JONNY THE EXIT STRATEGIST

Jonny Cooper built his financial services firm from scratch before implementing an exit strategy and selling it in a £11.5M deal back in 2003. After selling his business he considered early retirement (well, that was the plan) in California and Southern Europe with loads of sunshine and beaches.

The life of leisure didn’t quite go to plan though, and the more Jonny tried to get away from business, the more frequently he was asked to participate in various ventures, ranging from advising with exit strategies to investing in businesses.

After a few years break Jonny was back, helping and advising on exit strategies for CEOs in America and managing directors in Europe.

He also sat on the boards and invested in a number of ventures including the luxury houseboat industry in America and the Far East, and the top end of the fitted kitchen industry in the United Kingdom.

As an exit strategist Jonny states “Most small business owners who are looking to sell their businesses which they have built up in their lifetime will never do so.

Simply put; no-one is going to buy a business and then have to work 60 – 70 hours a week just to get a return on their investment.” He adds, “In over 90% of cases where there is a business sale, if you take the owner / founder of the business away, it will not run on its own. Yet this is exactly what investors want: a business which can run on its own if needed”.

Jonny works with business owners who need to sell their businesses and not give their business away. He also helps to create and, most importantly, helps to implement exit strategies for the business owners, so when a buyer is found he falls in love with the business.

The other thing Jonny found is that by creating and implementing his exit strategies, the owners are able to increase the asking price by up to 50% and achieve a quick sale.

For advice on creating and implementing an exit strategy for your business, email Jonny via jon@jupiterdawn.com