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Exit Planning

Exit Planning is About the Plan, Not the Exit

A comprehensive strategy that allows you to be ready for an exit on your terms. There is no best time to exit your business; but there is a worst time – when you are not prepared and you need to exit.
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66%

of businesses owned by Baby Boomers set to transition in 0-10 years

20-30%

of businesses that go to market actually sell

3+ Years

recommended planning window before exit

For a Successful Exit, Your Goals Need to Be Aligned

A successful exit depends on the alignment of your personal, business, and financial goals. If one of these three is missing or worse, ignored, an exit will not be successful.

Transitioning a business must consider the holistic nature of the issues surrounding retirement finances, business continuation, and lifestyle. Exit Planning is not a DIY project.

The Three Pillars of Exit Planning

Personal Goals
Lifestyle, legacy, and life after business
Financial Goals
Retirement security and wealth preservation
Business Goals
Value creation and transition readiness
The Risk of Not Planning
Too many owners exit their business when they have to because of external factors like health, the economy, or other unforeseen circumstances. Part of exit planning is creating a contingency plan for an unexpected exit.
The Process

The CEPA® Value Acceleration Process

A proven framework to help business owners with business transition planning, ideally well before a transition is contemplated.

Discover

Assess your personal, financial, and business readiness. Identify gaps and opportunities.

Protect

De-risk your business and personal situation. Secure key relationships and assets.

Build

Close profit and value gaps. Enhance business value through strategic improvements.

Harvest

Analyze exit options and execute your transition on your terms.
Building Value

Value and Income: A Critical Distinction

Most small business owners manage their companies to maximize their income after taxes. Many times that means they sacrifice value for income.
Value is built by changing this paradigm. To create value, a business owner needs to create sustainable income by cultivating a management team that can operate without everyday supervision using repeatable processes.

A business built for sale needs consistent sales to multiple, repeat customers. An owner who carries the water for the sales organization does themselves no favors when it comes to valuing and selling the business.
Your Options

Exit Options to Consider

You may decide to liquidate, sell to insiders, sell to family, sell to an ESOP, or sell to an outsider. You should proactively decide which option will fulfill your retirement and lifestyle goals.
Inside Options
  • Sale to partners
  • Management buyout
  • Sale to employees (ESOP, EOT)
  • Intergenerational sale
Inside Options
  • Sale to a third party
  • Recapitalization
  • Sale to PE firm
  • Orderly liquidation

Frequently asked questions

The team needed to successfully create the plan, build company value and then bring to market will utilize your current advisors (CPA, attorney, Financial Planner, etc.) as well as outside advisors when needed. Your Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) will lead the process and help each advisor understand your goals and their roles in the process.

Typically, the discovery or triggering event is quoted as a fixed fee. The fee will depend on the size and complexity of the business and the personal situation of the owner. For ongoing work as a quarterback to the exit planning process, we will charge either by the hour or a monthly fee depending on the actual work contemplated.

There is an old saying that the best time to plant a tree is thirty years ago, and the second-best time is now. Creating an Exit Plan at least three years in advance of selling gives you time to enhance business value before bringing the company to market. If you don't have three years, we can implement some, but not all, of the strategies and techniques normally used.

Exit planning is the development of a strategy that enables the business owner to maximize value and leave their business on their own terms. We implement the strategy using the Exit Planning Institute's Value Acceleration Methodology, which correlates the owner's personal, financial, and business planning together to build action steps for short and long term goals.

Your advisors are probably very qualified in their specific fields. But can your attorney do a future cash flow projection? Could your CPA produce the legal documents needed for the sale? As Exit Planning Professionals, we oversee the entire process to make sure each professional provides the appropriate documents at the correct time. We develop your plan, coordinate everything, and give you peace of mind.

Ready to Start Planning Your Exit?

Schedule a complimentary, confidential consultation to learn more about your options and how we can help you achieve your goals.
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