Entrepreneurs dedicate their lives to building a thriving business. As their success mounts, people take notice, and the phone begins to ring. The callers start off with a hearty congratulations but soon transition to wanting to learn about the business and whether the owner is open to a sale. This is how many entrepreneurs first get exposed to the world of mergers and acquisitions. Jason Hendren knows this well because when the “Congratulations” calls started coming, they caught him off guard.

Jason is an entrepreneur who built a successful business that subsequently partnered with a private equity group. He stayed on as the CEO for nearly a decade, during which he made the transition from seller to buyer, leading the merger and acquisition activity at the company. This is where Jason learned how professionals buy businesses, build value, and prepare them for sale. This experience gave him the expertise to become an exit planning advisor, in which he helps other entrepreneurs navigate the sales process.

In Things I Wish I Knew Before I Sold to Private Equity, Jason shares the lessons he learned to help entrepreneurs prepare for the “Congratulations” calls. This book covers preparing yourself for a sale, aligning your employees, evaluating offers, and selecting advisors. It sheds light on the diligence process and what to expect after closing. He also tackles the elephant in the room, valuation. This is the one book every entrepreneur should read before the phone starts ringing.