Most CEOs start thinking about selling when they're forced to.
That's exactly when you don't want to start.
Here's what matters:
Just because you're prepared to sell doesn't mean you need to sell.
Being prepared with low urgency?
That's the ultimate position of strength.
Maximum optional...
I hear it in boardrooms constantly:
"We'll consider selling when the multiples improve."
Or:
"We won't even look at offers under 2x book."
Here's the truth:
If you're waiting for multiples to determine your bank's future, you're letting fate write your story.
And fate is a terrible autho...
Your investment banker just called with good news—three serious buyers want to move forward.
Then reality hits:
They want detailed information about everything.
Hundreds of documents.
Thousands of questions.
Who can you trust with this sensitive information?
How do you keep your sale ...
Picture this:
Your board meeting is running late.
You've covered loan committee reports, regulatory updates, and budget reviews.
Then you drop the bomb:
"I think we should explore selling the bank."
The room goes silent.
Board members exchange worried glances.
Someone asks, "Is the bank...
Sometimes the best strategy is the one you never saw coming.
In 2017, we were hunting for banks to buy.
By 2022, we were the ones getting bought—and it was the best decision we ever made.
Here's the story of how we built a bank so strong that when plans changed, we had options.
And why ...
Picture this:
You're juggling a dozen spinning plates.
Interest rates,
cybersecurity,
regulations,
talent wars,
loan quality
—each one demanding your attention every single day.
Now imagine someone asking, "Are you ready to sell your bank?"
Your first thought?
"I'm not selling!...
You've spent years building the perfect team.
Late nights, tough decisions, and yes—probably hiring a few people who didn't work out.
But now you have them: the stars who make your bank run like clockwork.
Here's the question that keeps successful bank CEOs awake at night:
What happens ...
Remember this fundamental truth:
Banks are bought, not sold.
Buyers acquire your bank because they believe their institution will become more valuable with yours added to it.
They care less about your past performance and more about the future potential you bring.
When two banks togethe...
Did you know that even the gentlest bank acquisition creates massive cost savings?
Even when a buyer promises "no layoffs" and "business as usual," the financial magic of mergers still happens behind the scenes.
The Automatic Cost Savings Nobody Talks About
When two banks combine, cost savi...
Wondering when to sell your bank?
It's the question every bank CEO eventually faces.
The best advice I know comes from NYU Finance professor Aswath Damodaran and his famous story about lemmings.
This simple story perfectly captures why so many bank sales happen at exactly the wrong time.
...
What if I told you that thinking like a buyer is the key to getting the best price for your bank?
Here's a powerful exercise that changed how we saw our own bank's value:
Reverse engineering the perfect acquisition.
The Magic Wand Exercise
Imagine you have a magic wand that lets you buy...
Every bank sale is unique, just like the bank itself and the leaders who built it.
But I've found that successful bank sales follow a pattern.
This pattern matches what author Bo Burlingham describes in his book "Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top."
Burlingham f...
