Life After Archives - Your ExitMap

Addressing the Value Gap – Living Expenses

John F. Dini — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 15:17:24 +0000

The Value Gap is one of the most used phrases in exit planning. Simply stated, it’s the difference between what a business owner would realize if he or she sold the company today, and what they need to embark on a financially secure “next act” after business ownership.

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Owners are a Minority

John F. Dini — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:57:29 +0000

When it comes to careers, business owners are a minority of the population. In conversations this week, I mentioned the statistics several times, and each owner I was discussing it with was surprised that they had so few peers. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), there are over 33,000,000 businesses in the US. Let’s discount those with zero employees. Many are shell companies or real estate holding entities. Also, those with fewer than 5 employees, true “Mom and Pop” businesses, are hard to distinguish from a job. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Association, lists businesses with 5 to 99 employees at about ... Read more

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Personal Vision – Life After the Sale Part 2

John F. Dini — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:24:53 +0000

In our last article about life after the sale we discussed identity. Even when business owners are comfortable with who they are, however, there is still the nuts and bolts issue of activity.

A business owner spends 20, 30, or (not uncommonly with Boomers,) 40 years focused on running a business. Unless they’ve built a substantial organization that is run by employees, it likely remains their biggest single time commitment right up until they leave. That commitment is frequently a lot more than 40 hours.

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Focus On Net Proceeds And Not Just Sale Price When Selling Your Business

Pat Ennis — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 15:06:13 +0000

John was excited as “today is the day!” Twenty-five years ago this month he had started his home remodeling business with a truck and a tool belt, and today at 3pm he was going to the deal table to sell his business to a much larger remodeling company. It would be a strategic purchase for the buyer who was willing to pay a premium with a goal of expansion in the region. With the check received today, John knew he could now do everything he and Kim had thought about doing for years — travel, more time with the family and for hobby’s and other ... Read more

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Prepared for 2023 – Is This the Year to Exit?

John F. Dini — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 23:19:04 +0000

What does being prepared for 2023 mean for business owners who are approaching, at, or already beyond normal retirement age? It’s become fashionable to pontificate about the “inevitable” recession in the coming year. There is an argument for not talking ourselves into making it happen. Unfortunately, there are indisputable reasons why it is going to occur regardless of whether we discuss it or not. Inflationary stimulus (including $6 trillion of ”quantitative easing”) in the US, combined with over-dependency on Russian gas supply in Europe and falling industrial production from COVID lockdowns in China have created the proverbial slow-motion car wreck for the world economy. All ... Read more

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What’s Your Purpose in Retirement?

Steven Zeller — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 23:16:28 +0000

Retirement can be an exciting milestone. It’s also a major lifestyle change. Oftentimes, your daily workday tasks (professionally or if you run your own business) will likely no longer exist. Transitioning into retirement for some is an easy process. Perhaps their profession is not their absolute passion, and they always had other pursuits and hobbies they are ready to explore once exiting from their day job. But for others, their profession or business is their passion. They put all their time and energy into it and are dedicated to their profession for many years. Now suddenly, retirement is on the horizon and work is coming ... Read more

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Business Succession Planning Is There Life After Death?

Mark C. Hegstrom — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 22:44:33 +0000

Consider this scenario: You’re part owner of a thriving small- to medium-sized business. You handle certain key responsibilities and rely on your partner to handle others. While your partner is away on business, the phone rings. The shaky voice at the other end of the line informs you that your partner has been fatally injured in a car accident. You’re grief-stricken. At the same time, you realize many people—you, your family, your partner’s family, your employees, customers, and creditors—depend on the uninterrupted continuation of your business. You know you should have planned for this. . .but you just never found the time. What If I ... Read more

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Protect Your Business with A Solid Continuity Plan

Steven Zeller — Wed, 13 May 2020 16:59:00 +0000

The Need For A Solid Continuity Plan A great characteristic of successful business owners is that they are optimistic people and will do what it takes to protect their business. They have a can-do attitude, setting their goals high, taking risks, hiring the right people, constantly striving to improve the delivery of their service or product, with a constant drive to build their entity into one of great significance. As a result, building a successful company may give the owner great pride in their achievements and a strong sense of identity. That is normal human behavior. But because of that, the thought of an event ... Read more

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Baby Boomers’ Influence – Still Strong

John F. Dini — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 14:39:59 +0000

There is ample evidence in the marketplace that Baby Boomers’ influence is still powerful. From walk-in tubs to stand-up bikes, and from pharmaceutical commercials to river cruises, Boomer tastes are catered to in every market. We all know the sterotypes of the “typical” Boomer. Goal oriented, workaholic, spendthrift, and oriented towards accumulating material evidence of their achievements. They identify work and position with their value in society. We have also discussed often in this space the issues of employers who have to replace the corporate knowledge base of retiring Boomers. Clearly, one way to keep the economy moving upwards is to encourage Boomers to work ... Read more

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Exit Planning: Controlling Your Choices

John F. Dini — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 15:18:01 +0000

Many owners are reluctant to plan for their departure from the business. In some cases it’s because they are too comfortable with ambiguity (see my previous post.) For others it is because they fear losing control. They believe that setting a final date for their departure, even tentatively, starts a process that will take on a life of its own. The tag line of this column is “Control the most important financial event of your life.” Control is the key. Refusing to deal with the realities of an eventual transition from the business is surrendering control. Sooner or later, something will happen that requires a transfer of the ... Read more

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Ambiguity Kills Value

John F. Dini — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 18:00:13 +0000

Ambiguity kills value. That was a key point in a white paper from Orange Kiwi that I read over the holidays. Taken from the PhD thesis of Dr. Allie Taylor, the paper describes the psychological profile of entrepreneurs, and their historical reluctance to begin an exit planning process. According to Dr. Taylor, entrepreneurs have five major behavioral traits; Risk Taking, Innovativeness, Need for Achievement, tolerance for Ambiguity and a locus for Control. This follows closely my description of the mind of an entrepreneur in Hunting in a Farmer’s World. In that book I discuss the traits of tenacious problem solving and the ability to navigate in the ... Read more

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Life After Exit — Time is of the Essence

John F. Dini — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 13:05:08 +0000

From time to time, we share real stories about life after exit from owners who have sold their businesses. Some are great and some… not so much. The have agreed to share their experiences to help other owners prepare for both the process of transferring their companies and what comes after. The Business BVA Scientific, a distributor of laboratory supplies and equipment, started in Bob and Nancy Davison’s bedroom with the garage serving as the “warehouse.” Both had a background in laboratory supply sales, and they focused on building deeper customer relationships than the multi-billion dollar vendors who dominate the industry. That approach helped the ... Read more

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