Carrie Kerpen: What Steps Can Business Owners Take to Maximize Their Exit Value?

Carrie Kerpen is the go-to resource for women looking to transform their lifestyle businesses into life-changing assets. Known as The Exit Whisperer, Carrie has guided hundreds of women in scaling their businesses to prepare for successful exits. After scaling and selling her own agency, Likeable Media, she identified The Exit Gap—the disparities in exit values for female-led companies—and developed a methodology to help women avoid common pitfalls during the exit process.

Carrie is the founder and CEO of The Whisper Group, the #1 Exit Readiness Advisory Practice for Women-Owned Businesses, and the creator of The Whisper Collective, the only community exclusively for exited female founders. An accomplished entrepreneur, author, and podcast host, Carrie shares her expertise as the host of The Exit Whisperer, a podcast spotlighting exited female founders. A Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), she lives in Port Washington, New York, with her husband, three children, and their dog, Homer.

During the show we discussed:

• The Whisper Group stands out from other exit-readiness firms.
• Knowing why you want to exit is crucial.
• Learn how to get the exit value you deserve.
• They Got Acquired offers great industry exit data.
• Revenue and income impact your exit value.
• Your "secret sauce" can increase your worth.
• Profit drives maximum exit value.
• A sustainable business model is essential.
• Revenue is vanity; profit is sanity.
• The Whisper Group helps you decide to sell or stay.
• The Exit Gap affects female-led businesses.
• Women-owned businesses get just 0.08% of exit dollars.
• Whisper addresses women's unique exit challenges.
• Women's exits are rarely talked about.
• Mindset shifts are key to exit success.
• "Whisper" stands for seven traits of a sellable business.
• The "Roar Factor" strengthens your negotiating power.

Resources:

https://www.carriekerpen.com/
https://www.wearethewhispergroup.com/