Key Questions Every Business Owner Should Ask Themselves
- What is my business worth?
This question is a logical starting point of any Exit Plan. Depending on your business and personal objectives you may need:- A Business Value Estimator for financial and estate planning purposes, or
- A Marketability Assessment if you are considering a sale of your business in the near future, or
- A Formal Business Valuation for Gift, Estate, or Buy/Sell Agreement purposes
- Which Exit Plan is best for me?
Will you sell your business to an outside buyer, to your employees, or pass it on to family members? Each path has advantages and disadvantages and they need to be quantified, as there are no do-overs. - What will my financial needs be after I exit my business?
If you don’t know how much money you will need for the next 20 to 30 years post-retirement, you may be setting you and your family up for hard times in the future. Comprehensive Financial Planning, Cash Flow and Value Gap Analysis is critical in helping determine if you and your family will have enough in retirement. - Does my financial independence depend entirely on the proceeds from the sale of my business?
What other income sources will you have besides the proceeds from the sale/transition of your business? Have you included it into your Cash Flow Analysis of your Financial Plan? - What am I doing now to maximize the value of my business?
You’d be surprised how a little corporate strategic planning can go a long way to increase the proceeds from the sale of your business…Value Drivers! - Do I have a leadership succession plan in place that ensures the company can operate without me at the helm?
If not, and your business is still dependent on you to succeed, you may have to stay involved with the business for an extended period after the sale or transitioning out. - Have I considered the timing of my business exit?
Many tax and financial planning issues depend on how far in the future your exit will be. There is always plenty of pre-planning work for you and your family in advance of the sale of your business…again, there are no do-overs. - How up-to-date is my Estate Plan…do I even have one?
If you haven’t addressed these issues recently, you may wind up giving the IRS more than you need to. Worst case, it could result in the forced liquidation of your business, real estate, and other assets to pay for taxes. - How skilled and experienced is my current team of business advisors?
If you’re like most business owners, you have a collection of advisors, such as a CPA and attorney, each with their own specialty and agenda. In most cases, there’s usually no one charged with coordinating all the advice from your team of advisors into one Comprehensive Business Exit Plan. These issues (and many more) MUST be coordinated and buttoned-up. Any mistakes your team makes, no matter how unintentional, will have significant long-term consequences. Again, there are no do-overs. - What is your Financial and Mental Readiness?
How Financially Ready are you to sell your business? How Emotionally Ready are you to Exit your business? How involved are you in the day-to-day operations? Do you have a plan as to how you will spend your leisure time? Are you addicted to the daily grind of your business?
Take our Business Exit Readiness Survey to assess when you will be ready to exit your business.
SUMMARY:
A business exit can become a train wreck unless it gives an owner financial security and the ability to meet all his/her other exit objectives. These other objectives include leaving your business when you choose, and achieving the soft objectives you may have related to your family, community, favorite charities, legacy, etc. If you attempt to execute your own Exit Plan or with an advisor who has little Business Exit Planning experience, you may waste valuable time, endless energy and receive far less than you anticipated and possible negatively impacting your family’s lifestyle.
Working with a team of advisors that understand financial and estate planning, tax mitigation, value building, family dynamics, and how to motivate, incentivize and retain key employees will add tremendous value and enhance your ability to obtain your financial objectives.
WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS.
Get started by taking the Business Exit Readiness Index Survey (BERI).