Business Transition
& Exit Planning

The work of preparing a change in ownership or leadership before it happens: selling to a third party, transitioning to family or employees, or readying the company for a merger or acquisition. The plan covers the price, the taxes, the timing, and the successor, and it is written early enough that each of those can still change.

Because the levers that set the price stop moving as the sale gets close. Entity structure, tax elections, customer concentration, and successor readiness take years to change and days to surface in due diligence. Start early and each one is a decision. Start late and each one is a discount.

The financial side: valuation, tax modeling across entity and deal structure, value enhancement, due diligence preparation, and transaction advisory. We coordinate with your attorney, who drafts the agreements, and with your outside wealth and insurance advisors, who handle what the sale funds. We do not practice law and we do not manage investments. Our job is a financial plan every professional at the table can work from.

The best time to start planning the transition of your business was the day you founded it. The second best time is now. A transition plan is not an event, it is a working document that gets revisited as the business and your goals change. Every year of lead time adds an option. Every year of waiting takes one away.

Four signs come up again and again:

• Competitors keep pulling ahead. Occasional swings are normal. A steady slide usually means the business needs new energy at the top.
• Expenses outweigh profits. Declining revenue, margins, and cash flow can mean the company would do better under new ownership, and waiting rarely improves the price.
• Your motivation is gone. When the work drains you, culture and results slip with it, and buyers can tell.
• You are ready for what is next. More time with family, a new venture, or simply being done are all sound reasons to plan an exit on purpose.

Any one of these is reason to start the conversation while you still have options. Start a Conversation with our team.

Recent financial statements, your latest tax return, and an honest answer to the question every plan starts with: what does this business need to do for you once you no longer own it? You do not need a sale date, a successor, or a number in mind. Getting to those is the work. Bring the decision. We will bring the numbers.