The Readiness Test: How to Know If You're Ready to Sell Your Firm

Selling your accounting firm is a major life transition and that often comes with an emotional tax that proper strategy can mitigate.

Lisa Handziak, who covers much of the Northeast and Midwest for Poe Group Advisors, has guided owners through successful exits. She's learned that the sellers who thrive during this transition aren't the ones who avoid emotions; they're the ones who understand how to channel them productively. Take confidentiality, for example. Sellers often feel guilty keeping the sale from their staff, but Lisa reframes it completely: You're not keeping a secret. You're creating stability. When you protect your team from premature anxiety, you're actually protecting them, not betraying them. This episode reveals how the best exits happen: with preparation, clear vision, and a strategic mindset that turns your final tax season into proof of how valuable your firm really is.

Key Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction 
02:04 - Understanding the emotional journey of selling (and why it's normal) 
06:41 - The readiness test: what are you going to do next? 
08:19 - How one seller rediscovered what matters after exiting 
10:01 - The seller who got re-excited about her firm and built even more value over 3 years
13:27 - The seller who got sick during tax season and proved the firm was buyer-ready 
15:16 - "You're not keeping a secret, you're creating stability," the confidentiality reframe 
19:25 - The attitude reset that transforms your final tax season 
22:38 - How starting earlier eliminates seller regrets 
25:08 - Accelerating profitable firms to their goals through strategic planning 
28:39 - The inspiring buyer success story: from $1M to a major exit 
30:12 - Why strategic buyers protect their investment by waiting to meet staff 33:41 - What happens when transition communication goes wrong (and how to avoid it) 
35:39 - Bringing the human element back to M&A 
36:22 - Book recommendations

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