belnick to share how he successfully exited his business after growing it from $0 to $300 million in value. Sean founded Belnick, Inc in 2001 and successfully completed an exit in early 2017, and transitioned to a full-time board member in 2019. Belnick, Inc continues to remain one of the largest distributors of furniture to internet-enabled retailers and services tens of thousands of customers nationwide.

Listen in to understand the process of successfully selling a business without jeopardizing its values and objectives. You will also learn why selling to the highest bidder isn’t necessarily the best thing for your business.

Key Takeaways:

• Why it is challenging to sell a business that requires large working capital.
• The importance of ensuring you and the investors see things the same way before creating a purchase agreement.
• Why selling your business value is not the most critical part of the selling process.
• How to be successful in business by staying true to your values and focusing on customer needs.

Episode Timeline:

• [1:55] Sean describes what Belnick Inc. does, which is to primarily distribute office furniture.
• [4:49] The benefits of starting a West Coast office as an East Coast distribution company.
• [7:00] How he scaled Belnick Inc. from $0 to $300 million from 2001 to 2021.
• [9:01] Why it was difficult to sell Belnick Inc. over the years and how they improved to appeal to investors.
• [13:06] Things to pay close attention to, to sell your business at the right time and for what it’s worth.
• [16:07] The process of going to market, how they approached the purchase agreement, and the challenges they encountered.
• [20:12] Making sure your business values and objectives are in alignment with those you sell your business to.
• [22:14] Sean describes the time consumption and hurdles they faced during the sale process.
• [28:17] The long-term equity versus making more profits perspectives that Sean and his buyers had.  
• [30:59] He explains how he transitioned from a CEO to a full-time board member.
• [33:20] The importance of working hard and solving a customer’s problems to create a successful brand.
• [37:49] He talks about his latest passion for helping small business owners and people with ideas.

 

Quotes:

“The person who invents the idea isn’t necessarily the one who monetizes it the best way.”- Sean Belnick [36:28]