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Lani Dickinson Stealth Freedom To Exit blog (What Buyers Really Want That You Probably Haven’t Thought About)

What Buyers Really Want (That You Probably Haven’t Thought About)

June 16, 20254 min read

The Harsh Truth: Buyers Don’t Care About Your Hustle

Let’s be real: most founders think buyers are impressed by hard work. Long nights, loyal teams, and handcrafted deliverables. You built something from scratch. You’ve done the impossible. You feel like that should matter.

But buyers? They’re not paying for your origin story.

They’re paying for predictability, profitability, and scalability — without you.

If your business crumbles the moment you take a vacation, it’s not a business. It’s a job in drag. And trust me, sophisticated buyers know the difference. So let’s talk about what they’re actually looking for — and how you can start aligning your business with their mindset.


1. They Want a Plug-and-Play Machine

Buyers aren’t looking to adopt your chaos. They’re looking to invest in a well-oiled machine that runs with minimal friction.

Clear SOPs
Delegated roles
Automated workflows
Documented financials

They want to see that this thing runs like clockwork — and not because you’re the one turning the gears. They’re buying a recipe, not the chef.


2. Clean, Verifiable Financials

This one’s non-negotiable. If your books are a mess, you’ll either scare buyers off or get lowballed to death.

Buyers want to know:

  • What’s your actual EBITDA?

  • What recurring revenue do you have?

  • Are your margins healthy?

  • Are you using accrual accounting or cash-based?

Numbers don’t lie — but they better not be confusing either. Clarity equals confidence. Confidence equals a higher multiple.


3. Systems That Reduce Dependency on YOU

This one’s personal. A buyer will stalk your calendar, your inbox, and your Slack threads. Why? Because they want to know if this business falls apart without your daily involvement.

You want to sell?
Then you need to become replaceable — not irrelevant, but replaceable.

Start by:

  • Removing yourself from the sales process

  • Automating onboarding

  • Training your team to lead (not just follow orders)

If you’re the glue holding it all together, they’re not buying a business — they’re inheriting your burnout.


4. Proof of Future Profitability

It’s not just about what the business did last year. It’s about what it can do next year — and the one after that.

That means:

  • Documented growth trends

  • Realistic projections backed by data

  • Identifiable market opportunities

  • A marketing engine that doesn’t rely on guesswork or grit

Buyers want upside. If all they see is plateaued growth or owner-driven sales, they’ll walk — or worse, use it to cut your valuation in half.


5. Minimal Risk, Maximum Return

You know what makes a business risky to a buyer?

❌ Key-man dependency
❌ High client churn
❌ Legal or tax liabilities
❌ Unstable supplier or fulfillment processes
❌ Outdated tech or tools

Your job is to de-risk the business before it ever hits the market. A business with risk baked in is a business that sits on the shelf. Or gets picked up for pennies on the dollar.


The Intangible Stuff? It Matters, Too

Culture. Brand equity. Customer sentiment. Leadership pipeline. These aren’t always “on paper” — but they absolutely influence buyer confidence.

Do you have:

  • A strong team culture with low turnover?

  • Raving client testimonials and reviews?

  • A brand people trust in your market?

These are value amplifiers. They don't replace the fundamentals, but they do boost your perceived value.


Final Thought: Buyers Buy Outcomes, Not Effort

If you’re prepping for a sale or even thinking about it down the line, start seeing your business through a buyer’s eyes today. Strip out the emotion and look at the machine.

What runs without you?
What breaks when you step away?
What would a buyer worry about — and how can you eliminate that worry now?

The earlier you start thinking like a buyer, the easier it is to build a business that someone actually wants to buy — at a price that makes your years of effort worth it.


Free Resources to Go Further:

📌 7 Ways AI Can Boost Your Sales and Save You Time – Download this free guide:
👉 https://ai.activatetoascend.com/get-7ways-ai

📌 3 Ways Your Business Can Use AI TODAY to Stop Leaking Money – Save your seat for the free live webinar:
👉 https://webinar.activatetoascend.com/webinar-register-general

📌 Changes Assessment – Discover where your business is leaking time, money, and momentum:
👉 https://stealthfreedomtoexit.com/changes

Lani Dickinson is a former Fortune 175 CEO turned business strategist and founder of Freedom To Exit. With decades of executive leadership experience, Lani helps self-led entrepreneurs transform their companies into scalable, sellable assets—so they can achieve true time, location, and financial freedom. As the host of the Freedom To Exit podcast, she delivers straight-talking insights, powerful frameworks, and actionable strategies for business owners ready to exit for more.

Lani Dickinson

Lani Dickinson is a former Fortune 175 CEO turned business strategist and founder of Freedom To Exit. With decades of executive leadership experience, Lani helps self-led entrepreneurs transform their companies into scalable, sellable assets—so they can achieve true time, location, and financial freedom. As the host of the Freedom To Exit podcast, she delivers straight-talking insights, powerful frameworks, and actionable strategies for business owners ready to exit for more.

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