How to Handle Unsolicited Offers For Your Business

In this week's issue, we're covering: 

• How to handle unsolicited offers for your business

• How to Sell a Business Using an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan)

• Global insurance firm to acquire competitor in $9.8B deal

• Personal insight on what to do if you haven't started exit planning

Let’s dive in.

🧠 This Week’s Big Idea 

How to Handle Unsolicited Offers For Your Business

Getting an unexpected offer for your company can be exciting. But it’s also where a lot of founders make early mistakes that cost them leverage (and value) later down the line.

The biggest mistake a founder can make in this situation?

Responding too quickly without a plan.

So when a buyer comes knocking on your door, there are a few things you shouldn't do:

• Make rushed decisions

• Downplay the unsolicited bid

• Try to avoid the M&A process

• Sign a letter of intent (LOI) or make agreements on your own

Instead, we always recommend you treat the offer as a signal – not a trigger. Yes, someone sees your business as a valuable asset. But before you engage further, there are a few steps worth taking to protect your position:

1. Be clear about your forward plans: Buyers want to see where the business is headed, not just where it’s been. So articulate your roadmap, growth strategy, and how you're positioned to scale.

2. Show enthusiasm for taking next steps: You don’t have to commit, but signaling openness and curiosity sets a productive tone. It shows you’re serious – leading buyers to take the conversation more seriously, too.

3. Get your M&A experts ready ASAP: If there’s real interest, bring in legal, financial, and M&A advisors early. They’ll help you assess the offer, prepare disclosures, and protect your downside risk.

4. Stay calm and take your time to review: Rushing leads to mistakes. So take the time to understand the offer structure, terms, and intent before responding or sharing sensitive data.

Unsolicited offers can be a great sign for your business, especially since they reveal there’s a real demand for what you’ve built.

But engaging the right way, at the right time, with the right prep can be the difference between a missed opportunity and a transformative exit. 

Have you gotten a business offer and need help navigating it? Get in touch with Exitwise.

 📰 Featured Blog Post

How to Sell a Business Using an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan)

The Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is an innovative strategy that's quickly gaining traction in today's business landscape.

Why? Because it presents an opportunity for founders to "sell" their business to their employees, maximizing the benefits for all stakeholders.

 In this guide, we walk you through:

• How to prepare your business for an ESOP

• The pros and cons of selling your business using an ESOP

• A real-life ESOP case study of a Belgian brewing company

→ Read the blog

📰 In The News

Brown & Brown to Acquire Accession Risk Management for $9.8B

Brown & Brown Insurance is set to acquire its rival firm Accession Risk Management in a deal worth $9.83 billion.

It's a huge number and a clear signal that big players are doubling down on acquisitions to grow faster, expand capabilities, and grab more market share.

Accession brings over 5,000 professionals and $1.7B in revenue to the table, which gives Brown & Brown a serious boost across their U.S. and Canada markets.

Why it matters to you: 

• Strategic Growth: The acquisition is an example of how firms are leveraging M&A to achieve significant growth and diversification in a competitive market.

• Market Consolidation: The deal reflects a broader industry trend where large-scale mergers are becoming a strategic response to market pressures and the need for expanded capabilities.

• Valuation Insights: Understanding the valuation and strategic rationale behind such deals can provide valuable insights for business owners considering their own growth or exit strategies.

For founders and business owners, this deal highlights the importance of strategic positioning and readiness to capitalize on opportunities in your industry.

Interested in learning more? Get in touch with Exitwise.

🗣️ From Brian

We got a call from a founder last week who recently had someone asking to buy his business.

Problem was, he hadn't thought about exiting yet and had no idea what to do.

Here's the advice I gave him (and what we tell any founder in this situation):

→ Read the full post on LinkedIn

 That's all for this week. Until next time.

Best,
Brian