Comprehensive Business Exit Planning
It takes years of hard work and dedication for a business owner to build a successful company. When and how to exit your business may be the single most important financial decision you make in your lifetime. Failure to adequately plan a business exit strategy can result in unnecessary taxation, damage to employee morale, loss of key personnel, and, ultimately, a loss of business valuation. Many owners find the process to be far more complex than they had realized, and wish they had started it several years before.
Zeller Kern can help you turn this important event to your best advantage. When it’s time to sell your business or transfer ownership to your family, Zeller Kern can help you plan and implement the transaction. This complex process has many considerations, including careful assessment of personal needs and goals, business valuation, continuity planning, developing a tax-efficient transfer strategy, and timing of the exit – all of which takes careful consideration and time.
Using the Seven Step Exit Planning Process™* we gather extensive data about your company, assess your personal needs and wishes, construct a comprehensive exit plan, and help you implement the plan. We bring in selected professionals as needed, such as CPAs, estate and business transaction attorneys, business valuation experts, business brokers and mergers and acquisition/investment bankers. We guide you every step of the way, from internal considerations such as non-compete clauses and incentive plans to retain key personnel, to external issues such as business valuation and hiring outside experts. The result is a business exit plan that maximizes the benefits to you and allows you to exit in a dignified and carefully considered manner, while you maintain complete control of the process.
The end result is a comprehensive plan that thoroughly addresses:
• The business owner’s needs, goals and objectives
• The most suitable corporate structure
• An accurate business valuation
• Coordination of sales to third parties
• Retention strategies for key employees
• Tax-efficient succession strategies
• Considerations for timing of the sale or succession
Request more information on our business exit planning, including fees.
* The Seven Step Exit Planning Process is a trademark of The Business Enterprise Institute