Preparing for an Ecommerce Exit
A checklist to prepare your ecommerce business for a sale: align owners, set up legal structure, clean up financials, and track the KPIs buyers want.
What's inside
Ownership alignment
Agree early on an exit timeline, your goals for the company before and after a sale, how long owners stay involved, and a clear equity and decision-making structure buyers can trust.
Legal and organizational readiness
Review employee and vendor contracts, protect your trademarks and other intellectual property, and define team roles so buyers see a business built with a long-term view.
Reliable ecommerce financials
Four quick checks for sales recorded from channels instead of deposits, an inventory balance that moves, a stable gross margin, and sales tax booked as a liability, not an expense.
KPIs buyers value most
Tiered KPIs with minimum and ideal targets, from gross profit margin, EBITDA margin, and growth to inventory turnover, ROAS, and LTV to CAC, plus how to calculate each one.
Brand and customer metrics
Other signals buyers weigh, including reach, engagement, website traffic, average order value, refund and return rates, and net promoter score, with guidance on why each matters.