What is your business worth today? What type of buyer will you sell to? How will you take care of your key employees and family? Do you understand why most successions fail?
Exit Planning
Do you have a detailed exit plan, in writing, 3-5 years ahead of your exit date?
How do you prioritize progress on your exit consistently despite it’s long term nature?
Do you have organizational and succession plans as well as tax and legal plans?
Business Valuation
What your business is worth? Will current management methods enhance value?
Is 3rd party financing available? How do you protect yourself with an installment sale?
Is the business strong enough to fund multiple generation’s needs in a closely held sale?
Business Sale
How have you packaged your business for sale? Do you have a worthy prospectus?
Who are the target buyers; how are they qualified? How best is opportunity presented?
What type of broker or agents will be used? How will confidentiality be maintained?
Management Succession
How will management team affect value? Have you done objective review of your team?
Is there a clear developmental plan for key staff? Are you their most effective teacher?
Is business dependent on you? Do other managers have key talents buyers will need?
Systems | Controls
Are there manual or outdated systems? Is there timely, immediate and actionable data?
Are there standardized methods or are they based on highly irregular measures?
Is too much of the systems knowledge only in the heads of the current owners?
Estate Planning
Have you done the necessary personal financial and estate planning?
What are the legal considerations of sale, related agreements and current contracts?
What are the joint tax implications of business, yourself and other related stakeholders?
Improvement Plan
Are you continuing to invest in the business despite your pending exit?
Are you ready to show increased growth and profits the past 3 years in a row?
Do have a plan to show prospective buyers how the business can drive current growth?
What Do You Think?
Is this an area of strength waiting to be better leveraged? Or is improvement needed that will allow the organization to progress overall?
How long has this been true? What are the best options for addressing it? What outcomes are realistically possible?
What other areas of the business need to be focused on to support initiatives in this area?
What approaches may be valid?
How will you transition?
Are you ready to orchestrate a once or twice in a lifetime event of high stakes?
How are you going to keep up the business performance while reducing your involvement?
How have you hedged against downside risk as you have put in decades creating value?
