Is business booming? Want to retire in the next five years? Don't put off selling your business.

It's fun to own a business when times are good. You're selling in-demand products and services, attracting appreciative clients, creating new jobs, growing revenue, experiencing your bank's approval, and receiving awards and accolades. The economy is growing, and you're earning more money than you ever dreamed possible. This makes it a perfect time to sell your business!

When things are going well many business owners make the mistake of putting off selling. But what if something unexpected happens? What if you lose a few key repeat customers? A key staff member leaves? A group of former disgruntled employees sues the company? An important supplier dramatically increases prices, or goes out of business? The economy goes into recession? New regulations are imposed that are incompatible with your business model? Such changes could render your business unmarketable in the short-term, negatively impact its value, and may require waiting far longer to sell in order to correct the problems and develop enough of a track record afterwards that it won't have a significant impact on business value and marketability. Your plan of selling within 5 years? That may now be 10 years.

The best time to sell a business is when it's performing well - don't miss your window of opportunity.