Your ExitMap

Every Owner Needs a Continuity Plan

John F. Dini — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 19:54:08 +0000

Exit planning conversations tend to focus on the voluntary transition, an owner who decides they are ready to move on, begins preparing the business, and eventually negotiates a sale on favorable terms. That is the version of the story everyone hopes for. It is not always the version they get. In my experience working with business owners, the planned, orderly transitions require considerable anticipation. However, there are any number of the “Dismal Ds” including death, disability, and disease, can create forced transitions that happen on a timeline and under conditions that benefit no one. The business owner who hasn’t anticipated those possibilities is not just ... Read more

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What’s Your Business Really Worth? (Probably Not What You Think)

John F. Dini — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:44:09 +0000

If someone asked you right now what your business is worth, you’d probably answer fast, and with total confidence. That number’s likely made its way into conversations with your banker, onto a personal financial statement, maybe even into a retirement plan your financial advisor put together. Here’s the uncomfortable part: there’s a good chance that number is off by 50% or more. That’s not a knock on you. It’s just that most owners have never had access to the information needed to value their business accurately. If your retirement plan is built on a made-up number, the whole plan is distorted. Your Business Might Be ... Read more

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Layers of Disclosure:A Business Owner’s Guide to Sharing Information in a Sale

John F. Dini — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:00:22 +0000

If you’re selling a privately held business, disclosure is rarely just a matter of completing a checklist. It’s more like managing a series of “layers” that unfold over time. The timing, depth, and framing of what you share can affect how buyers value your company, how much leverage you retain at the negotiating table, and often overlooked how stable your business remains while the transaction is moving forward. A practical way to think about disclosure is this: you should expand what you share only as the buyer becomes more committed, receives greater legal protections, and the deal becomes more certain. In other words, disclosure should ... Read more

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A Business Owner’s Guide to Sharing Information in a Sale appeared first on Your ExitMap.

How to Transfer a Family Business to the Next Generation

Amit Chandel — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:42:52 +0000

A family business goes on from generation to generation, and having a structured succession plan helps in minimizing the problems and smooths out the process. Family business succession planning is the structured process of legally, financially, and operationally preparing your business for a smooth ownership handoff, covering everything from IRS valuations to trust structures. Only 30% of family businesses survive to the second generation, and skipping a formal plan is the #1 reason. The tax exposure alone (gift tax, estate tax, capital gains) can drain decades of business value if no one plans. In this blog, we’ll cover the right methods to transfer a family ... Read more

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The 3% Problem in Advisory Work: A Guide for Business Owners

John F. Dini — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:10:53 +0000

As a business owner, you belong to a unique group that makes up only 3% of the population. Yet, many advisors treat you like any other client—using the same approaches they apply to executives, professionals, or retirees. This is a fundamental misunderstanding that can impact your business and personal goals. Why You’re More Than Just an Asset You are not simply a high-income individual with concentrated wealth. Your business is not just an investment; it’s an integral part of your identity, your livelihood, and your daily purpose. It is the source of your authority, reputation, and even your personal satisfaction. Navigating Identity, Not Just Assets ... Read more

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Exit Planning: If Not Now, When?

John F. Dini — Thu, 14 May 2026 14:36:37 +0000

You’ve probably said it yourself: “Talk to me in five years.” It’s the most common response advisors hear — and it makes sense. You’re heads-down building, not winding down. Exit planning feels like a conversation for later. The business is performing. You have time. And honestly, it’s a lot to think about. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: later is exactly when most exits go wrong. You’re already doing exit planning — just not deliberately Think about the early-stage tech founder. Obsessed with product, grinding 80-hour weeks, convinced the exit is the last thing they should be thinking about. Yet their investors demand an exit strategy ... Read more

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What to Watch Out for When Getting Outside Advice

John F. Dini — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:05:40 +0000

When you bring in an outside advisor — whether it’s an accountant, attorney, consultant, or broker — you’re doing the right thing. You’re acknowledging there’s something you don’t know and going to find someone who does. That’s smart ownership. But there’s a trap hidden in that process that most business owners never see coming. Every Expert Has a Favorite Tool There’s an old saying: to a hammer, everything is a nail. Think about it this way. You go to your doctor and say, “My shoulder has been killing me — I need help.” The doctor genuinely wants to help you. But whether you walk out ... Read more

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NQDCs – Funding and Forfeiture

John F. Dini — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:40:53 +0000

In our article on March 20th, we discussed Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) plans as a tool to compensate key employees for achieving long-term goals. One component of such plans is the fact that they are frequently unfunded and legally considered an unsecured promise to pay. Nonetheless, both plan sponsors and recipients often want a funding mechanism to set aside assets, manage cash flow, or hedge the liability. In addition, employers typically want conditions under which they can rescind the plan for cause, including failure to achieve the objectives the plan was designed to incentivize. Funding Mechanisms For cash-based plans, there are four common ways to ... Read more

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Business Ownership Isn’t What It Used to Be

John F. Dini — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:29:39 +0000

If you’ve been a business owner for a long time, you’ve lived this shift firsthand. Many Baby Boomer owners started out alone—just an idea, a customer, and a willingness to take a risk. Hiring that first employee was a milestone. Now, years later, some of those same businesses employ dozens or even hundreds of people. And every one of those people comes with rights, protections, and obligations that ultimately land on you. As a business grows, so does the owner’s exposure—to legal risk, regulatory risk, financial risk, and reputational risk. Ownership doesn’t just mean opportunity anymore; it means responsibility layered on responsibility. Why Fewer People ... Read more

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NQDCs – “Let Me Count the Ways”

John F. Dini — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:00:53 +0000

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) plans are a powerful tool for incentivizing and retaining key employees. They offer virtually unlimited flexibility in methodologies, objectives and rewards to suit a company’s strategies and goals. What is “unqualified?” Quite simply, NQDCs are discriminatory. Some owners shy away from that term, but discrimination isn’t automatically illegal. Illegal discrimination in the workplace is when an employer or manager treats an employee unfairly due to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information.  Non-qualified plans discriminate because they aren’t offered to everyone. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) sets standards for employee benefits. Retirement ... Read more

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Manufacturer Stuck in the “Neutral Zone”

John F. Dini — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:07:44 +0000

Here is how exit planning helped a business owner out of the Neutral Zone. This manufacturer reached out to an exit planning consultant after receiving a book on planning as a gift from a local professional. He was in no particular hurry to leave his business. In the preceding twenty years of ownership, he had grown it from a local vendor to home builders into a nationally known specialty house. The company provided him with a good living, generating roughly $700,000 a year in free cash flow for each of the previous five years. He wanted to continue for at least a few more years ... Read more

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How Much does the Big Picture Count?

John F. Dini — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:41:35 +0000

It is currently difficult to have a business conversation without discussing the Big Picture. The voracious 24-hour news cycle needs plenty of fodder to attract eyeballs. It almost seems like the media must pick and choose what will create the most concern. “Seventeen dead in drone attacks? Let’s put that sixth on the schedule.” Big Picture Issues Wars in Ukraine, Israel, and Sudan. Attacks on shipping. Russian hacker ransomware. The battle between the U.S. executive and judicial branches. Tariffs, sanctions, inflation, interest rates, boycotts. Will the price of raw materials go up? How much will transportation cost next week? Should I load up on inventory—or ... Read more

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