Your ExitMap Blog gathers contributions from top exit planning professionals across the country that are indexed into four categories. They include select strategies for planning your exit, ideas for building your company’s value, transfer options you can choose from, or preparing to enjoy your post-exit lifestyle. This page shows the most recent posts from Your ExitMap Blog. If you are seeking a qualified exit planning professional, you can view a map of specialists here.

All articles are copyrighted by the authors, and reprinted here with permission. Each author’s contact information is available via a link at the end of the article.

Most Recent Your ExitMap Blog Articles

Most Recent Blog Articles

Build a Successful Business Exit Plan by Using a Planning Process As a business owner, planning the exit from ownership of your business is probably the single most important decision you will make. When to exit, how much to walk away with, who to sell it to, what’s the most tax efficient strategy in your circumstance, what timeline is most suitable, and what are the areas of business that need to be improved upon to make it marketable, etc.? Those are just some of the things that need to be considered. Top 3 Tips for Small Business Buyers We review over a hundred small business transactions each year. Buying a business can be a complicated process, especially for a first-time business owner. Entrepreneurship through acquisition “ETA” has become increasingly popular, but we wanted to share some insights to assist buyers in negotiating a fair price. 1. Add-backs - Seller add-backs for personal or discretionary spending is a murky area. An an appraiser, some add backs make sense and others do not. Cash Flow Normalization Cash flow normalization is done with the intention of identifying Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) or Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE). These differing measures are not interchangeable, but are used by different classes of buyers for different categories of acquisition. What is an Exit Plan? "What is an Exit Plan" is an article I wrote ten years ago. It was just brought to my attention and I realized I never posted it to Awake for some reason. Here, with some updating, we celebrate its 10th anniversary. Exit planning is the buzzword for those who consult to Baby Boomer business owners. Business brokers, wealth managers and other professionals are adding “exit planning” to their marketing messages. Purpose – Life After the Sale Part 3 The third component of life after the sale is Purpose – “Having as one’s intention or objective.” Many exit planning advisors discuss the three legs of the exit planning stool – business readiness, financial readiness, and personal readiness. In our previous two articles, we focused on two of the “big three” components of a successful life after the sale, activity and identity. The third is purpose. 5 Keys to Finish Your Year with a BANG and not a Whimper…. 5 Keys to Finish Your Year with a BANG and not a Whimper…. This time of year, your kids are back in school, you still have hot weather, the holidays are ahead, several family holidays to celebrate. All these interruptions seem to break the concentration of your Team and seem to break their rhythm for the fourth quarter. Don’t fall into that fourth quarter trap of coasting to the finish line. Step up, review your business, get your team together and get them all energized and motivated to finish the year. Private Equity Reputation We began this series by saying that Private Equity reputation is as the Great Satan to some, and a savior to others, depending on the personal experience of the speakers. In fact, both reputations are well deserved, but neither can be universally applied. The “Great Satan” Private Equity Reputation - PEGs buy companies for the express purpose of improving their performance. That often comes with considerable pain for employees. Private Equity Leverage Private equity leverage can dramatically increase ROI, but it can also be a trap. In our previous article, we discussed the general structure of Private Equity, how it works, and the types of Private Equity Groups (PEGs). They have grown rapidly as an alternative investment that produces far better returns than Treasury Bills or publicly traded equities. Private Equity and Privately Held Businesses Depending on who you are talking to, Private Equity is either the Great Satan or the savior of small and mid-market companies in the United States. The stories depend a lot on the personal experience of the speakers. It’s Fall, or as Some Say, “Football Season” - How Succession and Exit Planning Mirror Winning the Big Game Fall brings crisp air, colorful leaves, and the undeniable excitement of football season. And much like football, where great individual players exist, the game’s heart and soul lie in teamwork. No matter how talented a quarterback or running back is, they can’t win the game alone. Victory requires everyone—linemen, defense, special teams, and coaches—working together toward a shared goal. Succession and exit planning for business owners are strikingly similar. Older Entries »