5 Ways to Maximize Business Value: Jordi Pujol Featured in Strategist Magazine’s Business Owner Transition Toolkit

In the world of business ownership, preparing for a successful exit isn’t something you do at the eleventh hour – it’s a multi-year strategic process. That’s the message delivered loud and clear by Jordi Pujol, CFA, Managing Director of Objective’s Valuation Advisory Group, in his recent co-authored feature for Strategist Magazine: The Business Owner’s Transition Toolkit by Morton Wealth.

Collaborating with Karen Miles, Managing Director and Co-Head of the Valuation Group at Huron Consulting Group, Jordi outlines five powerful, actionable strategies that business owners can implement now to enhance market value before a sale. The magazine itself is a curated guide from 18 of the nation’s top experts on exit planning – spanning tax strategy, valuation, legal structure, and the emotional journey of stepping away.

Buyers Want Value, Not Just Growth

In their article, titled 5 Ways to Enhance Your Business’s Market Value, Jordi shifts the focus away from short-term revenue hikes and instead emphasize sustainable, strategic growth. As Jordi explains:

“Aligning the goals of your business with the typical ‘wants’ of a potential buyer will not only increase valuation but also allow you to run a smoother operation.”

From diversified revenue to strong management teams, the article acts as a checklist for owners who want to command a premium price and leave their businesses in capable hands.

The Five Value-Enhancing Levers

Here’s a breakdown of the key insights covered in the article:

1. Diversify and Recur Your Revenue

• Don’t just grow revenue – grow the right kind of revenue. Jordi stresses the value of reducing reliance on single customers or channels.

• “Diversifying customer bases and sales channels decreases concentration risk… ultimately increasing the valuation.”

Recurring revenues with long-term contracts reduce uncertainty, boosting both visibility and buyer confidence.

2. Focus on Profit Margins, Not Just Revenue

• Karen points out that most industries value businesses on profitability, not just sales: “We look at profitability metrics like EBITDA.”

• Jordi adds that sustainable actions – those that drive margin and long-term growth – are more valuable than revenue spikes that can’t be repeated.

Benchmarking against industry-standard margins and streamlining operational costs are musts for serious sellers.

3. Clean Financials Win Deals

• Sloppy or unclear financial statements are red flags. Jordi recommends cleaning them up well in advance of a sale:

  “Significant discrepancies between your books and tax filings, or unresolved legal matters can significantly lower the valuation.”

• Bringing in a second set of eyes – outside of your longtime bookkeeper – help spot and fix issues that may scare off buyers.

4. Reduce Supplier and Customer Risk

• Customer concentration is a key risk metric. Buyers want to know the company isn’t vulnerable if one major client or supplier walks away.

• Jordi also underscores the importance of customer experience, sharing how a convenience chain boosted average spend simply by improving in-store details.

The more replaceable and resilient your supply chain and customer base, the stronger your valuation position.

5. Build a Team That Can Thrive Without You

• Perhaps the biggest driver of value? A team that runs the business when the owner steps back.

• Jordi makes it plain:

  “The more a business can run independently, the higher the valuation will be.”

Buyers need to believe that operations, decision-making, and culture won’t crumble when you leave the building.

Show You’re Built to Adapt

Both authors reinforce that buyers pay premiums for scalability and adaptability. Jordi’s closing advice?

“Prove that you are scaling, not just growing. Actions that increase revenue and enhance margin have a multiplier effect on value.”

Read the full Strategist Magazine issue here.