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
- Take the free Scorecard: a 5-minute self-assessment that scores your business across the six areas buyers examine most closely.
- Exit Strategy Call ($250, credited): 60 minutes with Rob to walk through your score, dig into your real numbers, and map your next steps. The fee credits toward your audit.
- Buyer's-Eye Audit ($1,500, credited): we review your real financials from the buyer's side of the table, estimate your value, and hand you every red flag with a plan to fix it.
- Sale-Ready Financials: we recast 3 to 5 years of statements, document every add-back with evidence, reconcile your marketplace settlements, and build the buyer-ready financial package.
- Go-to-market support: we coordinate with your broker, answer buyer financial questions, and support due diligence 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.
- We walk through your Scorecard results
- Dig into your real numbers and timeline
- An honest read on where you stand
- A clear, prioritized next-step plan
The fastest way to get real answers. The fee credits toward your audit.
Book the Call- We review your real financials from the buyer's side
- Estimated value range (SDE x a realistic multiple)
- Every red flag a buyer will find, and how to fix it
- Financial cleanup punch-list
- Full readiness scorecard
- Results call to walk it through
- Recast 3 to 5 years of statements
- Documented add-back schedule with evidence
- Marketplace settlement reconciliation
- Formal SDE and EBITDA calculations
- Complete buyer-ready financial package
- Canadian tax structuring (LCGE) available as an add-on
The work that moves your multiple. Keep it sale-ready with ongoing bookkeeping.
Get StartedAll prices in USD. Canadian clients add HST; US and other non-resident clients do not (zero-rated export of services). 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+.