When should I start planning my Exit?
Succession planning
It takes real guts to leave a secure well-paid job and start a business. But it takes even more guts to walk away from your successful business baby to start another new chapter! And, more than guts, moving on takes a strategic mindset if you want to succeed.
We work a lot with business owners to help them realise the true value of their businesses. A succession plan is a long-term plan that breaks down the strategy into smaller 90 days goals, and it creates a vision of the future business.
The right time to plan your exit
We recommend that you start your succession plan a minimum of five years before your preferred exit date. Expect the plan to evolve and for it to take time and energy to get the business ship-shape and ready for your departure.
The business has to be fully capable of running without you on the day of your departure to get maximum value. Even if you think it’s in great shape already, it will take a lot of planning and training to get to this point – especially if you are a one-person-band business.
You’ll also need advice and support from people you can trust. Like all business planning, you need to know the legal and financial implications and requirements, and you need to make sure you’ve covered every angle.
What are the benefits of creating a succession plan?
In business, there’s always something to be gained from having a plan. In this case, a good succession plan results in:
- Improved confidence, motivation and clarity of direction.
- Establishing the ideal successor, timeline and key milestones.
- The best outcome for everyone involved.
- Understanding and planning for the various personal, business, financial, legal and taxation requirements to make your succession goals a reality
We run a dedicated succession planning programme for business owners. We take a complete view of your future, and help you to see how your business can support your new plans – whether that’s early retirement, investment in another venture, starting a new business or a combination of all three!
Our programme also connects you to other professionals who can help you plan your next steps, including managing your personal wealth and planning your pensions and investments for the future you want to have. We make a start by finding out:
- What you want to achieve in the short, medium and long term.
- Your ideal time frame for succession.
- Your business value.
- The key stakeholders you need to consider.
- Opportunities, vulnerabilities and critical challenges.
- Goals and key projects.
The idea of the programme is that we work together over the next five years to support you to plan and deliver your exit dream. We break down your plan into 90-day goals and next steps so that your plan feels achievable, measurable and can be flexible depending on circumstances.
Are you thinking about what happens to your business when you’re ready to move on? The sooner you can start planning, the better – so why not get in contact and see how we can help?
Please note: This is not meant to constitute professional advice. It is generic guidance only and things may have changed since it was written –please always seek specific & tailored advice for your circumstances.