How to Build a More Valuable Business (Even If You Don’t Want to Sell)

GUEST POST: Megan Kearney, Co-Owner of Exit Factor Lexington

Most business owners have 80% of their wealth tied up in their company, yet 87% never sell. 

Why? Because they wait too long to make it valuable, scalable, and transferable. 

When we launched Exit Factor Lexington, our mission was to change that. To truly help small and medium-sized business owners build companies that are valuable, scalable, and when the time comes, sellable.

Now that I’m almost a year into owning this business, my business partner, Todd Enghauser, and I have worked and talked with all kinds of amazing entrepreneurs, many who love what they do but feel stuck in their business, not sure how to move forward, exit, or even just breathe.

Here's what I’ve learned: Whether or not you plan to sell your business, building it like you're going to sell is the smartest move you can make.

Why? Because it forces you to focus on creating value, reducing chaos, and freeing up your time as the owner.

And yes, there's a proven system for doing this.

At Exit Factor, we use a 5-step process that’s helped businesses increase profitability, reduce owner dependency, and make their companies truly work for them.

Let me walk you through how it works with a real story.

How to Increase Your Business’ Value in 5 Steps 

Step 1: Discover & Diagnose – Get honest about where you are

Most business owners know their P&L like the back of their hand, but what about business value? Or operational risk?

One of our Lexington clients (we’ll call her Jessica) owned a boutique marketing firm with 8 employees. On paper, her business looked great, profitable, steady clients, and a good team. But once we ran a full business assessment and value analysis, we discovered some key risk areas:

• Jessica was still the bottleneck for most client work

• SOPs were either outdated or missing

• Her team didn’t have enough autonomy to make decisions without her

That diagnosis gave us a starting point and more importantly, a direction.

Step 2: Strategize & Prioritize – Don't fix everything, fix the right things

Once we knew the pain points, we didn’t try to overhaul everything. We picked the three biggest needle-movers:

• Document delivery processes and client onboarding

• Assign a junior manager to handle client communication

• Automate key reporting functions

This phase is where the overwhelm starts to melt away. You finally know what matters most.

Step 3: Implement & Execute – Turn business plans into systems

This is where the magic happens when strategy turns into structure. We supported Jessica’s team through focused 2-week sprint projects, training sessions, and weekly check-ins.

She started seeing results quickly:

• Processes got documented

• Client work no longer depended solely on her

• She got 12 hours of her month back

That’s what I love most about this step, it’s empowering.

Step 4: Measure & Adjust – Let the data guide you

No more “I think it’s working”... we track real performance.

Together, we monitored:

• Client satisfaction

• Project turnaround times

• Profit per job

When we saw one metric stall out, we adjusted. When others improved, we doubled down. Within 6 months, profit was up 15%, and her team was more confident and accountable.

Step 5: Optimize & Exit (or Scale) – Be ready for anything

Jessica didn’t want to sell yet, and that’s okay. She just wanted exit options. And now, she has them. We helped her package her business as if she were preparing to sell, which also made her ready to grow, attract partners, or take time off.

That’s the real goal: freedom and flexibility.

Why I Believe in Preparing Your Business Exit Strategy 

As an educator, I have found how important it is for business owners to be educated and aware of their exit options, and to take action to have a plan in place. I love working closely with passionate founders who want to build companies that last, not just survive.

Here’s the truth:
🛑 You don’t need to wait until you’re burned out to start thinking about your exit.
✅ You don’t need to be “ready to sell” to make your business more valuable.
🔥 And you don’t need to do it alone.

With just three people on our team, me, Todd, and our rockstar exit strategist, we offer a boutique, highly personalized experience. That means fast turnarounds, direct communication, and no fluff, just results.

Let’s Build a Valuable Business That Works for You

If you’ve been running your company for a few years, have a small but mighty team, and want to take your business from “running okay” to running on its own, I’d love to talk.

Whether your goal is to grow, scale, or eventually sell, we’ll help you get there.

👉Want to know what your business is worth today, and what it could be worth tomorrow? [Use our Free Valuation Calculator] and take the first step toward building your future exit on your terms. 

And remember: Every business owner exits eventually. The question is, will it be on your terms?

Because the best exits aren’t rushed, they’re built.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a women Owner and Partner at Exit Factor of Lexington, Megan Kearney specializes in empowering business owners with tailored growth strategies and expert exit planning. With a robust background in business management and strategic consulting, she helps clients navigate the complexities of business growth, valuation, and transitions.