As a business owner, you manage all sorts of complexity in your work. Goals, expectations, and the people who help you meet them may change. But even though things constantly change, you can still adapt, thanks to smart and focused business planning. After all, if your company couldn’t adapt to change, it likely wouldn’t beRead more about Change Is OK: How Planning Makes You Focused and Flexible[…]

Depending on what type of business you have, what your key employees are like, the current market, and your array of potential buyers, business owners may have a long list of candidates to whom they might sell their business. One of the first options owners often consider is to sell the business to an unrelatedRead more about The Benefits and Challenges of a Third-Party Sale[…]

When planning for the future, you have a wealth of options related to who should continue to run your business. Many business owners’ plans fall short because they are unaware of the many options they have available to them and the pros and cons of each path. One common exit path is a family businessRead more about Is a Family Transfer Right for Your Business?[…]

It is safe to say that this year was full of surprises. Some businesses thrived, while in other areas jobs were lost, companies were forced to go under, and we even lost loved ones along the way. Many businesses were affected by the pandemic in some way or another. According to a survey conducted byRead more about What Have We Learned?[…]

It can be difficult to consider what will happen to your business and your family if you die unexpectedly.  Without proper planning, you could be leaving your family and/or key stakeholders in a huge mess. Proper planning allows you to keep your business on the right path even after an unexpected tragedy leaves you unableRead more about Keep Your Family Intact with Proper Estate Planning[…]

Next-level management teams are the drivers behind building business value. But how can you and your advisors attract and keep next-level management teams? The answer lies within incentive plans. When incentive plans are properly designed and implemented, your business has the potential to grow well after you sell. Well-executed incentive plans can motivate each memberRead more about Don’t Let Your Key Employees Jump Ship[…]

Starting the preparations to sell your business is never easy. Selling or buying a business comes with mixed emotions and hard decisions. There are a lot of variables to consider. One action item to discuss early is the process of due diligence. In order for you to attract a buyer to your company, you mustRead more about If You Don’t Uncover the Skeletons in Your Closet, Your Buyer Will[…]

Taking on any large project can be manageable when you have a reliable process in place. When deciding to exit your business, for example, you will need a proven process in place to ensure you have covered all the bases. Just like baking, without following the specific process or recipe, you could end up settingRead more about Ingredients to Jumpstart the Planning Process[…]

Succession planning, Exit Planning, and business planning may seem interchangeable in most people’s eyes. However, each type of planning plays a very different role in the process of designing, and then implementing, a strategy for leaving your business and planning for the future. You can’t use one strategy without the others when it comes toRead more about Not All Strategies Are Created Equal[…]

You can’t get anywhere if you don’t know where you’re going. It’s also obvious that once you know where you’re going, you need to lay out a path that will take you there. But things that are obvious are not always easy. It can be helpful to adopt a process that is customized to yourRead more about Find Your Best Path to the Future[…]

When imagining the future of their businesses, and possibly a future that involves different ownership at some point, owners may wonder if it’s really possible to consider “insiders” (employees, children, or co-owner) as viable successor owners. Insiders are often a great match for company culture, leadership style, and vision. But they may lack one veryRead more about Funding a Sale to “Insiders”[…]

While there are many uncertainties when planning for the future, one factor that is almost always essential to the success of your future plans is cash flow. Measuring your company’s cash flow and knowing what aspects of your business can be affected by the health of your cash flow are even more crucial in today’sRead more about Rethinking Cash Flow[…]

When we start any important project, it is common to choose to plan in phases. Sometimes we choose to plan in phases because there is a certain aspect of the project that we consider to be more urgent than others. Maybe it can be overwhelming to try to focus on the big picture. Regardless ofRead more about Where to Start[…]

As an owner of a successful business, it’s likely that you got where you are today through efficient planning. You may have planned out your business model, your competitive advantage, or your target customers and how you’d get them to use your products or services. However, you didn’t get where you are today overnight. It mostRead more about Planning When You’re Too Busy to Plan[…]

One of the most important elements of a successful business transition is transferable value. No matter what an owner sees for the future of the business, transferable value can be the common denominator that makes all goals more achievable. What is Transferable Value Transferable value, for a closely-held business, is most simply what a businessRead more about Where Transferable Value Comes From[…]