After working with dozens of home care agency owners, I've noticed a pattern. The ones who achieve the best outcomes aren't always the ones with the biggest agencies or the highest margins. They're the ones who recognize when they're ready—and act on it.
Here are five signs that suggest you may be more ready to sell than you think:
You're Thinking About It More Than You Used To
If "what's my agency worth?" keeps popping into your head during your morning coffee, that's not random. Your subconscious is processing something. Many owners I talk to dismiss these thoughts for years, only to realize later they were ready much sooner than they admitted to themselves.
The Day-to-Day Feels Heavier Than It Used To
Building an agency is energizing. Running one for years can become draining. If you're feeling more tired by the operational grind—the caregiver no-shows, the billing issues, the compliance updates—that's not weakness. That's a signal. The best exits happen when owners still have energy to support a transition, not when they're completely burned out.
Your Business Could Run Without You (At Least for a Week)
Buyers pay premiums for businesses that don't depend entirely on the owner. If you can take a vacation without everything falling apart, you've built something transferable. If you can't, that's actually useful information too—it tells you what to work on before going to market.
You Have a Number in Mind
Whether it's $2 million or $20 million, having a target means you've been doing the mental math. That's healthy. The question is whether your number is realistic given your financials, market conditions, and business profile. (That's exactly what our scanner helps you figure out.)
You've Started Noticing What Others Are Selling For
When you hear about a competitor selling and your first thought is "I wonder what they got," you're already in research mode. That curiosity is valuable. Channel it into understanding what drives multiples in your specific market and business type.
The Bottom Line
Being "ready" doesn't mean you have to sell tomorrow. It means you're in a position to explore your options from a place of strength, not desperation. The best time to understand your value is before you need to.