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Most owners never realize the business they grind on every day is an asset they can sell — often for far more than they think. Billy Batt has built a career on that blind spot. At any given moment his firm keeps 350+ businesses for sale across 15+ verticals, and he’s closed plenty of agency deals himself. In this conversation with marketing strategist Dennis Yu, he opens the playbook on how to sell your business for a premium instead of running it until you burn out.
If you own a business and the idea of an exit feels abstract, this is the primer. Below is what Billy shared about valuations, deal structures, exit prep, and the one factor that now moves your multiple more than revenue does. If you have ever wondered how to sell your business for what it is truly worth, start here.
Who is Billy Batt?
Billy Batt is the co-founder of Prime Acquisitions Group, a tech-and-AI-first M&A firm that sources, prepares, negotiates, and closes deals across 15+ industries — and buys its own assets along the way. He is also co-owner of Xcept AI, which builds the automation and AI systems behind the firm’s deal flow. Where a traditional broker might touch a handful of deals a year, Billy’s team works that volume every month.
350+ businesses for sale across 15+ verticals • 21 offers worked at once • goal of 15 closings a month
That track record is why his advice carries weight: he is not theorizing about the market, he is closing in it every week. You can read Billy Batt’s profile or connect with him on LinkedIn.
From marketing agency to M&A machine
Billy did not start in acquisitions. He ran a sales-recruitment and marketing agency with heavy design and automation, and by his own account the business was profitable and streamlined. The problem was personal, not financial: he hit a plateau and needed a new challenge.
So he studied mergers and acquisitions and borrowed two models he already understood. He took the real-estate approach of flipping and applied it to buying and improving businesses, then layered his agency’s marketing engine on top for deal flow. The result is a system that runs on automations, direct outreach, and content — not paid ads — and fills the pipeline with businesses for sale.
How AI cut costs 70–80% and multiplied deal flow
The engine behind Billy’s volume is automation. His team built duplicatable systems that handle analytics and the initial checks on every prospective deal, which frees his people to work the deals that matter. The efficiency gain is dramatic and worth pausing on.
Leveraging AI and automation cut operating costs by 70–80% and increased deal flow 10x.
The lesson for owners is direct: the same automation that scales an M&A pipeline can scale yours, and it compounds the value you capture when you sell your business.
Exit prep: the homework before you sell your business
Billy’s team runs exit prep for founders — packaging a business so buyers take it seriously. If you want to sell your business, this is the homework to start now, long before you list. It comes down to a short, specific checklist:
- A CIM (Confidential Information Memorandum) — the full story of your business: operations, sales, marketing, why you founded it, why you’re selling, and where it goes next.
- A month-to-month P&L for the last 12 months (or as close as you can get).
- Three years of financials so a buyer can trust the trend, not just a snapshot.
With those in hand, Billy’s team runs a rough valuation before diving deeper. From there the advice gets practical: if your sales are strong but operations are shaky, they line up a strategic buyer or suggest a client-success hire so you can step out of the day-to-day work. Getting a straight answer should not cost you an arm and a leg — a good first consult is worth giving away.
AI integration is now the #1 driver of your multiple
When Dennis asked what separates the businesses that command strong offers, Billy did not hesitate: AI integration is number one. Businesses that have not built AI into their offering are watching their multiples slide, while those that have are holding value even as comparable SaaS multiples soften.
Billy sees a 24–36 month window to build AI into your asset and exit at a maximum multiple.
You do not have to sell the software. A piece of proprietary tech used internally — a lead-follow-up agent, an onboarding assistant, a contract-generation tool — makes your business more valuable on its own. Build it into the asset, and you become a business buyers compete for.
Deal structures that get an exit across the line
Price is only half of a deal; the terms are where value is won or lost. Billy’s core warning is not to bet your future on one “Hail Mary” deal — build multiple conversations at once and learn how deals are actually structured. The modern toolkit he sees closing deals includes:
- Earn-outs — more of the price paid down over time, less cash up front.
- Leveraged buyouts and revenue-based financing.
- SBA loans — which is why he recommends at least two to three years of history, so lenders and banks take you seriously.
- Private money raised by buyers who lend for a piece of the deal.
Structured well, a deal that looks expensive on paper can still let you sell your business for a genuine win.
Why deals die: synergy and alignment
For all the financial mechanics, Billy insists the human side decides outcomes. His analogy is blunt: a deal is like being in love — you can’t force it. When a buyer and seller genuinely like each other and are willing to talk things through, the relationship works. When they don’t, even a deal that reaches a letter of intent rarely closes.
The same goes for everyone at the table. If a newly hired lawyer is blowing up every contract, replace the lawyer. Without alignment, the deal does not get done — and no spreadsheet fixes that.
Thinking about how to sell your business? Start with exit prep
The takeaway from Billy Batt is encouraging: you can sell your business for far more than you assume, and the moves that raise its value — clean financials, real AI integration, and a prepared exit story — are moves you can start this quarter. Get your CIM and financials in order, build AI into your offering while the window is open, and surround yourself with people who have actually closed deals.
If you want a hand, apply to Dennis Yu’s AI Builder Program to learn the systems behind this kind of growth, explore more playbooks from the team, or reach out to Billy Batt’s team at Prime Acquisitions Group to talk through how to sell your business.