Free checklist
Plan the exit before life plans it for you
Most owners don’t plan an exit. Disability, divorce, disagreement, or distress can force the timing, leaving little room to make thoughtful decisions. The result can be rushed decisions, a valuation that falls short of expectations, or family conflict that could have been avoided. Thinking about the end of something you’ve spent decades building isn’t easy. But planning before you need to gives you more control over what happens next: when you leave, what you get for the business, and what happens to the people who helped you build it.
The Exit Planning Checklist
An honest look at life after the business
All four exit paths, side by side
The timing questions to answer first
A readiness check on your team and successor
The financials a buyer will ask for
Get the checklist
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What’s inside
Where you actually stand
Five questions to answer first, then eight sections covering timing, your team, your options, and your financials. Read down and check what’s already true.
All four exit paths
Outside sale, transfer to family, sale to an employee or management team, or winding down — what each one really costs you, with the questions that only matter for the path you’re leaning toward.
Lessons from owners who successfully left
Built from conversations with hundreds of owners who have already sold or handed off. Every question traces back to something one of them wished they’d known sooner.