An Exit Isn’t Built in a Day

Building Rome and planning a business exit have much in common.
Both require strong foundations.
Both should be able to withstand unforeseen events and adapt to the needs of the Caesar/owner.
Both require more than a day.

Strong foundation

In our opinion the only successful business exits are those that meet all three
of an owner’s primary objectives:

• Leaving the company on the date an owner chooses;
• Leaving the company to the successor that an owner chooses;
• Leaving the company with the amount of cash desired to secure a comfortable post-business life.

You may have additional objectives that we will explore as we create your plan. The foundation of your Exit Plan will be your objectives, not ours.

Flexibility and adaptability

Great Exit Plans help keep owners on track to successful exits. They provide for changes in the company, in the make up of key management, in company profitability and in the owner’s health and personal life. While we put Exit Plans in writing so that you can hold your advisors accountable for their progress in moving you toward your exit, plans are not inscribed in stone. If you change your mind about leaving your company to a child, or if a third party buyer unexpectedly approaches you, a well-designed plan adapts.

Planning takes time

“How much time does it take to plan a successful exit?” is a great question.

The answer depends on your objectives and on your answers to our many questions including:

• Do you have a strong management team in place?
• Does that team want, and is it prepared to pay for, your ownership interest?
• Is your cash flow growing?
• Are there third party buyers active in your marketplace?

We can’t tell you exactly how much time will elapse between today and your retirement party.
We can tell you that the more time you give us to plan, the more likely it is that your strategy will succeed.

We provide a snapshot of a “typical” Exit Planning timeline.
Of course, we’ve created both shorter and longer timelines for our clients.

We provide a Comprehensive Business Strategy inclusive of a Business Valuation and a timeline of events to implement to insure a MAXIMUM value for your business at time of sale in addition to a sound strategy on how to implement the suggested course of action individualized to each unique business.