ExitMap Assessment

Why should Business Owners plan their “exits”?

Sooner or later, every owner leaves his or her business. Whether you anticipate selling the company to a third party, transitioning to employee ownership, or a family succession, every strategy results in your eventual exit. The complexities of tax law, combined with the expectations of buyers of any type, lend themselves to careful structuring of a transfer.

For most owners, transfer of ownership represents the biggest single financial transaction of their lifetime. In our experience, no owner has ever said, “I spent too much time planning.”

Why start now?

There are two good reasons to begin the planning process, even for those who believe they are ten or more years from their eventual exit.

• Many tax reduction strategies, such as business structure conversions, certain trusts and others, take years to fully implement.
• Once you know your exit objective, it will influence all of your business decisions. For example, hiring managers who will work for the next owner is a very different approach from training your future successors.

What if I don’t have a date in mind yet?

Our Assessment asks for two date ranges. The first is approximately when you want to step back from your day to day responsibilities and the second is when you want to walk away completely. Once you know when you want to step back, the day you actually leave the business becomes much more flexible.

What will I get when I take the Assessment?

The Assessment looks beyond your retirement goals. Helping you reach your objectives requires a knowledge of your business and the state of your company.

• A 12-page summary of your responses will be emailed to you within one business day. It is organized into four key areas of exit readiness: planning, finance, revenue/profit and operations.
• A 40 page detailed Analysis of your responses will be provided as part of your complimentary debriefing by Andrew Dickens.

How do I get started?

Set aside 15 minutes to take the first step by completing an Assessment here. The Assessment is a multiple-choice questionnaire which does not ask for confidential or financial information. We respect your privacy and will not share your information.