For many business owners, the decision to sell is one of the most consequential moves they will ever make. The process is complex, emotionally charged, and filled with variables that can shift the outcome in either direction. Andy Harris and Jonathan Sherrill wrote The Extraordinary Exit: How to Sell Your Business for Maximum Value, Protect Your Legacy, and Walk Away with No Regrets to give owners a framework for approaching that process with clarity.
What Does The Extraordinary Exit Cover?
The book breaks down the stages of a business sale from initial preparation through closing. Harris and Sherrill draw on their combined experience in mergers and acquisitions to walk readers through what a structured exit process looks like, why preparation matters long before a deal hits the table, and how the right advisory team can shape the outcome.
Specific topics include understanding what drives business valuation, identifying the right moment to begin the exit process, and selecting a sell-side advisor who fits the scope of the transaction. The book also addresses the personal side of selling, including how owners can plan for what comes after the deal closes.
Rather than prescribing a single approach, Harris and Sherrill outline the key elements they have observed across successful transactions and explain how business owners can apply those principles to their own situations.
Who Are the Authors Behind the Book?
Andy Harris is a CEO and M&A sell-side advisor with three decades of experience in business leadership. He serves as president of North American Strategies and Managing Director at STS Capital Partners, where he works with business owners through all phases of the M&A process. Harris is based in California and works with clients globally.
Jonathan Sherrill spent his career building and selling businesses, with experience as an entrepreneur, investor, and M&A strategist. He has built and sold businesses throughout his career and now focuses on investing in business ventures and authoring books. He is also the founder of Waypoint, a community for founder-operators navigating the personal side of a business exit. Sherrill and his family are based in Florida.
Together, the two bring a perspective that blends hands-on ownership experience with advisory work on the sell side. That dual vantage point shapes much of the book’s content, grounding its guidance in both the strategic and emotional realities of exiting a company.
Why Business Exit Planning Deserves Its Own Playbook
Selling a business involves far more than finding a buyer and agreeing on a price. The process typically spans months and touches on financial structuring, due diligence, legal negotiations, employee considerations, and dozens of smaller decisions that affect the final terms.
Many owners go through the process only once in their careers. Without prior experience to draw from, the learning curve can be steep. Harris and Sherrill argue that preparation, not improvisation, is what separates a smooth transaction from a difficult one.
The book positions the exit not as the end of a business story, but as a transition that can be planned and managed with the same rigor an owner applies to running the company itself. That reframing is central to the authors’ approach: treating the exit as a strategic project rather than a reactive event.
Where to Find The Extraordinary Exit
The Extraordinary Exit is available now. Readers can learn more about the book and the authors at the official book website. Andy Harris can also be found on LinkedIn, where he shares insights on M&A and business transition topics. Jonathan Sherrill is also on LinkedIn, sharing his expertise on business exits, entrepreneurship, and investing, and connecting with founder-operators navigating their own transitions.
