Business Succession Planning
The multi-year process of preparing a business—and its owner—for an eventual transition.
Selling a business well takes years, not months.
Whether the plan is to sell to a third party, transition to a family member, or hand the business to key employees, the work that drives outcome happens 3–10 years before the actual transaction.
What we work on, in roughly the order it matters
- Decide the exit type. Family transfer, internal sale (ESOP, management buyout), strategic sale, financial sale. Each has very different prep.
- Build sale-ready financials. Clean books, normalized owner compensation, audited statements if needed.
- Reduce key-person risk. A business that depends entirely on the owner is worth less than one with a strong team behind the owner.
- Optimize the cap structure. Buy/sell agreements, voting/non-voting shares, trust ownership for estate purposes.
- Coordinate personal financial plan. What does life after the sale look like? How much do you actually need? What’s the tax bill—and how do we minimize it?
- Execute the transaction. With the right team (M&A advisor, attorney, CPA, financial planner) coordinated together.
Owners who plan ahead net more, pay less tax, and walk away on their own terms. Owners who don’t usually leave money on the table.
Let's see if we're a good fit.
A 30-minute introductory call—no pressure, no obligation. We'll talk through your goals and whether working together makes sense.