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Guest Introduction
Steve Fisher is the co-founder of Strategy Partners Group and a seasoned CFO with a unique background that began in engineering. Transitioning from operations roles into financial leadership, he has spent decades helping companies across industries—financial services, manufacturing, professional services, and more—build enterprise value through strategic finance, operational improvements, and scalable growth systems. Steve specializes in creating the turn-key financial processes and forecasting frameworks buyers demand, while also reducing owner and management dependency on day-to-day operations.
Summary
In this episode of the Power Exit Podcast, John Marsh sits down with Steve Fisher to explore the financial foundations critical for maximizing exit value.
Steve emphasizes that planning for a successful sale begins on day one and that bringing in finance expertise 18–24 months before market launch can transform a business. Key topics include:
- Establishing meaningful, standardized financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) and forecasting processes
- Understanding and mitigating owner dependency as a deal killer
- Converting discretionary “lifestyle” expenses into transparent adjustments to boost EBITDA multiples
- Structuring revenue streams—especially recurring revenue—to create turn-key cash flows for buyers
- Leveraging sell-side quality of earnings reviews as tools to identify and correct value-eroding issues before marketing the business
- Crafting the right growth story and financial narrative tailored to potential acquirers, whether private equity, strategic buyers, or competitors
- Collaborating with deal teams—investment bankers, attorneys, CPAs—to streamline pre-transaction prep, transaction execution, and post-deal integration
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