Are you building your business to sell—or just to survive? In today’s episode of Behind Their Success, I sit down with the powerhouse himself, Sal Tirabassi—a seasoned fractional CFO, private equity investor, and the guy behind CFO Pro + Analytics. With over $400 million raised and decades of experience helping high-growth companies, Sal breaks down what most entrepreneurs get wrong about preparing for an exit—and how to fix it before you leave millions on the table. Whether you're a small business owner with an eye on retirement or you're dreaming of your first big exit, this one’s for you. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why clean, explainable financials are the foundation of every great business exit strategy ✅ How mom-and-pop shops can level up and avoid leaving value behind ✅ The real ROI of professionalizing your finance function before you sell ✅ What investors really want to see during due diligence ✅ The biggest mindset shift founders need when seeking capital ✅ The power of 13-week cash flow modeling for clarity and confidence ✅ Real-world strategies to turn chaos into systems—and dollars 📌 SEO Highlights: We go deep on: Small business exit strategies that actually increase valuation How to sell a business without scaring off investors Business exit planning tips that lead to real equity value What "due diligence readiness" really means (hint: it’s not QuickBooks and hope) 🔧 Tools & Tactical Takeaways: Sal gives tactical advice on: Building a sellable business with equity value in mind Implementing automation and fractional CFO services for lean growth Using AI tools (like note takers and SOP generators) to scale like a pro Dealing with cash flow crunches and investor skepticism with strategy, not stress 🚀 Connect with Sal Tirabassi: 🌐 Website: cfoproanalytics.com 🔗 LinkedIn: Just search Sal Tirabassi 🧮 Free Tools: Check out the equity dilution and CAC calculators on the website 🔥 Ready to stop overpaying taxes? I help entrepreneurs and high-income earners legally and ethically reduce their tax bills—guaranteed. Head over to squirestaxplanning.com to take our free assessment and see how much you might be leaving on the table. 🙌 If You Found Value… Please rate, review, and share the podcast. That’s the best way to help us grow and continue serving healthy, wealthy, and wise entrepreneurs like you. You can follow me on social media or head to padensquires.com for more tools, thoughts, and behind-the-scenes content.