If you’re like many business owners, your business plays a large role in supporting your family’s lifestyle. As you plan for your business’ future, you may run into questions about how to treat family members fairly in your plans. This is especially crucial if you have children who work in the business and children whoRead more about Fairness and Equity Among Family Members[…]

Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power. –Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Building a successful business likely took you years of deliberate planning. From your initial business plan to now, you’ve built somethingRead more about A Planning Process for Future Success[…]

As a business owner, you’re likely the most important person in your business. You’re probably the breadwinner for your family. Your employees rely on your leadership and success for their livelihood. A lot of people depend on you. What would happen if, without warning, you were to die or become incapable of running the business?Read more about Protecting What You Care About: Business, Family, & Employees[…]

For many small-to-mid-market business owners, there are few things more important than maintaining control of the company, minimizing risks for the company, and rewarding the employees that make the company successful. Ownership transfers to the company’s most valuable employees can do all of these things with proper planning, but there is a caveat. While it’sRead more about Maintaining Control, Minimizing Risk, and Rewarding Your Best Employees[…]

There are many things for you to consider as you think about the future of your business ownership: When is the right time to move on? How much money will I need? How do I even sell this business? These questions dovetail into an important decision you’ll try to make early in the process ofRead more about Whether You Sell Your Business or Not, the Planning Is the Same[…]

Building business value is a core reason you wake up and run your business every day. As your business grows in value, it can position you to find new clients; keep current clients happy; support your employees financially and intellectually; and provide a nest egg for yourself, your family, and any charitable organizations you workRead more about Three Things That Can Build Future Business Value[…]

Businesses that rely on their owners as the primary source of success are common. They’re also the most dangerous kind of business to own when you want to plan for the future of your ownership interest. Unless your goal for the future of your ownership is to liquidate the business and shut it down, you’llRead more about Why Make Your Business More Valuable Without You?[…]

As a successful business owner, you know that your business has value. It likely supports the lifestyle you and your family live. It provides a paycheck and perhaps benefits to the people you employ. The products or services you provide are meaningful to your clients. But if someone asked you, “How much is your businessRead more about Is Your Business Worth as Much as You Think?[…]

Do you remember trying to solve a complex maze as a child? You’d start at the beginning, trace a line toward what you thought was the correct path to the end, only to run headlong into a wall. So, you’d start again, only to run into a different wall. But then, someone who had experienceRead more about Working Backward: 3 Questions to Ask About Your Planning[…]

When thinking about business planning, one aspect you may be tempted to overlook is the contributions of your key employees. Key employees are the lifeblood of well-run businesses, and they play an important role when owners begin to plan for their businesses’ futures, especially when owners begin to plan for their inevitable business exits. ManyRead more about Incentivizing Your Best Employees to Stay[…]

As a business owner, you’re likely used to having as much control over how the business functions as possible. You’re the go-to person for big decisions and you own the consequences of those decisions, whether they’re good or bad. This attitude is often good and sometimes necessary for the business’ success. But when you beginRead more about Three Things to Remember About Third-Party Sales[…]

As a business owner, you know that planning for your business future is crucial, and that the new year is typically when you implement new strategies. As the new year begins, many business owners have begun to examine what they’ll do, if anything, about the long-term future of their businesses. Winston Churchill once said, “FailingRead more about How Business Owners Are Approaching Their Futures[…]

When preparing for a large-scale event—such as an extended trip to a foreign country, sending the kids to college, or preparing your business for the future—the planning required can sometimes look too big and unwieldy to pursue. Planning for the future of your business might be one of the largest-scale financial events of your life,Read more about How to Leverage Your Strengths in a Business Exit[…]

One of the toughest things you’ll confront in your planning is focusing on the goals that matter most. You might find that the things you want to do conflict with the things you must do. For instance, you may want to use your analytical skills to increase production—something you can do at any time—during theRead more about How to Overcome the Overwhelming Parts of Planning[…]

Planning for major events can sometimes cause a sense of dread. Whether it’s planning a honeymoon, a long family trip, or a business exit, it’s easy to say, “I’ll do it later, when I’m less busy.” While planning a business exit should never encompass your entire life, there are several reasons why you should keepRead more about Why Maintaining Planning Momentum Is Important[…]