The Coach Behind
The Roadmap
Eric Gilboord has spent 25+ years inside the heads of business owners. He built SYB4M because most owners only sell once — and deserve to do it right.
Eric Gilboord helps Gen X and Boomer business owners get their company ready to sell — and sell it well.
After 20+ years running his own consulting firm, SOHO Marketing Inc., working hands-on with small and mid-sized business owners, Eric noticed the same problem over and over: owners who'd built something valuable had no clear plan for exiting it. Clients told him he was "inside their head" — he understood their business, and their hesitations, better than they expected anyone could.
That insight became the SYB4M Roadmap: a structured, jargon-free system that starts 3–5 years before a business goes to market, so owners walk into a sale prepared instead of guessing. Eric founded Warren Business Development Center (WarrenBDC) to bring that same approach to a wider group of owners, working alongside — never in competition with — the business brokers, M&A advisors, lawyers, wealth advisors, and accountants who guide these deals.
Eric is the author of several books, host of the SYB4M Podcast, writes a weekly newsletter, and speaks to business owner groups and podcasts across Canada and the US.
After years of working with owners who arrived at the sale process unprepared — businesses undervalued, deals falling apart, owners leaving significant money on the table — Eric realized the problem wasn't lack of intelligence. It was lack of a roadmap.
Most owners spend decades building their company and almost no time preparing to sell it. The people who do sell well have one thing in common: they started early and followed a structured plan. Eric built SYB4M to make that plan available to every owner — not just the ones who could afford a full advisory team from day one.
The SYB4M Roadmap covers all four dimensions of a successful exit: understanding the selling process, preparing yourself personally, making the company buyer-ready, and navigating the actual sale. It's 75 lessons of content, and built for the way business owners actually think — direct, practical, no jargon.
These are just four of Eric's seven books — see the full library and all SYB4M apps in the store.
Shop Books & Apps →
The SYB4M Roadmap gives you the knowledge, the plan, and the tools to work through at your own pace. When you want a guide, 1-on-1 coaching with Eric applies the Roadmap directly to your specific business — a single session for direction, or ongoing support to identify your biggest gaps and make sure you're genuinely ready when it counts.
Coaching is available to owners with annual sales of $1M–$25M. Sessions are conducted by phone or video call. Coaching fees start at $325/hour, and you pay only for the sessions you book.
If you're not sure whether you're ready for coaching yet, start with the free Exit Assessment — it will tell you exactly where you stand.
Start with the Roadmap. Work with Eric When You're Ready.
The SYB4M Roadmap is free to explore. When you're closer to market, Eric is available for 1-on-1 coaching to make sure your exit goes the way it should.
