Service company owners who plan to sell their enterprise to an outside, third-party must take a hybrid approach in their strategic exit plan. In combination with mapping the value of the entity, or benchmarking, an owner must ascertain other aspects of the business that differentiate it from the pool of existing participants.

Depending on the nature of the service, service companies tend to have a weak balance sheet, therefore developing and maintaining intangible value drivers are critical to the success of a profitable ownership transfer. However, all service companies are dependent on the goodwill created from the very service offered and many are acquired by competitors seeking to expand services or market area. Some are acquired at a premium to decrease the pool of competitors.