Exit Planning for E‑Commerce Sellers
Thinking about selling your Amazon or e-commerce business? We prepare your financials so buyers see what your business is actually worth. Clean books, normalized earnings, and a clear picture of your true profitability.
Your books are built to minimize taxes. Buyers need the opposite.
For years, your accountant has helped you write off everything possible, defer income, and keep your taxable earnings as low as possible. That's smart tax planning.
But when you go to sell, buyers look at those same financials and see a business that barely makes money. The very strategy that saved you on taxes now costs you on valuation.
Exit planning reverses the process. We take your tax-minimized books and recast them to show what your business actually earns, with every owner add-back documented, every personal expense separated, and your true SDE or EBITDA clearly calculated.
What buyers see without preparation
- Low reported income (because you minimized taxes)
- Personal expenses mixed with business costs
- No clear SDE or EBITDA calculation
- Inconsistent year-over-year reporting
- Revenue concentrated on one platform or product
Result: Lower offers, longer time on market, or no sale at all.
Sale-ready financials that maximize your valuation
- SDE and EBITDA calculations with full documentation
- Owner add-back identification and evidence (salary, personal expenses, family on payroll)
- Recast financial statements showing true earning power (3-5 years)
- Revenue quality analysis: recurring vs. one-time, product concentration, channel mix
- Working capital analysis for deal structuring
- Clean financial package ready for brokers, buyers, or QoE analysts
- Gap analysis with specific recommendations to increase value
- Canadian tax planning where applicable (LCGE, asset vs. share sale)
E-commerce accountants who understand what buyers want
We're not generic exit planners. We specialize in Amazon sellers, Shopify merchants, and multi-channel e-commerce businesses. We understand PPC spend sustainability, FBA fee structures, inventory turns, BSR trends, and how aggregators evaluate businesses.
We also already do the books for many of our exit planning clients, which means zero ramp-up time. No other exit planner knows your financials as well as your bookkeeper.
For Canadian sellers, we bring expertise in Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption planning, HST implications, and cross-border structuring. For international sellers, we understand the same e-commerce metrics and financial normalization that buyers evaluate worldwide.
E-commerce metrics buyers care about
- SDE adjusted for owner's actual time in the business
- PPC spend sustainability (organic vs. paid revenue split)
- Product catalog diversification (not dependent on 1-2 SKUs)
- Brand Registry and trademark protection status
- Inventory turnover rates and supplier diversification
- Net margins after all Amazon/platform fees
- Owner dependency (can it run with VAs?)
From first conversation to sale-ready
- Free 30-minute call: we talk about your business, your timeline, and what you're hoping to get from a sale. No obligation.
- Exit Readiness Assessment: we analyze 3 years of your financials, calculate preliminary SDE/EBITDA, identify add-backs, and score your business across the key areas buyers evaluate.
- Gap analysis and recommendations: you get a clear report showing where you stand, what buyers would see today, and exactly what to fix to increase your valuation.
- Financial normalization: we recast your financial statements, document every add-back with supporting evidence, and build the financial package brokers and buyers need.
- Go-to-market support: we coordinate with your broker, respond to buyer financial questions, and support the due diligence process through closing.
Published pricing. No "book a call to find out."
Most exit planning firms hide their pricing. We don't. You know what it costs before we start.
- Exit Readiness Scorecard
- 3-year financial analysis
- Preliminary SDE/EBITDA calculation
- Owner add-back identification
- Revenue quality snapshot
- Written gap analysis report
- 1-hour strategy session
For owners thinking about selling in the next 1-10 years.
Get Started- Everything in Check-Up
- Full 3-5 year recast financials
- Documented add-back schedule with evidence
- Formal SDE and EBITDA calculations
- Revenue quality and concentration analysis
- Working capital analysis
- KPI dashboard for buyers
- Complete buyer-ready financial package
- Everything in Sale-Ready
- CIM financial sections
- Data room preparation
- Due diligence support
- Broker and attorney coordination
- Financial projections (3-5 year)
- Tax structure advisory
For owners going to market within 12-18 months.
Get StartedAll prices in Canadian dollars. Already a JCCA bookkeeping or tax client? Ask about preferred pricing.
Take the Exit Readiness Scorecard
20 questions, 5 minutes. Find out where your business stands across the 6 areas buyers care about most. Instant score and personalized recommendations.
Take the Free ScorecardWhat our clients say
"Rob and Marsha have been providing tax services for my companies and family for over 4 years. Highly recommend!"
"What used to take me 6+ hours to piece together, they handle in about an hour. Incredible team."
"They took care of everything - corporate tax, personal tax, GST filing. I just focus on selling now."
Common questions about selling your e-commerce business
Don't leave money on the table
Prepared businesses sell for 20-40% more than unprepared ones. On a $500K SDE business, that's the difference between $1.5M and $2.5M+.