HFM Investment Advisors

10/23/2026

A business owner told us last week: “I’ll sell when I’m ready. There’s no rush.”

We asked him one question:

“When do you want to be fully out?”

“Five years.”

Then we walked him through the math:
→ 1–2 years of preparation to actually maximize value
→ 6–12 months to run the process
→ 2–3 years of earn-out or transition where you’re still tied to the business

He went quiet.

To be fully retired in five years, he needed to start now.

Waiting 3–4 years doesn’t just delay the exit — it likely lands him outside the peak valuation window entirely.

Selling isn’t an event. It’s a runway.

And runways only work if you start at the right end.

What would you do — start early, or wait until it feels right?

&A

10/22/2026

New episode of The Entrepreneur's Journey is live!

Jason Gabrieli sits down with Ronnie Smith of Nxtlvl Solutions to talk about reducing owner dependency, building stronger systems and leadership teams, and preparing your company for a successful exit. If you're a business owner thinking about the future, give it a listen.

Check out the full video on YouTube!: https://youtu.be/4bCCh0R_wPg?si=jsxmHeFT3U7uNLCF

10/21/2026

You wouldn't sell your house to someone who randomly asked to buy it. So why would you do that with your business??

Listen to the full episode on our website!: https://hfmadvisors.com/how-business-owners-can-maximize-value-before-an-exit/

10/20/2026

What stepping back feels like
By, Michael Pallozzi

Eventually, most business owners start thinking about retirement, or at least slowing down a little bit.
What they’ve done all day for so many years might not be how they want to spend the rest of their lives.

So one of our jobs is to help them prepare for what life looks like after they retire, or exit the business.

Because stepping back from your business might bring up a lot of emotions you weren’t exactly ready for, or even expecting at all.

We’ve heard from owners that they experienced a lot more anxiety than they thought they would. Because that question, “What am I going to do with myself every day?” looms over them.

But even before they get there, they might be struggling with another question: “Can I even afford to exit this business?”

And what would be enough?

It turns out, though, that that’s one of the easier questions to answer. We can run the numbers, crunch the data, and estimate what a sale might need to look like to support your desired lifestyle, based on stated assumptions about factors such as taxes, spending, timing, and investment returns.

The hard part is figuring out what you’re going to do without the business, and how you’re going to be happy without working on it every day.

I like to say, “You can only play so much golf.”

So we help our clients get really clear on their bigger goals, their purpose, and what a satisfying and fulfilling and fun life looks like outside of the business that’s been their whole life so far.

I knew someone who exited their business with a multi-million-dollar check who went right back to work the next day, without even pausing to celebrate. But it wasn’t because they loved the job, it was because they didn’t know what else to do.

When you work with us, though, there’s going to be a celebration if you sell. Not just about the money, but about what that money and freedom now affords.

Because we’ve made sure you’ve got a plan. That you’ve got a purpose you’re working toward.

That you got more than a check, you got more freedom.

I spent many years building our team at HFM so that, one day, the team won’t need me in the business every day to be successful.

And, I’ll admit, that was an emotional process. It doesn’t always feel good to recognize that you’re not as needed as you used to be.

But that’s a cause for celebration, not for sadness.

Because it means you built something that can live beyond you, whether that’s with another owner who buys it, or with a successor who takes it over from you.

So if you’ve thought about selling your business, I hope you’ll give us a call before you start the process.

We can help you build a plan with purpose and the right people behind you as you work toward your goals. Outcomes aren’t guaranteed and depend on factors beyond our control.

For your exit, but also for your newfound freedom.

10/20/2026

One of our favorite days of the year!

For the second year in a row, we spent our annual Day of Service at Spectrum Sports — playing, laughing, and making memories alongside their incredible athletes.

Grateful for the partnership and even more grateful for the people.

Here's to many more!

10/15/2026

Michael Pallozzi, Jason Gabrieli, and Alex spent the week with LB Capital at the Build it to Sell it conference.

It was a great opportunity to connect with business owners looking to exit their businesses!

10/14/2026

Most business owners are focused on the wrong thing when deciding when to sell.

They obsess over “micro” factors:
→ Am I burned out?
→ Is my team ready?
→ Is the business in good shape?

All valid. All within your control.

But almost nobody looks up and asks the “macro” question:
What is the market doing right now — and how long will it last?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: your business can be perfectly ready to sell while the market is quietly getting worse.
Personal readiness is a dial you control.

Market conditions are a window that closes.

The best exits I’ve seen happened when both lined up.

The worst happened when owners waited for “readiness” while the window shut behind them.

Are you watching the dial or the window?

&A

10/13/2026

Why selling starts with helping

I admire entrepreneurs who’ve built something from scratch. Who’ve built it to a point that they’re even considering selling it.

That’s a huge milestone.

And my job at HFM is to help them find the right path forward, and to show them how our BuiltWealth™ process might be the right step for them to take next.

You might call what I do at HFM “sales,” but sales is about helping people, right? It‘s not about me trying to make the sale, it’s about me trying to help the person in front of me.

That’s a mentality I’ve carried across my career. It doesn’t matter the industry or the specific role, it’s always been about how I can help.

How I can help the client, help my company, and lay my head down at night satisfied with what I’ve done that day.

And one of the first ways I help our clients, or the people I might be talking to about becoming clients, is by being really clear about what they can expect.

And what they maybe shouldn’t expect. Like the “ride off into the sunset” fantasy owners sometimes have.

Sometimes, business owners think when it’s time to sell they’ll just list their business, it’ll get bought, and they ride happily into the sunset with a big check in their hands.

But that’s usually not how it works. And if you try it that way, the sale may not align with your goals. Getting help can give you support in evaluating your options and navigating the process.

Because that sale, for one, is a huge taxable event. And if you don’t have a plan in place for that, you might be in for a big surprise, and have to give up a big chunk of that check.

And even if the check is big enough, a lot of owners don’t realize that they’re probably going to have to stay on with the business, after the sale, for a period of time. They may end up working there for two or three years, and be held accountable to hitting a specific number.

If they don’t hit the number, they could end up with a fraction of what was originally offered, depending on the deal terms.

So my job is to find business owners out there considering a sale and connect them with the right team here at HFM to give them a good plan so they know what they need well beforehand.

And so they know their goals and the number they need to hit to achieve them.

That’s one of the reasons we provide a lot of information upfront, even if a business owner doesn’t end up working with us. We provide business valuation information, wealth gap analysis, and financial document guidance regardless if they become a client.

They can even take that information and go to another advisor if they want to.

But we trust that once you talk to us, you’ll see the value of what we offer, and you’ll probably want to move forward with us on your team, guiding the whole team of advisors working on your behalf.

I like to say that selling your business is a journey, and it’s going to take some time to get there.

But, like any journey, a map and a guide can help you navigate the path toward a business sale.

So, when I think about sales, I think about how I can help. Because I know that the business owners we support have already accomplished a lot.

My job is to help them achieve the next step of their journey, by showing them how BuiltWealth™ can be the map and the guide they need to make that journey one they’re excited to pursue.

If you’d like to learn more about how we help business owners like you, please get in touch.

-Alex

I admire entrepreneurs who’ve built something from scratch. Who’ve built it to a point that they’re even considering selling it. That’s a huge milestone. And my job at HFM is to help them find the right path forward, and to show them how our BuiltWealth™ process might be the right step for...

10/13/2026

You are building the company. But are you building toward what happens after it?

HFM Advisors works with home-service and trade-business owners on financial planning, wealth management, and preparation for a future sale or succession.

We’re proud to have HFM Advisors as a Sapphire Sponsor.

Build the business with the end in mind → https://go.buildittosellit.com/2026

10/09/2026

The HFM ladies had an amazing time celebrating Catherine Allen! Such an incredible achievement, we are so proud of you! ❤️